War Remnants Museum 战争遗迹博物馆

2024年4月25日，星期四，新加坡越南之旅第六天

On April 25, 2024, Thursday, the sixth day of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

今天我俩参观了战争遗迹博物馆，原名为展示美国战争罪行博物馆，成立于1975年，是越南唯一一个系统地研究、收集、保护和展示外来侵略势力对越南人民造成的战争罪行和后果的博物馆，通过展出大量的照片、文物、军事装备，向公众揭示战争的残酷性和对人民生活的长期影响。博物馆分为多个展区，其中包括关于化学武器如橙剂的使用、战争期间的摄影作品、国际支持越南抗战的展览等。除此之外，院外还陈列了被摧毁的坦克、飞机和大炮等战争装备，让人对战争有更直观的感受。

Today, we visited the War Remnants Museum, originally named the less flattering, “Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes”, which was established in 1975. It is the only museum in Vietnam that systematically studies, collects, preserves, and displays the war crimes (and make no mistake they were war crimes), and consequences caused by foreign invading forces on the Vietnamese people.

Through exhibiting a large number of photographs, artifacts, and military equipment, the museum reveals the cruelty of war and its long-term impact on people’s lives. The museum is divided into several exhibition areas, including the use of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange, photography works during the war, and exhibitions on international support for Vietnam’s resistance war. In addition, destroyed tanks, aircraft, and artillery pieces are displayed outside the museum, giving people a more intuitive feeling of the war.

这次参观让我首次系统了解了越南的历史。以前在学校学习历史时，接触的关于越南的内容仅限于涉及中国的部分，比如美国对越南的侵略战争中，中国对越南人民抗美救国战争提供的军事援助。那时我对战争没有太深的感受，只是按照教育的要求去仇恨西方列强。然而，今天我不仅学到了越南的历史，还真切地见证了战争对平民的毁灭性影响和长期后果。美国在这场战争中所犯的错误无疑是可耻且不可饶恕的，但看到当今越南人民对美国人展现出的友好、积极和开放态度，这种复杂的情感让人感到奇妙。我从小接受的教育是要仇恨日本人，原因是南京大屠杀等历史事件，这种情绪一直还是延续到今天的年轻一代。这个博物馆很好，唯一的问题就是没有空调，每个展厅里只有几个风扇，所以参观了一会儿便汗流浃背。

经历了17年的越南战争，引发了无数讨论和思考。参观博物馆后，我不禁自问，如果未来发生类似冲突，我自己的立场又将是什么？我们的立场又将是什么？

This visit allowed me to systematically understand Vietnam’s history for the first time. When I studied history in middle school before, the content related to Vietnam was limited to the parts involving China, such as the military assistance provided by China to the Vietnamese people’s war of resistance against US aggression. At that time, I didn’t have a deep feeling about the war and only hated the Western powers as portrayed by the education. However, today, I not only learned about Vietnam’s history but also truly witnessed the devastating impact and long-term consequences of war on civilians. The actions taken by the United States in this war are undoubtedly shameful and unforgivable, but seeing the friendly, positive, and open attitude shown by the Vietnamese people towards Americans today, this complex emotion is perplexing. I was taught to hate the Japanese from a young age due to historical events such as the Nanjing Massacre, and this sentiment in China even continues with the younger generation today. This is a very good museum; the only issue is that there is no air conditioning. Each exhibition hall only has a few fans, so after visiting for a bit, one ends up sweating profusely.

The 17-year Vietnam War has triggered countless discussions and reflections. After visiting the museum, I can’t help but ask myself, if similar conflicts occur in the future, what will my own stance be? What will our stance be?

这是前美国参议员鲍勃·克里参与的Thanh Phong大屠杀，他却从未受到制裁，相反，他还被提拔到高位。 – This is former Senator Bob Kerry who engaged in highly despicable acts for which he never faced justice, on the contrary, he was elevated to high office.

晚餐时，我们找到了一家非常地道的海鲜餐厅，我终于有机会品尝到了螃蟹。这顿晚餐包括五道菜，总计花费961,000越南盾，折合大约38美元，性价比简直令人难以置信。这种物美价廉的饮食体验，让人在享受美食的同时，也感受到了越南当地生活的魅力。

For dinner, we found a very authentic seafood restaurant, Ong Cua, and I finally had my crab! This dinner included five dishes and cost a total of 961,000 Vietnamese dong, equivalent to about 38 US dollars. The prices here are simply unbelievable. This kind of affordable and delicious dining experience allows people to enjoy the food while also experiencing the charm of local life in Vietnam.

Another educational day exploring the Museum, but today we only walked 15,857 steps vs the 21,510 the day before.

又是探索胡志明市的又热又有收获的一天，但今天我们只走了1万6千步，而前一天走了2万1千多步。