Library

The Vietnam War in the 20th century profoundly demonstrated the complex impact of war on the environment: it created ruins and affected post-war reconstruction for a long time. The US military has invested in almost all modern weapons except nuclear weapons, dropped bombs with a total tonnage exceeding that of World War II, built a large number of military bases, and even sprayed chemicals to clear the jungle. After the war, children played around abandoned tanks, toxic substances remained under the surface, villages and towns were stubbornly rebuilt, and military bases became industrial parks... In addition to telling the Vietnam War in the 20th century, this book also traces many wars in Vietnam's history: the "Northern Era", the Nguyen-Zheng War, French colonization, and Japanese invasion... These wars and their post-war reconstruction occurred repeatedly in the central zone centered on the ancient capital Hue, as if forming a layered footprint. This reflects that no matter how advanced military activities are, they are still limited by the local natural and cultural environment. Just like after the US military landed, they embarrassingly found that they could only build military camps in the cemeteries of local villages.