Vietnam: DMZ Line & Hien Luong Bridge
Just like Korea today with the 28th parallel DMZ line, Vietnam was divided between communist North and capitalist South in 1954 along the 17th parallel as a result of the First Indochina War. The line sort of ran along the Ben Hai river and was supposed to be demilitarized 5km on each side. In 1976, south Vietnam surrendered and US withdrew and the demarcation line became the symbol of reunification of the country. To celebrate this – there is a classic communist-style monument with mosaic scenes of happy life and endless struggle (just like many in North Korea today or USSR in the 80s). There is also a war museum. Finally, you can walk the bridge from north to south and there is another monument dedicated to the suffering of Vietnamese under the South regime (also in classic brutalist architecture style).
