A Stroll Along Vietnam's War Torn Past

By Fadzli Ramli This is the first of a two-part feature on Vietnam's turbulent past and the rise of the country especially in the economic sphere after the war based on the writer's observation who was there recently. HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec 14 (Vietnam) – It was a hot afternoon when I visited the War Remnants Museum here recently, and I was certainly glad to find a drink and snack kiosk at one corner of the museum. While I laid my hands on a can of cold soft drink, the bottled Vietnam tea caught my attention. I asked the lady manning the kiosk, which is the better choice the soft drink or the Vietnam tea? She replied “...Vietnam tea better,” and true enough I finished almost half of the tea in the bottle in one gulp. Little did I realise it would be the start of a memorable conversation with the lady, Phan Thi Hien, 57. While the museum had provided me with the static version of country's war history, Phan took me through her real life experience of living through the war in the 1970s. It was a great relief for Phan and her family when the Vietnam War ended in 1975, that witnessed the reunification of North and South Vietnam and to what the country is today. “I lost several of my cousins and other relatives, it is a bitter reminder not only for us in Vietnam but for the whole world what war can do to people, it is an important reminder for the future generations,” she said. THE MUSEUM While Phan's command of English may not be excellent, but what marvels me is that she learned the language herself by reading books, watching television, listening to the radio and interacting with her friends and the tourists visiting the museum. She added by having a command in the language it is easier for her to interact with foreign tourists and share with them first hand account on the Vietnam War and on the museum itself, which she felt is her duty as a Vietnamese. "It is hard back then (Vietnam War), I was a teenager around that time. Food was scarce, although we had paddy field we could not work on it because of the war and we often ate tapioca (BM: ubi kayu), many became sick and medical supply was rare to come by. "But don't get me wrong, we don’t give up easily. Vietnamese are resilient and this museum tells you the story about us, a story of what we went through and how we survived," she said. Founded on Sept 4, 1975 the unique museum primarily showcases exhibits related to the Second Vietnam War from Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975 and the first Indochina War in the early 19th century against the French colonial master. The museum systematically studies, collects, conserves and displays exhibits on war crimes and also the consequences inflicted on the Vietnamese people by foreign forces. The museum has nine main exhibition themes namely historical truths, requiem, the use of Agent Orange during Vietnam War and its effects, war crimes, open-air exhibition, Vietnam-war and peace, international support and how war prisoners are treated. There are also collection of battle tanks, helicopters and aircraft used during the war at the museum yard. AGENT ORANGE I asked Phan, how does it feel to see the grim war images, artifacts and dioramas on a daily basis at the museum, which she responded: "It is something I had to do so the people all over the world could know about the war and don't repeat it,". Yet still Phan could not bear with the two Agent Orange exhibition because of its devastating effects on the environment and the people. The Agent Orange exhibition had the most number of visitors where it showed how dangerous the chemical agent was on the environment and the people. It is estimated that four million people in Vietnam were exposed to the chemical, with around one million suffering serious health issues and the most heartbreaking is that the Agent Orange is capable of affecting the genes, resulting in deformities among the offspring of victims exposed to the victims. Like how Phan felt, I too felt uncomfortable when I visited the Agent Orange exhibition especially looking at the picture of children born badly deformed. During the war, Agent Orange was used by the Americans to flush out the enemy but the effect of the chemical weapon on the environment and people was horrendous. "Despite all of this, we are still standing here and hope to build a better country for our children and grandchildren in the future," said Phan at the end of our conversation as I wrapped up my visit to the museum. CU CHI TUNNEL As I continued my visit in Vietnam I got a feel of what Phan told me about the war when I visited Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located at Cu Chi district here. The ground there is made up of hard soil and clay, which is the best soil to dig tunnels and plant paddy. However, according to a young tour guide there who introduced himself as Nim, 26, it was hard to plant paddy and other type of food crops then with the war going on. "Back in those days the people fight in the day and plant paddy and tapioca at night, it shows how hard our people struggled,” he said. Life in the Cu Chi Tunnels and the area is not easy with food, water and medicine being scarce. People would spend the day in the tunnels and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops, or even fight the enemy. According to Nim, the 121km long tunnel network was an effective hiding spot to launch guerrilla attacks and the network of tunnels also had hospitals, kitchen, weapons armoury and living quarters beside serving as an important clandestine route for the soldiers. HARD PEOPLE Nim said living in that condition with Malaria being rampant and the tunnels infested with venomous creatures like centipedes, scorpions, spiders and snakes felt like hell on earth but the people those days knew they can’t stop fighting. “They did this so we the younger generation now can live free and have the freedom to choose our own destiny. “After the war ended in 1975 and north and south Vietnam became one, so as one we became a stronger nation to face the future,” he said. Cu Chi Tunnel now serves as a war memorial park and is a fast growing tourist attraction with visitors can even try their hand firing rifles used back in the war, including the AK-47, watch videos on the war, take a look at the deadly booby traps used and other exhibitions. Coming out of the tunnel and back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's capital city, it is astounding to see the pace of development the Indochinese nation is going through. I will share on how the country's rapid development is changing the lives of its people in the next part. -- BERNAMA