A different Da Nang (Come, frolic on vast expanses of sandy beaches)

[Bozita]

Here's an article from the Travel section:


A different Da Nang

June 12, 2005

BY KATHERINE NGUYEN
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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On our last day in Da Nang, we head to the most obvious place in town for reminders of the war: Bao Tang Khu 5, the war museum. Outside, an array of old American helicopters and airplanes are on display. Inside, artifacts and relics such as old photographs and artillery tell the story of the war from the North Vietnamese perspective. Phrases refer to the "American War" and to the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies as "the enemy" and "the invaders."


I flinch at a large photo showing what appears to be a South Vietnamese soldier eviscerating a North Vietnamese soldier. What grips me most are old newspaper clippings in English of the My Lai Massacre, in which U.S. troops mowed down hundreds of villagers, including women and children. Haunting photographs taken by American Army photographer Ron Haeberle hang on the walls: a frightened and frail elderly man just moments before he was shot and a child lying atop his sibling before being shot.


My throat tightens and my eyes fill with hot tears.


It is the only time I really think of the extremities of war during my visit. It is hard to focus on war when you have endless stretches of white beach to enjoy. I wonder if the soldiers who came here 40 years ago felt the same.

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