War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

The museum is excellent if one critically keeps in mind that only one side of the coin is shown here. Rooms are modern and with AC and text in English and Vietnamese.
Many tourists come to this museum each day and there are many taxis and motorbikes waiting outside offering their services. There is a criminal taxi driver outside who has a cap that looks like Mailinh but it is not and a fake. You will realize soon that the taxi meter spins and doubles each 15 seconds or so. When I asked the taxi driver he suddenly did not speak English and I asked to stop. Bill was 68.000 VD for a distance I had expected to be 40.000 VD. I paid with a 100.000 VD bill that the driver immediately switched with a 10.000 VD bill and asked me to pay correctly. I was confused and now paid with a 500.000 VD (I did not have any smaller money) and he returned 26.000 VD. When I realized what was going on I started screaming at him to give back the 500.000 VD to me and insulted him. This must have been so unexpected to him that he returned the 500.000VD to me and I left the taxi. He followed me claiming I did not pay but when I got attention with the situation he escaped.
My recommendation: Take photo of license plate and driver and hold the money in your hand so he can revise. Get out the taxi if you feel it is a scam.
I never had bad experience with Vinasun or Mailinh.

Many have stated that this museum represents but one side of the conflict. I beg to differ, as seldomly are the victims of war able to speak out. Today's wars have been sanitized by governments and the press, controlling access to the information, by censoring and preventing dissemination of the resulting carnage.
There is a fundamental truth spoken in this museum : war should never be entered in. It is carried out for profit and greed. It makes no sense and the price in human suffering is always too great. All leaders entering or espousing war should be held accountable and they should suffer the same fate of the innocents who died needlessly.

We went to this museum twice. It is an extremely important museum, in my opinion, and one which ought to be seen. However, it evokes strong reaction, and can be upsetting.

What I found upsetting were the photos of the victims of the chemical Agent Orange which the US forces dropped on the jungles of Vietnam to clear the jungles of vegetation. The photos show people with horrific deformities and horrific injury. It is upsetting. It also made me feel very angry. I felt angry at the injustice for the people who were so affected by the chemicals used. That was not a benign chemical. It has devastating effects. It was a weapon.

This museum shows the horrors of the war.

There are other exhibitions, including one showing a typical prison cell. When I peaked in to the cell, I jumped back in fright because the figure of an emaciated prisoner looked so real.

There are also weapons and a tank on site.

There are different buses that go past the museum, if you are not in walking distance.
Bus Route No. 14: BX Eastern - 3/2 - BX West.
Bus Route No. 28: Ben Thanh Market Cho Xuan Thoi Thuong
Bus Route No. 06: Cholon BX - University of Agriculture and Forestry

Admission costs 15.000d/luot/nguoi with discounts offered for some categories of people.

Visited the War Remnants Museum after went to the Reunification Palace, as a part of Ho Chi Minh city tour.
The War Remnants Museum (Vietnamese: Bảo tàng chứng tích chiến tranh) is located at 28 Vo Van Tan, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The exhibits inside and outside are primarily from the American -Vietnam stage of war.
Entry fee 15.000 Dong, Opening hours 7.30am-noon & 1.30-5pm.
Time sure flies when we're at this museum , glad that we came early , but its still not enough time to see it all , until we were told to get out on 12.00 noon, when the siren rangs.
Quoted from lonely planet :
This Museum ,once known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, the War Remnants Museum is consistently popular with Western tourists.
Few museums anywhere drive home so effectively the brutality of war and its many civilian victims. Many of the atrocities documented here were well publicised but rarely do Westerners get to hear the victims of US military action tell their own stories.
While the displays are one-sided, many of the most disturbing photographs illustrating US atrocities are from US sources, including those of the infamous My Lai Massacre.

US armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons are on display outside. One corner of the grounds is devoted to the notorious French and South Vietnamese prisons on Phu Quoc and Con Son Islands. Artifacts include that most iconic of French appliances, the guillotine, and the notoriously inhumane ‘tiger cages’ used to house Viet Cong (Vietnamese Communists; VC) prisoners.

The ground floor of the museum is devoted to a collection of posters and photographs showing support for the antiwar movement internationally. This somewhat upbeat display provides a counterbalance to the horrors upstairs.

Even those who supported the war are likely to be horrified by the photos of children affected by US bombing and napalming. You’ll also have the rare chance to see some of the experimental weapons used in the war, which were at one time military secrets, such as the flechette , an artillery shell filled with thousands of tiny darts.

Upstairs, look out for the Requiem Exhibition . Compiled by legendary war photographer Tim Page, this striking collection documents the work of photographers killed during the course of the conflict, on both sides, and includes works by Larry Burrows and Robert Capa.

The War Remnants Museum is in the former US Information Service building. Captions are in Vietnamese and English.
This Museum told us the true story behind the war, a difference between ideology ,at least in the Vietnamese point of view , this war or any war in this planet , should not happen again.

The Vietnam War is famous and we were interested in learning more about it. This museum is very interesting, but also very sad with many horrific photos of the victims of the war. The museum mainly focuses on the war with the Americans with a few things related to the war against the French. The museum has 8 rooms. Outside in a courtyard there are tanks and helicopters and other remnants from the war.

A word of warning some of the photos in the museum especially of victims of agent orange and napalm are very distressing.

If there is one thing I didn't enjoy the most in my travel in Vietnam, that is visiting the War remnant museum. It was really devastating to see the effects of war to people then and now.

The museum has 3 levels showing pictures during the war. Entrance fee is 15.000 dong, There are memorabilia stores inside the museum but the price here are twice as much than those on Ben Than and Pham Ngu Lao.

At the enternace you will see many planes, helicopters tanks and guns etc.You will find photos of the war and its aftermath on levels 2 and 3. I don't recommend to study theses photos you will find it distressing. The prison display outside is also disturbing.

The War Remnants museum is dedicated to the Vietnam War. It gives the full history of the war over three Floors. The museum was previously known as Museum of American War crimes. I thought it handled the war very well and although some of the pictures on the walls were hard to look at the more we understand what happened and hopefully prevent it from happening in the future.
A part of the exhibits were dedicated to press and photographers who were also killed during the war.
Helicopters and armoured trucks are on display outside in the grounds.
Outside the museum people that were affected by the Agent Orange used by the USA during the war sell books and postcards.

OPENING HOURS
7.30-12.00 & 1.30-5.00

Sometimes it’s good to know something about a bit of history of the country you are visiting… and so we ended up here in the War Remnants Museum. From the Reunification Palace, you can walk about a few minutes to get here.

Entrance fee is 2USD; children below 12 yrs old are free.
Opening hours: Daily at 730-12nn, 130pm-5pm

We got there at 1120am and after buying tickets, one of the staffs said that they’ll be close for lunch at 12nn so we hurried to go inside. We were welcome in the entrance by these big aircrafts and tank. The building has 3 floors, on the ground floor is all about the news of the war, rallies, peace and all that, the 1st floor contains the Agent orange victims (the effect of war against the locals) and the 2nd floor contains the photo contributions of the deceased and missing photographers during the war.

From the exhibited remnants I saw, I believe that what happened during those times are lessons to be learned. It’s not easy to look back on the very bad situations that took place but when you see the purpose of it, it means that we have to move on and help each other; after all it’s the reason why we are here on earth.

This is the FINAL part of the War Remnants Museum tips with more pictures of the third floor pavilions, particularly on the Requiem Pavilion, a compilation of assorted photos. photo montage, iconic photos of the vietnam war by the international photographers, both who lived and died during the war.

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

The Third Level of the Building Houses Historical Truths Pavilion (A room containing photographs, propaganda, news clippings, and signboards geared toward showing the wrongdoings of the U.S. government in the 1960s and 1970s.). Requiem Pavilion (A powerful collection of photographs taken by 134 international journalists who were killed during the Vietnam War),
Vestiges of War Crimes Pavilion (Another room heavily dosed with propaganda showing the mistreatment of civilians during the war) and the Vietnam Post War Recovery Pavilion.

Its exhibits speak for themselves, a distressing compendium of the horrors of modern warfare. Some of the perpetrators of these horrors are on display in the courtyard outside, including a 28-tonne howitzer, a ghoulish collection of bomb parts, and a renovated Douglas Skyraider plane. A series of halls present a grisly portfolio of photographs of mutilation, napalm burns and torture. One gallery details the effects of the 75 million litres of defoliant sprays dumped across the country, including hideously malformed foetuses preserved in pickling jars; another looks at international opposition to the war as well as the American peace movement. The museum rounds off with a grisly mock-up of the tiger cages, the prison cells of Con Son Island.

The museum is effectively a propaganda museum for the Vietnamese Communist regime, as it almost exclusively displays exhibits that are highly critical of the South Vietnamese and American war efforts during the Vietnam War, while neglecting to exhibit anything critical of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong's war effort or atrocities, for example of the Hue Massacre, the Dak Son Massacre and the Chau Doc massacre, the many land mines scattered across rural southern Vietnam that still lay undentonated often injuring rural villagers (particularly children) today, the brutal treatment of American Prisoners of War (POWs) between 1964 and 1973, and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labor camps (reeducation camps) run by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong during and after the war.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."

This is the EIGHT part of the War Remnants Museum tips with more pictures of the third floor pavilions, particularly on the Historical Truths Pavilions as told by the Victorious North Vietnamese Regime (validating the Winston Churchill idiom, saying History is written by the victors)

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

The Third Level of the Building Houses Historical Truths Pavilion (A room containing photographs, propaganda, news clippings, and signboards geared toward showing the wrongdoings of the U.S. government in the 1960s and 1970s.). Requiem Pavilion (A powerful collection of photographs taken by 134 international journalists who were killed during the Vietnam War),
Vestiges of War Crimes Pavilion (Another room heavily dosed with propaganda showing the mistreatment of civilians during the war) and the Vietnam Post War Recovery Pavilion.

Its exhibits speak for themselves, a distressing compendium of the horrors of modern warfare. Some of the perpetrators of these horrors are on display in the courtyard outside, including a 28-tonne howitzer, a ghoulish collection of bomb parts, and a renovated Douglas Skyraider plane. A series of halls present a grisly portfolio of photographs of mutilation, napalm burns and torture. One gallery details the effects of the 75 million litres of defoliant sprays dumped across the country, including hideously malformed foetuses preserved in pickling jars; another looks at international opposition to the war as well as the American peace movement. The museum rounds off with a grisly mock-up of the tiger cages, the prison cells of Con Son Island.

The museum is effectively a propaganda museum for the Vietnamese Communist regime, as it almost exclusively displays exhibits that are highly critical of the South Vietnamese and American war efforts during the Vietnam War, while neglecting to exhibit anything critical of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong's war effort or atrocities, for example of the Hue Massacre, the Dak Son Massacre and the Chau Doc massacre, the many land mines scattered across rural southern Vietnam that still lay undentonated often injuring rural villagers (particularly children) today, the brutal treatment of American Prisoners of War (POWs) between 1964 and 1973, and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labor camps (reeducation camps) run by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong during and after the war.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."

This is the Seventh part of the War Remnants Museum tips with more pictures of the second floor pavilions, particularly on the Agent Orange Effects Pavilion.

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

The SECOND Level of the Building Houses The Aggression War Crimes Pavilion and the Agent Orange Aftermath Pavilion, where photos and documentaries of the victims of Agent Orange and other assorted "horrors" of the was is featured plus several unborn fetuses with deformities due to agent orange.

Its exhibits speak for themselves, a distressing compendium of the horrors of modern warfare. Some of the perpetrators of these horrors are on display in the courtyard outside, including a 28-tonne howitzer, a ghoulish collection of bomb parts, and a renovated Douglas Skyraider plane. A series of halls present a grisly portfolio of photographs of mutilation, napalm burns and torture. One gallery details the effects of the 75 million litres of defoliant sprays dumped across the country, including hideously malformed foetuses preserved in pickling jars; another looks at international opposition to the war as well as the American peace movement. The museum rounds off with a grisly mock-up of the tiger cages, the prison cells of Con Son Island.

The museum is effectively a propaganda museum for the Vietnamese Communist regime, as it almost exclusively displays exhibits that are highly critical of the South Vietnamese and American war efforts during the Vietnam War, while neglecting to exhibit anything critical of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong's war effort or atrocities, for example of the Hue Massacre, the Dak Son Massacre and the Chau Doc massacre, the many land mines scattered across rural southern Vietnam that still lay undentonated often injuring rural villagers (particularly children) today, the brutal treatment of American Prisoners of War (POWs) between 1964 and 1973, and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labor camps (reeducation camps) run by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong during and after the war.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."

This is the Sixth part of the War Remnants Museum tips with more pictures of the second floor pavilions.

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

The SECOND Level of the Building Houses The Aggression War Crimes Pavilion and the Agent Orange Aftermath Pavilion, where photos and documentaries of the victims of Agent Orange and other assorted "horrors" of the was is featured plus several unborn fetuses with deformities due to agent orange.

Its exhibits speak for themselves, a distressing compendium of the horrors of modern warfare. Some of the perpetrators of these horrors are on display in the courtyard outside, including a 28-tonne howitzer, a ghoulish collection of bomb parts, and a renovated Douglas Skyraider plane. A series of halls present a grisly portfolio of photographs of mutilation, napalm burns and torture. One gallery details the effects of the 75 million litres of defoliant sprays dumped across the country, including hideously malformed foetuses preserved in pickling jars; another looks at international opposition to the war as well as the American peace movement. The museum rounds off with a grisly mock-up of the tiger cages, the prison cells of Con Son Island.

The museum is effectively a propaganda museum for the Vietnamese Communist regime, as it almost exclusively displays exhibits that are highly critical of the South Vietnamese and American war efforts during the Vietnam War, while neglecting to exhibit anything critical of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong's war effort or atrocities, for example of the Hue Massacre, the Dak Son Massacre and the Chau Doc massacre, the many land mines scattered across rural southern Vietnam that still lay undentonated often injuring rural villagers (particularly children) today, the brutal treatment of American Prisoners of War (POWs) between 1964 and 1973, and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labor camps (reeducation camps) run by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong during and after the war.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."

This will be a multi part tip with more pictures inside the War Remnants Museum.

This is the Fifth part of the tips with pictures First Floor

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

The First Level of the Building Houses The Children's Painting Collection, the International Support for the Vietnamese People Pavilion (mostly communist countries like cuba, china, then soviet union, north korea and prominent western communist leaders), assorted hand held weapons used in the war enclosed in glass panels.

Its exhibits speak for themselves, a distressing compendium of the horrors of modern warfare. Some of the perpetrators of these horrors are on display in the courtyard outside, including a 28-tonne howitzer, a ghoulish collection of bomb parts, and a renovated Douglas Skyraider plane. A series of halls present a grisly portfolio of photographs of mutilation, napalm burns and torture. One gallery details the effects of the 75 million litres of defoliant sprays dumped across the country, including hideously malformed foetuses preserved in pickling jars; another looks at international opposition to the war as well as the American peace movement. The museum rounds off with a grisly mock-up of the tiger cages, the prison cells of Con Son Island.

The museum is effectively a propaganda museum for the Vietnamese Communist regime, as it almost exclusively displays exhibits that are highly critical of the South Vietnamese and American war efforts during the Vietnam War, while neglecting to exhibit anything critical of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong's war effort or atrocities, for example of the Hue Massacre, the Dak Son Massacre and the Chau Doc massacre, the many land mines scattered across rural southern Vietnam that still lay undentonated often injuring rural villagers (particularly children) today, the brutal treatment of American Prisoners of War (POWs) between 1964 and 1973, and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labor camps (reeducation camps) run by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong during and after the war.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."

This will be a multi part tip with more pictures inside the War Remnants Museum.

This is the fourth part of the tips with pictures of the Entrance and tickets at the museum.

Open daily : from 8am to 11:45am and 1.30pm to 4:45pm
Entry : VND10,000

This pictures is on the mock up of a south vietnamese prison cages and assorted tiger cages and prison cells which houses both regular NVA prisoners of war, NLF (Vietcong) guerillas and political prisoners and pictures of the infamous Prison Island of Con Son near the Mekong Delta.

Operated by the Vietnamese government, the museum was opened in September 1975 as the "The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government [of South Vietnam]." Later it was known as the Museum of American War Crimes, then as the War Crimes Museum until as recently as 1993. Its current name follows liberalization in Vietnam and the normalization of relations with the United States, but the museum does not attempt to be politically balanced.

The fact that the War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes is a good indication as to who the Vietnamese have chosen to portray as the bad guys in this exhibit. Although the recent name change will avoid offending Chinese and American tourists, the pamphlets passed out at the entrance pull no punches, warning stoically, "Some pictures of U.S. imperialists' aggressive war crimes in Vietnam."