VIETNAM MEMORIAL, Vietnam Memorial

Hello, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world, the Vietnam Memorial.

The monument is dedicated to those who never returned from the Vietnam War, and it stands out compared to the others along the National Mall for its delicate, simple style. As you can see, it is not even visible from a distance. It appears simply as a gash that splits the ground in two, highlighting a wound felt by the entire nation.

It is the work of Maya Lin, an architect of Chinese origin, who won the competition to design it at the age of just 21. It was inaugurated on 13 November 1982. It is today considered one of the ten most important works of contemporary architecture in the United States....