War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

When they called this place the War Remnants Museum, they weren't joking - it's full of relics and photographs from the Vietnam War (or the American War as it's called in Vietnam!) and it will open your eyes and churn your stomach.

As you enter the compound there is a photography exhibit to the right which is quite interesting. It shows partly how the War was documented by journalists and photographers, and partly how many horrible things went on. Photos of decapitated bodies and people begging for their lives don't really appeal to me, and I concentrated more on the captions than a lot of the actual pictures. The copies of newspaper clippings are interesting.

The centre builiding houses a number of 'remants', such as weapons and camp tools. There is also a section on Agent Orange which I didn't look at. It features pickled feotuses and photographs.

At the far end is a display of prison cells and 'tiger cages'. I couldn't quite work out whether these were real or replicas. You can walk through and see eerie wax models of prisoners sitting inside.

There is a lighter side, however, and for me the best part of the museum. Between the tiger cages and the middle collection was a display of children's artwork. I'm not sure if it's permanent or not. School children from across Vietnam were asked to draw pictures on the themes of war and peace. Some pictures are sad, others happy, but it gives you a sense of hope for the future and is really uplifiting after the grizzly museum displays.

The Museum is a confronting and depressing place. I think it is important to learn about the horrors of War, particularly this War, but a lot of it was too graphic for my liking; I can learn the value of something without having to see it with my own eyes. I would advise against bringing children here.

The entance to the museum cost 10,000D Similar to other war-related museum, pictures of the war are exhibited- how ppl being tortured and their suffering, as well as the heavy weapons used are exhibited.

The museum is located near to Reunification Palace. Walking is possible from pham ngu lao area. Of course you can always hire cyclo or cab. They will wave for you all the way on your way there.

See the Vietnamese side of the story and see American brutality in the war. I remembered a picture of an American GI cutting off the head of a Viet Cong soldier midway through and him in fits of laughter. Heart-wrenching pictures on the devastation of war. Absolutely depressing but relevating. This is also possibly one of the few museums in the world that allows you to take photos of the exhibits. Must do if you are in HCMC! (I have forgotten the entry fee, as I have lost the receipt)

Once known as the Museum of American and Chinese War Crimes, its name was changed so as not to offend American and Chinese tourists. Its theme, however, remains intact. Inside you can find "Some Pictures of US Imperialist's Aggressive War Crimes in Vietnam". Despite the rhetoric, this museum is the most popular museum in Saigon with western tourists. Along with many gruesome photographs, the museum displays US armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs, infantry weapons and even a guillotine used by the French on pesky Viet Minh "troublemakers". There are pieces on the My Lai massacre and the napalm, Agent Orange and phosphorous bombs used on the Vietnamese. Though certainly not an unbiased representation of events in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, the museum is nonetheless successful in driving home the fact that wars are brutal and that civilians are the biggest losers.

A museum not to be missed while in Saigon. As you enter the site, you are greeted with a number of US military planes, tanks, and other equipment from the American/Vietnam War. The museum itself is comprised of six rooms that exhibit vivid and sometimes gruesome memories of the war. This includes bottled fetuses deformed by Agent Orange and pictures from the My Lai massacre. You can take a look at a partial reconstruction of the Tiger Cages found on Con Son Island. Also outlined are protests from around the world that helped bring an end to the war. The best part of the museum is the exhibit on frontline photographers.

Some visitors feel that the museum is one sided and Communist propaganda. In fact, this museum was originally called the "American War Crimes Museum" which has been toned down for tourism purposes. However, as Basil Fawlty put it, "Who won the bloody war anyway?" So I guess that the Vietnamese can say anything that they want. I don't see many western museums dealing with issues such as Agent Orange and My Lai. Thus, we get to examine both sides and come to our own conclusions about western involvement at that time. No, the place doesn't outline VC atrocities and makes some interesting comments on certain pictures. However, what this museum does for me, and for some others that I know, is eliminate the notion that westerners always hold the moral highground. Take a look around and learn from what you see. That said, the museum is getting better at balancing out but it is what it is.

Admission - 10,000 VND

The 'War Museum' in Saigon has the most incredible collection of photos from the American conflict, mostly in memory to the journalist/photographers who were killed. Most photograph sections finish with, 'His/her last photograph', or 'The last sighting of them as they set off for a VC checkpoint'. Or most moving, 'A chaplain reading their last rights'. We were constantly, subconsciously, reminded of the phrase, 'only the victor writes the history'.

I went to the War Remnants Musuem after spending half a day crawling inside the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was a good follow-up, not only did I listen to more propaganda, I got an opportunity to see the "American War" through the eyes of the locals.
Yes, I got to see gripping Pulitzer-prize winning photos, deformed babies preserved in formalin and other gory relics, including a French guillotine. Good thing I didn't have too heavy a lunch.
In any case, I was spell-bound, I heard much of the war yet I knew so little about it ! I have to admit that I was quite disturbed by all the images, so were many tourists, some of whom were shaking their head away in disbelief. There was one photo that caught my attention, a grim photo of a mother fleeing away from her enemies with her children.

This museum has had several names -- the latest being one that reflects our new economic connections with Vietnam. The earlier name was "War Crimes Museum".
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It contains various exhibitions detailing the activities during what the Vietnamese call "The American War". Please see the travelogue for some idea of the exhibits.
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This picture is of two of the paintings done by Vietnamese children against war -- they are very moving.