The aftermath of the war

War, this evil act does many things to people. War creates hatred between the two enemies or more if more nations are involved in the battle, this hatred can go on for a long period of time. It may also never be reconciled. War can also cause both governments to be overthrown, shortages; it could destroy the economy, and hurt innocent people.

Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado

War is so terrible and its consequences are so unpredictable. Although the Vietnam War ended, many consequences still happen every day especially the impact of war on children. In this photograph, these children are having health examinations in order to be officially approved to migrate to the U.S. A new life is waiting for them. Although they have to leave their beloved country and there will be many difficulties in a strange environment, they are luckier than many children who were affected by the war. They still have their family, have someone to love and depend on.

Photograph by Tu Nguyen

This photograph was taken by my friend when we visited an orphanage for homeless children. Each child has his pitiful and pathetic story. Some children lost their families in the war. Some children were abandoned because their parents don’t have abilities to take care of them. Some children were sent to the orphanage because of their disabilities. Many children's disabilities were caused by parental exposures to Agent Orange – toxic chemicals America used in the war. The war has changed the destinies of those children and generations to come. My country is trying everyday to catch up with the world. We- new generations are still suffering from the pain of loss, the pain of separation but our generation knows that we have to consider the Vietnam War as a valuable lesson.

Works Cited

Lattin Zachary. "Aftermath." Vietnam then and now. n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2010.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. Print. 72.

          -Pamphlet. NP. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. 427. Print.
    
         

Tears

Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado

Life gives you thousands reasons to cry: you are sad, you feel extremely depressed, you cry tears of joy and and even sometimes you cry for no reasons, etc. Looking at this photograph, you may wonder why they are crying. Are they waiting for something and finally unable to do it? Are they happy because they meet their families after a long time?

I still haven’t figured out the answer. Let me tell you something about the photograph, then you can find out the reason of tears by yourself. This photograph was capture at the International Airport of Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. At the end of 1970s, Orderly Departure Program was established to help Vietnamese people migrate to other countries. It was estimated that there were 547,565 people leaving Vietnam between 1980 and 1994. Most went to the U.S. with up to 392,780 people. As several family left for new countries, these women cried when they said goodbye to their families. Maybe they were tears of anxiety for those going to have a new life with many difficulties waiting. Maybe they were tears of regret because these women were left behind. Maybe they were tears of separation.

When people say about Vietnam, many may think of the Vietnam War and the unstable situations after the war ended. However, Vietnam is changing at breakneck speed. The potential bottled up by the war and the restrictions that followed as the painful process of reunification and reconciliation proceeded, is now being unleashed. The current GDP per capita remains around US$2800, and the unemployment rate, which reached a devastating 25% in 1995, had dropped to 5.75% by 2005. In the aspect of politic, Vietnam is a single party state which is lead by the communist party. Vietnam’s current government structure is actually very similar to a democratic form of government. However, the economy is open to all types of economic factors; therefore, it looks like a market controlled (capitalist) economy. This is the same as China's government and economic control.

Works Cited

Salgado, Sebastiao. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. Print. 73.

-Pamphlet. NP. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. 427. Print.

"Vietnam today." Let's go. n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2010

The Meaning of War?

Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado

If war is against humanity, why are wars still happening? If war brings sorrow, why does human fight each other? I ask myself these questions so many times; however, still leave them unanswered. Maybe it is because of the dark sides of human will and feeling. Maybe people have unlimited wants. Since our greed is boundless, we battle to satisfy our need for food, shelter, oil, etc.

In Angola , the war has been going on for more than three decades. The warring parties fund their armies by trading natural resources, in particular diamonds and oil, for weapons and ammunition. But recently, the world's biggest diamond cartel, De Beers, announced it had placed an embargo on the purchase of Angolan diamonds. As long as the diamond trade continues, so will the war. It is not African countries buying the diamonds and it is not African countries selling the arms. Nations far from the scene still play a role in many African conflicts, either by purchasing mineral resources or supplying weapons and ammunition to the warring parties. It leaves physical exhaustion of the people as the only brake on continued war.

The victims of Angola's war are its citizens -- more than 600,000 dead and 3 million refugees due to conflict between two primary Angolan factions, the communist MPLA and the anti-communist UNITA. The cities are crowed with displaced people. This photograph depicts the real situation that Angola’s citizens go through. The eyes of two children in the photo haunt my mind. The sorrow in their eyes, the bewildered look on their faces…. they are wondering what is happening. These children have no chance to choose their lives. They lose their families, have no clothes to wear and even have no adequate shelter. I wonder where their fresh and cheerful smiles are. How long have these children lost the happiness of life?

Works Cited

Salgado, Sebastiao. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. Print. 224

-Pamphlet. NP. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York, Aperture. 2000. 427. Print.

"Angolan Civil War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2010. Web 08 Mar. 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2010