War - What Is It Good For?

It is virtually impossible to visit Vietnam and not be reminded that this is a country that was dominated by war for 30 years of the previous century.... a conflict that began with the communists fighting French colonial power in the 1940s and did not end until they seized Saigon and took control of the whole country in 1975. The period that Americans refer to as the "Vietnam War", and the Vietnamese call the "American War", was the US military intervention from 1965 to 1973.

The Hanoi government estimates that in 21 years of fighting, four million civilians were killed across North and South Vietnam, and 1.1 million communist fighters died. United States figures covering the American phase record 200-250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers killed and 58,200 US soldiers dead or missing in action. (Data source: The BBC)

It is not my intention to offend anyone with this post or the one that follows. Nor is it my intention to pass judgement on anyone who took part in the conflict. I am not someone who believes in using violence to settle an argument and I do not think that going to war is the solution to any of the world's problems. However, I also do not think it is right to condemn the individual soldiers that take part in any military campaign - they are just doing their job, and obeying orders from above.

There are always two sides to every conflict. Atrocities are committed on both sides, but it is the victors who write the history books. On our first evening in Vietnam, our guide (who was born after the end of the war, but hails from the North and married into a family from the South) told us that "Truth is the first casualty of Peace." I think what he was trying to say is, "Take everything you see or read about the war in Vietnam with a pinch of salt." And there is a definite bias towards portraying the North Vietnamese army in the best possible light - as the brave but benevolent victors compared to the "cowardly, puppet South Vietnamese" and their unwelcome Western allies. 


I hope that anyone reading this will appreciate it as a record of what I saw of the war memorabilia in Vietnam in terms of its historical interest, and not think that I am making any type of statement on who was right and who was wrong in a conflict that was virtually over before I was even born. I have long deliberated over posting on this aspect of my trip, but I have decided to share my photos and narrative, as, after all, this blog is a record of my life and my experiences. 


Some people may think that Vietnam is today "cashing in" on their war, making money by charging tourists to gawp at the remnants of a violent past. Perhaps they are, but then again, can you really blame them? 

................

Hoa Lo Prison
First stop, the notorious Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi. Later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", the prison was used by the French colonists for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam to house and interrogate captured servicemen, mostly American pilots shot down during bombing raids. Probably the most famous POW inmate during the American War was US Senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. On 26 October 1967, he was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Sky hawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg ejecting from the aircraft, and nearly drowned when he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake. He spent over 5 years as a POW and was released on 14 March 1973. His flight suit is on display in the museum and a picture of him visiting the prison in 2000.

Hoa Lo Prison

Visitor Rules
Note #3 - Certainly not a place of much 'frolicking' either in the past or present. 
A rather sombre experience, overall.

Bronze relief depicting the suffering of the Vietnamese political prisoners under French rule

My verdict: The Museum at Hoa Lo tries hard to portray their own "fair and humane" treatment of the American servicemen to be in stark contrast to the terrible fate the Vietnamese suffered under the French. Let's just say I found the exhibits in that section of the museum to be somewhat stretching the truth.....

Củ Chi Tunnels

The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.

The tunnels were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded  in the 1960s to provide refuge and a defensive advantage over the American soldiers. The Viet Cong used these underground routes to house troops, transport communications and supplies, lay booby traps and mount surprise attacks, after which they could disappear underground to safety. To combat these guerrilla tactics, US and South Vietnamese forces trained soldiers known as "tunnel rats" to navigate the tunnels in order to detect booby traps and enemy troop presence.

Now part of a Vietnam War memorial park, the tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can crawl through some of the safer (now enlarged) areas of the tunnels, view command centres and booby traps, fire an AK-47 rifle on a firing range and even eat a meal featuring typical foods that soldiers living in the tunnels would have eaten.

I should really have heeded the "Visitors are afraid of darkness and narrow place" warning!
I had to come out almost immediately, overwhelmed by claustrophobia.

Concealed entrance to the tunnels

Inside the tunnels

Mannequins of Viet Cong soldiers

Booby traps

My verdict: Rather a surreal experience overall... walking through the hot jungle with tour guides dressed as Viet Cong fighters, the sound of gunshot growing ever louder as we got closer and closer to the firing range. I did not enjoy being down in the tunnels for even one moment, and was frankly horrified by the collection of booby traps on display. 

The ridiculously loud noise from the firing range - located right next to the cafe - did not seem to bother this chilled out kitty!

Next post: The War Remnants Museum, The Reunification Palace and Rex Hotel, Saigon.

........
War, it ain't nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Ooooh, war
It's an enemy to all mankind
The point of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die
Aaaaah, war-huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it, say it, say it
War, huh
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
{Edwin Starr - War}