The protracted Vietnam War that continued for twenty years from 1955 to 1975 had killed more than two million people, about half of them civilians. Nearly 60,000 American troops died over the course of the war. To re- call briefly the history of the war, South Vietnam and the US wan- ted to prevent North and South Vietnam from being united under communist leadership. After the first Indo-China War, Vietnam was partitioned along latitude 17 degree N to separate the warring parties until free elections could be held in 1956. South Vietnam under Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold the election in apprehension of los- ing it to Ho Chi Minh’s popular Viet Minh party from the north. In the war that ensued, the Vietcong guerrillas supported by the North Vietnamese forces fought US supported South Viet- namese forces. At the height of US involve- ment, there were more than half a million US military personnel in Vietnam. The Tet (Lunar New Year) Offensive of 1968, in which the guerrillas and North Viet- namese troops attacked 36 ma- jor South Vietnamese cities and towns, marked a turning point in the war. Many in the US had come to oppose the war on mor- al, ethical and practical grounds and then President Lyndon B Johnson decided to shift to a po- licy of de-escalation. Peace talks began in Paris and between 1969 and 1973 US troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. Even though peace talks produced a cease-fire ag- reement, there were numerous truce violations. In 1975, the North Vietna- mese launched a full-scale inva- sion of the south. The south sur- rendered later that year and in 1976 the country was reunited as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The War Remnants Muse- um in Ho Chi Minh City (for- merly Saigon) contains exhibits relating to the first Indo-China war and the Vietnam War. The museum, opened in 1975, was previously known as Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression. In 1995, following the nor- malisation of diplomatic rela- tions with the United States and the end of embargo a year be- fore, the references to” War Crimes” and” Aggression” were dropped from the museum’s title and the present name came into being. The museum is home to more than 20,000 different arte- facts, documented evidence of Vietnam’s gruelling and heroic struggle for independence. Every single artefact is preserved to serve as a reminder of the horrors of the wars and as an advocate for peace. The muse- um comprises a series of themed rooms in several build- ings including a four-walled roofless courtyard that exhibits various military equipment, a helicopter, a fighter bomber, a Patton tank and many pieces of unexploded ordnance either left by the US troops or captured by North Vietnamese forces and Vietcong guerrillas. The exhibits also include rem- embrances donat- ed by former US Vietnam War veter- ans, reflecting their respect for the Vietnamese as well as their regret for having participat- ed in an unjust war. The main at- traction of the mu- seum is the graph- ic photographic displays focusing on events dating from the first Indo- China War in 1946 until the end of Vietnam War in 1975 accom- panied by short texts in English and Vietnamese. I recently visited Vietnam with my family. At the War Mus- eum, a great surprise was wait- ing for us. Of the hundreds of photographic displays, all in black and white, there is one photograph of Ho Chi Minh, very prominently displayed, partly in red, that was contri- buted by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from West Bengal. The text of the photograph is written in Bengali. If translat- ed in English, that should read, “Red Salute to Victorious Viet- nam”. “Red Salute to Ho Chi Minh”. “From Communist Party of India Marxist”. We were stunned and overwhelmed to see the photograph with textual message in Bengali. Our pride and joy of seeing a photograph of a great leader of Vietnam in Vietnam with a description in Bengali knew no bounds. This was the only photograph that we could find which is explained in a vernacular language of a for- eign country. All other photographs and pictures have English and Viet- namese texts. The War Mus- eum is one of the most popular mu- seums in the wor- ld attracting al- most half a million visitors every year. About two-thirds of the visitors are foreigners. The visitors used to be mostly Euro- peans and North Americans before 2005 but they became much more varied after Vietnam dropped their visa requirement for ASEAN countries that year. In spite of so many visitors now from different parts of the world to the Museum, the pic- torial salutation of Ho Chi Minh in Bengali has remained un- known and unrevealed. This is a bit disheartening to a Bengali tourist. Even tourists from other parts of India will not be able to realise that the photograph has its origin in West Bengal. It is also doubtful whether the present generation of lead- ers of CPI-M know that their party’s name and poster along with a photograph of Ho Chi Minh has found pride of place in the War Museum of Vietnam. The photograph has been accepted by the Vietnam gov- ernment and the curators of the museum as important, worthy and valuable. Bengali language has been acknowledged for the War Muse- um which is internationally renowned. The War Museum has been in existence since 1975. It is not known when the picture photograph was accept- ed for display. Ho Chi Minh died in 1969 as President of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Viet- nam). He did not live to see the re-unification of Vietnam. North Vietnamese forces along with Vietcong guerrillas prevailed over the south six years after Ho’s death. The Central Executive Com- mittee of the Communist Party of Vietnam in December 1976 thanked the communist parties and the working class of the countries in the world for their whole-hearted support and strong encouragement to the patriotic resistance by the peo- ple of Vietnam against the US for national salvation. India’s External Affairs Min- ister S Jaishankar visited Viet- nam from 15 to 18 October 2023 to co-chair the 18th meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commis- sion on Economic, Trade, Scien- tific and Technological Coopera- tion with his counterpart. It was stated in Indian print media that the EAM would unveil Mahatma Gandhi’s bust at Tao Dan Park in Ho Chi Minh city. What was not reported was that EAM would also unveil Tagore’s bust at International Friendship Park at Bac Ninh city, near Hanoi on 15 October. Tagore’s works are widely recognised, read and appreciat- ed throughout Vietnam and have been included in Viet- namese text books. Vietnam issued a com- memorative postage stamp in honour of Tagore in 1982. “It is indeed heartening to know that Tagore’s Gitanjali was translated into Vietnamese and published in 2001. Historical records indicate that Tagore paid a three-day visit to Ho Chi Minh city in 1929 leav- ing a lasting intellectual and socio-cultural impact on Viet- nam”, the minister said. He added,” We are honoured by the respect and admiration shown towards him in Vietnam. I be- lieve unveiling Gurudev Tagore’s bust today will enhance the international character of Bac Ninh city”. These are the two glorious Bengali connections in Vietnam. All Bengali-speaking people and the Bengali diaspora should be proud of these two permanent milestones in Vietnam seen and appreciated by tourists all over the world. The inspiration, motivation and encouragement have also come from the Indian commu- nity in Vietnam. The epilogue is that Tagore had sown the seeds through his visit to Vietnam in 1929. Tagore is the cause while the Bengali salutation on the picture of Ho Chi Minh at War Museum is the effect.
The writer is a former central civil service officer who retired from the Ministry of Defence