War Remnant Museum

Opened in September 1975, theWarRemnantMuseumwas once known as the “MuseumofAmerican War Crimes”, focusing on exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. Due to the process of normalization of relation betweenVietnamand theUnited States, the museum was changed to its name now in 1993 and it has undergone many changes and renovations.

The exhibits are displayed inside or outside of the museum. Inside the museum consists of rooms dedicated to a particular theme. Graphic displays, photographs and other artifacts reflect the painful history, and among them the most talked-about exhibits are numerous photos showing people born with deformations due to their families exposed to strong pesticide and chemical sprayed, best known by the name ‘Agent Orange’. Alongside these photos are a number of jars containing preserved fetuses with two fused together in unnatural ways, or odd shaped or missing facials features. Outside the building is a range of American military hardware that had been captured or abandoned, including aircrafts, bombs, tanks and unexploded ordinance. A mock-up of a POW prison, a small ‘tiger cage’ with far too many prisoners crammed into and usually with a guillotine used for punishment, is also displayed outside.

A visit to this war museum is a disturbing experience for most people, and also many preceding travelers have failed to hold their tears in front of the pictures there. It may not be suitable for children to see some horrific scenes though they are allowed to enter.