CHINA, KOREA & VIETNAM OFFER WAR RELATED ATTRACTIONS

War relicts and war related sites always draw attention. Sites of ancient battles or the Nazi concentration camps are nowadays sought-after tourism attractions. Asia offers numerous war sites as well.  War tourism or dark tourism is growing in popularity even in Asia. In Korea tourists may for example visit the former POW camp on the Geoje Island. The camp was founded in early 1951 by U.N. troops. During the Korean War some 170,000 Chinese and North Korean prisoners were held in the camp. It has been closed after the war ended in 1953. To preserve the memory of the Korean War the camp was reconstructed and serves as commemoration of the conflict. It was opened in 1997 as the Park of Geojedo, P.O.W Camp. Now there are exhibition halls with pictures and recordings that should give visitors an idea about this part of the Korean history.Another war related “tourism attraction” is in the former Chinese capital, in Nanjing. The infamous Nanjing Massacre in which Japanese occupants raped and killed thousands of unarmed Chinese took place here in 1937. According to official Chinese data, 300,000 Chinese were killed during this violent time and even a Nazi official living in the city was dismayed by the Japanese brutality. To commemorate the massacre Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall was built in 1985. It occupies an area of approximately 28,000 square meters offering outdoor exhibits, sheltered skeletal remains of victims as well as historical documents.Another important war site is related to the U.S. activities in Asia. Since Vietnamese officials did not want their people to forget what the Americans did to the country, they founded in Ho Chi Minh City the House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government in 1975. The venue is currently known as the War Remnants Museum and it displays period military equipment, informs about various atrocities like e.g. the My Lai massacre. Brave visitors may even see human fetuses deformed by the exposure to the infamous Agent Orange.  Related:VIET CONG TUNNELS WELCOME TOURISTSBITTER MEMORIES: CAMBODIA’S MUSEUM OF GENOCIDE