While a difference of perspective was to be expected, we were blown away by the overall portrayal of the Vietnam War in Vietnamese museums. There was no talk of it having anything to do with north versus south; it was Vietnam versus the American soldiers. The South Vietnamese? Oh they were just waiting for the North to liberate them.
The Hanoi Hilton first displayed pictures of the atrocities performed by the French when imprisoning Vietnamese patriots, followed immediately by pictures demonstrating what pleasant lives American soldiers shot down over Hanoi enjoyed in the prison. They played chess and basketball; John McCain received the best medical treatment. The Vietnamese nursed the soldiers back to health; they even let them have pets and huge Christmas celebrations. Torture? Not on their watch.
In each museum, there was an exhibit about how the rest of the world stood behind Vietnam in protests and rallies. Nothing to do with peace. They just were supporting (North) Vietnam against the Americans. Remember that monk who committed self immolation? Also listed as a supporter of Vietnam, not peace.
The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City (or still Saigon to everyone in Vietnam) displayed war-era photos of soldiers “smiling after killing Vietnamese patriots” and the like. The Historical Truths exhibit claimed that we were there because we were afraid of losing the tin exported from Vietnam. And at the Cu Chi Tunnels we watched a video about the villagers, pivotal in winning the war against the Americans, who were awarded the Hero Medal for Killing American Soldiers.
It was almost enough to make us use fake British accents. If only it weren’t quite so twisted and one-sided. Way to go, Communism.
