In the early 60's South Vietnam was led by the barbaric president, Ngo Dinh Diem. His brutal repression led to the famous self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc in the streets of Saigon. Ho Chi Minh was determined to liberate the south of Diem and unite the country, free from outside interference. The US responded and, from 1965 to 1973, the war in Vietnam became one of the most brutal and terrifying conflicts ever. It was to be an indiscriminant total war: the full force, resources and might of the US military were made available to win at all costs. The scale of destruction was immense, the tactics unrelenting and the technology horrific: napalm, agent orange, CS gas, mines, cluster bombs, mortars, rockets, flame throwers, grenades, gunships, and so on. It spawned many contradictions: 'search and destroy' missions, which were really 'destroy then search', and the famous paradox “we had to destroy the village in order to save it.” Michael Herr's powerful book “Dispatches” captures the horror of many combat operations and it’s only 300 pages.
Throughout the country there are many museums, monuments and war relics scattered about. The sheer number of aging American helicopters is impressive. The "Hanoi Hilton" prison is infamous while the tunnels of Vinh Moc are amazing: a whole village survived deep underground. Still, I never quite sensed that the new generation of Vietnamese, understand just exactly what their parents and grandparents endured.
