Warning: There are some disturbing images after the Read More link.
I started the day by visiting the Reunification Palace, which was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the site of the official handover of power during the Fall of Saigon.
To be honest, for me it was pretty boring. If you have ever visited a school in England that was built in the 60/70’s, you’ve got a god idea of what it feels like walking around the countless meeting and housing rooms. The tunnels in the basement were the most interesting part though.
We then made our way to one of the most interesting Museum’s I’ve ever visted, The War Remnants Museum. I spent at least 2 hours walking around looking at the hundreds of images with great descriptions educating myself more about the Vietnam war. Very interesting.
Lot’s of US aircraft’s and tanks in the outside grounds.
This is a 82 Seismic Bomb that has 5,700kg of explosives in it. When exploded it destroyed an area of 100 meter radius and caused serious damage within a diameter of 3.2km. Used in Vietnam from 1970
Disturbing images of the US army interrogating Vietnamese.
The museum looks like a must for my trip to Vietnam in August. They don’t hold back on the graphic images in the East do they… reminds me of the horrific photos and art shown at the Khmer Rouge S21 internment/torture prison in Phnom Penh. Very moving, especially having a guide who’d lost both parents over that period.
(Great photos and info in earlier blogs on Vietnam by the way, just catching up on my reading…)
I would love to visit the Khmer Rouge S21 one day… I recently read a book about an American that studied all of the documents found in the school. I forgot what it was called now but very interesting.
Disturbing but the images definitely make me think.
It defo brings home the pain that must have been injured during the war. A surreal experience walking around learning through these disturbing images.