Learning About the American War in Vietnam

The sound of M16s and AK47s still rings above the tunnels of Cu Chi almost 40 years after the US pulled out of Vienam but these days it's tourists, not soldiers, firing as part of their visit to the 200 km of underground passageways that protected the residents of this area and allowed the Viet Cong to sneak up on US soldiersin their tents, seemingly appearing from thin air.

I hate to say this, because Vietnamese culture is fascinating on its own, but one of my main reasons for coming to this country was to deepen my shallow understanding of what people here call the American War. Between these tunnels and the War Remenants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, I've gotten to see a very Vietnamese perspective.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be the people in the photos at the museum, a Vietnamese mother fleeing with her children, an older boy trying to protect his brother. As people with deformed limbs--the lasting effects of Agent Orange--offer me postcards, the suffering Americans helped cause here is starkly visible.

Still, looking at souvenir Viet Cong fighter hats, I remember that the people one informational video calls "American Killer Heroes" were targeting US soldiers my age, young men who could have been my friends or family.

Although the museum is informative, some parts of these tourist attractions feel wrong. Why would visitors want to fire AK47s at Cu Chi, where thousands died on both sides? At the same time, as an American, what can I do here? What should I do besides look and learn?

One photo from the Mylai massacre shows a group of Vietnamese women and children huddled together. Photographer Ronald Haeberle explains, "Guys were about to shoot these people. I yelled, 'hold it', and shot my picture. As I walked away, I heard M16s open up. From the corner of my eye I saw bodies falling, but I didn't turn to look."

Standing in front of the picture, I'm willing something to change. I want to jump into the frame and help these people. I want to reason with the American soldiers, stop them from becoming murderers. But in the end I, too, turn away from the scene.