The War Remnants Museum is located at 28 Vo Van Tan St, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum opened in September 1975 as "The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government”, focusing on exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War.
Since then, it has undergone many changes and renovations due to the process of normalization of relation between Vietnam and the United States, such as the change to its current name in 1993.
The Vietnamese War is possibly the only thing in the minds of foreigners before coming to this nation. Though the country has changed itself and the prejudice has somehow been replaced by a new modern developing image, it’s crucial for tourists to look at the war from a different perspective. And this famous museum is where they can transform an ordinary visit to an intellectual yet remarkable trip.
Nowadays, the museum functions as a place to display devastation of the war between 2 countries from 1961 to 1975. It comprises several buildings storing military equipment, as well as disturbing photographs about the traumatizing consequences of Agent Orange, napalm and phosphorus bombs.
There are also pictures about atrocities such as My Lai massacre, a guillotine used by Southern Government of Vietnam. In addition, last but not least three jars of deformed human features indicate haunting effects of the war on the next generations. A number of unexploded ordnances are stored in the corner of the yard, seemingly with their charges removed.
Not only does the museum illustrate a phase of painful history, but it also tells unknown stories about war to people, especially to Westerners. Many preceding travelers have failed to hold their tears in front of the pictures here.
This is one of the most famous museums in Ho Chi Minh City, which attracts a lot of Western travelers. Covering 7,300 m2, the museum has indoor and outdoor exhibition areas.
There are notable collections outdoor such as tanks, aircraft, artillery and bombs. The most outstanding items are the M107 - 175 mm self-propelled guns (leftmost), one of the biggest weapons of mass destruction used by the US in the Vietnam War.
At the main courtyard of the museum, you can see sophisticated aircraft used by the US to attack Vietnam at the time.
Currently the museum preserves over 20,000 documents, artifacts and films, but just over 1,500 of which are introduced to the community, especially foreign tourists.
This is the guillotine that was taken across the southern provinces during the war to execute patriots during the French colonial period in the early 20th century.
Two "tiger cages" in the museum are built of the same size with those at the Con Dao prison.
The museum's main building has three floors; each floor has galleries with different themes related to the Vietnam War, the southwest border war, the Spratly Islands issue ...
Recently, The Star of Malaysia suggested 6 impressive museums and monuments in Southeast Asia to visit, including the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam.
Combined with sightseeing, visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or their favorite beverage on site. The museum is open from 7h30 - 12h and 13.30h - 17h daily. Entrance fee is VND15,000 per person.
The collection of American weapon used during the war in Vietnam:
