Hamburger Hill, Hué, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh: some remember the Vietnam war battles from the headlines of the 1960s and ’70s, others from films and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who died fighting more than 50 years ago.
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Today, the battlefields of Vietnam are sites of pilgrimage for veterans from both sides who fought there, and tourists wanting to see first-hand where the war was waged.
“It was a war zone when I was here before,” reflected US Army veteran Paul Hazelton as he walked with his wife through the grounds of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which was known as Saigon when he served there.
Hazelton’s tour just shy of his 80th birthday took him back for the first time to places he served in as a young draftee, including Hué, the former Phu Bai Combat Base on the city’s outskirts, and Da Nang, which was a major base for both American and South Vietnamese forces.
“Everywhere you went, you know, it was occupied territory with our military. Now you just see the hustle and bustle and the industry, and it’s remarkable,” he said.
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“I’m just glad that we’re now trading and friendly with Vietnam. And I think both sides are benefiting from it.”