War Remnants Museum, 28 Vo Van Tan - Ho Chi Minh City

The War Remnants Museum was a remarkably painful experience. In fact, I needed to leave the museum several times to breath and contain my tears. The photographs and descriptions throughout were punishing; reminding visitors of the horrors of war, specifically for civilians. Of course, the exhibits focused on the occurrences and aftermath of the Vietnam

War and placed a relatively perverse spotlight on human torture and suffering.

I first visited the "Imprisonment System"; a recreation of the detention camps and prisons that were used during the Vietnam War by forces on all sides of the conflict. In addition to the shocking photos and descriptions of torture in the Exhibition room, I was affected incredibly by the life like and quite realistic models of prisoners and the actual "Tiger Cages," with accompanying descriptions. It is difficult for me to understand this type of brutality. I cannot help but question my intentions for including it here; is this torture porn? If it is, why am I engaging in it?

"Tiger Cages" were constructed by weaving barbed wire around the constructive metal frame of cages. Prisoners were held several to each cage and were unable to sit in the cages but rather had to lie on top of one another, pressed against the hot barbs.

Even as a tourist in this city I find the heat nearly unbearable. I cannot imagine the agony and distress being held in these cages must have caused. I move between anger and sadness.

As if this was not enough, I ventured into the main building and worked my way through the exhibits. Essentially, the focus is on individual massacres enacted at the hands of foreign troops and the effects as well as aftermath of the extensive chemical warfare used during the war. I felt overwhelmed; partially because of the human consequence but also because I, like many others in my generation, have a father who did tours in Vietnam. This is a hard pill to swallow.

The following is an example of one of the exhibits and then I am done with this...and I recognize my privilege; the people of Vietnam have never had such a luxury.

"From 8 PM to 9 PM February 25th, 1969, a group of Seal Rangers (one of the most selective rangers of the U.S. Army) led by Lieutenant Bob Kerry reached for Hamlet 5. Thanh Phong Village, Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre Province. They cut 66 year-old Bui Van Vat and 62 year-old Luu Thi Canh's necks and pulled their three grandchildren out from their hiding place in a drain and killed two, disemboweled one. Then, these rangers moved to dug-outs of other families, shot dead 15 civilians (including three pregnant women). disemboweled a girl. the only survivor was a 12 year old girl named Bui Thi Luom who suffered a foot injury."

It was not until April 2001 that US Senator Bob Kerrey confessed his crime to the international public.

ENOUGH.