The Vietnam war memorial commemorates the memory of Americans who died on the battlefields of the long war in the Asian country. He is one of the most visited monuments in the capital.

The Vietnam war was one of the major military conflicts of the twentieth century. What began as a civilian, she quickly turned into a clash between two coalitions: the U.S. with its allies supported South Vietnam, the USSR and China were on the North side. The Western coalition has used the latest weapons, carpet bombing, Napalm. North Vietnamese forces skillful use of guerrilla tactics. Losses were enormous. The bloody battle lasted from 1957 to 1975 and ended with the defeat of the South. April 30, 1975, Communist troops raised the flag over the independence Palace in Saigon, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh city.

This war divided American society. About a third of the population was against it. After Vietnam it took at least 3 million Americans, half of them participated in the fighting. The country has lost more than 58 thousand people.

The idea of the memorial was made by a Vietnam vet, a former corporal 199-th light infantry brigade Jan Scruggs. The fundraising for the monument he began with, that have invested in the business 2800 personal dollars. As a result, scored 8, 4 million dollars of private donations. In 1980, Congress gave land near the Lincoln Memorial. A competition was announced projects. There were about one thousand applications, including a sketch of the students of Yale University, Maya Ying Lin, it chose the jury.

Lin designed the memorial in the form of a huge letter V. Branch letter or two gradually sinking into the earth black granite walls on which are carved 58220 names of the fallen in Vietnam. One of the walls is directed exactly towards the Washington monument, and the other to the Lincoln memorial. All along the monument there is a footpath for visitors to the walls with the names of loved ones can be touched.

The unusual design of the buildings and the complete lack of decor at first caused an explosion of indignation. To appease the public, walking in 1984 was delivered a more traditional monument, known as the "Three soldiers". Sculptor Frederick HART made three veterans – white, African American and Latino, very realistically depicted their weapons and form.

In 1993, the complex was the memorial to the women of Vietnam – a monument to the Americans who participated in the fighting. Most of them were nurses. Sculptor Glenn Goodacre depicted three nurses in uniform, rescuing a wounded soldier.

Over time the intensity of criticism slept, the Vietnam memorial has become a national Shrine. Near black mirrored walls, like a scar in the earth, all the time someone: people touching his fingers carved names, think, cry. Here leave gifts gone forever: American flags, toys, and flowers. Sometimes you can see, as a visitor, pressed to the surface of the granite sheet of paper, covers his pencil strokes on the sheet appears the name of the deceased in Vietnam.