Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington D.C., United States. It was built to honor the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War.

The memorial has two black granite walls each of which are 246 feet and 9 inches long and composed of 72 granite panels out of which 70 are inscribed with almost 58,000 names of the men and women who lost their lives or went missing during the war.

The memorial also features the Three Servicemen statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, an In Memory plaque, and a flagpole bearing an etching of the insignia of the United States' five military branches at that time.

The wall is sunken into the ground, and it has a V-shape, with one end pointing towards the Lincoln Memorial and the other towards the Washington Monument.

The design of the memorial was selected through a national competition, which was won by Maya Lin, a 21-year-old architecture undergraduate at Yale University. The memorial was dedicated on November 13, 1982, and it has since become one of the most visited places in the United States.

Things to do at Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is primarily a place for quiet reflection and paying respect to those who served in the Vietnam War. Here are some things you can do while visiting:

Pay your respects: The wall is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died or went missing in the Vietnam War.

Attend events: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial hosts events, such as ceremonies for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Check the schedule to see if there are any events taking place during your visit.

Visit the Three Servicemen Statue: Located near the wall, the statue depicts three soldiers, representing those who served in the Vietnam War.