15 million tons of bombs, a country ravaged by napalm
and chemical defoliants, were worth to the Vietnam War
the nickname "Dirty War". Between 1955 and 1973, American allied forces
to the government of South Vietnam, will engage in a merciless struggle
with the army of the North and the Vietcong communist resistance fighters. At the end of the war, the toll
human is extremely heavy. 58,000 dead on the American side, 223,000 in the ranks
of the Southern Army and more than a million
communist soldiers and hundreds of thousands
civilians killed. More than 40 years after reunification, Vietnam was rebuilt. Yet, hidden vestiges
of the conflict are still there, underground,
witnesses of the violent fighting, which took place there. - We had to dig
tunnels to live in. And keep fighting
to defend our homeland. Through field surveys, to the stories of survivors who accepted
to testify for the first time and reconstructions
in synthetic images, you will discover the traces
that this bloody story, left behind. - I lived with my parents
on top of tons of weapons. Objects that belonged
to the missing soldiers, to weapons caches and
tunnels used by the Resistance, passing by unexploded bombs
which still threaten the population. - As soon as we hear a noise,
everyone goes out and often we find
someone who stepped on a mine. These remains tell the story
a new day this conflict, who made history. 20 years of terrible fighting, who saw the United States
and Vietnam, get bogged down in one of the wars, the most devastating of the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the country was divided in two. In the North, the Republic
democracy of Vietnam, communist regime founded
by Ho Chi Minh, with an army of 500,000 men and supported by the Soviet Union. Its capital, Hanoi. To the south, the Republic of Vietnam,
pro-Western and ally of the Americans, it also has its own army, whose numbers will exceed the
1 million soldiers during the war. Its capital, Saigon. The border between the 2 states
was located, at the 17th parallel. At this location, an area called DMZ, had been demilitarized. But on each side,
the fighting raged there, throughout the duration of the conflict. The first Americans arrived
in Vietnam in 1955. At the time, the U.S. government
does not officially send, than simple military advisors. In the midst of the Cold War, they want to support South Vietnam, one of the latest diets
non-communists in Asia. Under cover of these missions
intended to be temporary, it is actually
CIA agents, who come to train the ARVN, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The objective,
teach the soldiers of the South, how to fight against
the communists of the North. But in the south, some residents refuse
the alliance with the Americans. They join the Resistance and create
the National Liberation Front, the FNL supported by North Vietnam. They are the ones that the Americans
will call the Vietcong. In 1961, Kennedy took power and increases considerably
the workforce in the country. The troops have a new mission, organize sweeping operations, to dislodge
and eliminate the resistance. For Kennedy, the United States
were to begin, new military programs
pretty much everywhere in the world. The idea was to manage
small-scale wars. South Vietnam was perceived
like a kind of laboratory, a test situation in which
the Kennedy government, could try
new strategies, imagining that it could be useful
in other similar situations. To support the Vietcong, the communist army of the North develops
a whole network of trails, who secretly join
the pockets of resistance in the south, the Ho Chi Minh trail. His goal,
ensure their supplies, in food and weapons. The main axis of the track passes
by the Truong Son mountain range, then crosses Laos and Cambodia, to reach the south. Along the route,
secondary axes are deployed and connect different areas
to form a complex network, offering different alternatives, in case of attack
of the enemy alliance. At the height of its activity, the track was maintained
by 120,000 people. There were transport units, who coordinated
truck convoys. There were artillery units
responsible for counterattacking, during the American bombings. Army units
to protect the track, constantly against
the soldiers of the South and the Americans. And of course, units
of genius to protect, build, dig, and repair the tracks, which was essential. The track went down to Saigon
to supply the resistance, stationed near the capital. Most of them were hiding
40 kilometers from the city, in Cu Chi district. Here, the vegetation
seems to have buried, all the vestiges of the war. Yet still hiding
an immense network of tunnels, built by the communist resistance. In the region, the soil is composed
a very resistant red clay, often used as a material
of construction. Strengthened by bamboo roots, galleries dating from the war
therefore remained almost intact. Huynh Van Chia
is a veteran resistance fighter. He grew up and fought in Cu Chi. From the age of 17, he joined the Resistance
and was one of those, who dug the tunnels
under the villages of its region. - We didn't have any machines for that. We did it alone
arm strength. We had to use
picks with very small blades. Because the ground was so hard
that blades too wide, couldn't do the job. To extract the earth, we then used, a kind of flat bamboo basket. In the end, we just covered
the end of the tunnel, with earth
to hide the entrance. Initiated during the Indochina War
against France, the network has grown over time
years under American occupation. The tunnels stretched
on four levels. The first consisted of shelters
for the soldiers and traps for enemies. The second, the most extensive, was four meters away
beneath the surface and housed the headquarters
to prepare for battle. To compensate for the lack of oxygen, ventilation ducts allowed
to convey some air. Six meters deep, the third level housed
the elderly, children and the wounded, operating rooms and stocks of weapons and food. A fourth level had even been
dug barely three meters, above the water table. In total, Cu Chi became
a sprawling network, 250 kilometers of tunnels, capable of sheltering
up to 16,000 illegal immigrants. American forces knew
the existence of these tunnels, located a stone's throw from their camp. They therefore decided to form
soldiers to go and dislodge, the revolutionaries from their hiding place. The members of this unit
very special, were nicknamed “tunnel rats”. As the corridors did not leave
do not pass over too large sizes, tunnel rats counted
basically, very young American soldiers, or Vietnamese from the Southern Army, capable of sneaking
among the rebels. Flooding of the galleries, destruction by explosive. All means were good
to flush out the resistance fighters. In case of attack, we retreated
in the galleries. We knew the network by heart, so we could continue to open
fire on our adversaries, without them even knowing
where the shots came from. We went from one room to another, and thus we remained untraceable. We had to be prepared to stay
in the tunnels for a period, which could vary by seven days, at three months. Trained soldiers
and ready to die in battle, a network of hiding places and modes of travel
camouflaged in the jungle, communist resistance
had many advantages and mastered the terrain perfectly. To weaken it, the command
American then decides, to bring the conflict
in a new era, that of chemical warfare. The capacity of the resistance
to ambush and transport goods on the roads
was a major problem, for the army of South Vietnam
and the United States. As long as the vegetation could
continue to grow by the side of the roads, which is common in this country,
in a tropical environment, it was a big advantage
for the resistance fighters. So the Americans developed
defoliants, chemicals, that they used to destroy
all vegetation. In 1962, the American army, launches Operation Ranch Hand. Objective, drop
powerful herbicides, on occupied areas
by the Vietcong, to cut off their supplies
and clear the jungle, to facilitate combat. From 1962 and until 1967, it took several days,
even a week, so that the defoliant
kills vegetation. Before the end of the war, the Americans
developed Agent Orange. The name orange was used
for the 245 T formula, or 245 D, the most toxic. With this new formula, 24 hours was enough to destroy everything. Until 1971, 48 million liters of Agent Orange, were poured into Vietnam. Among the areas
the most contaminated in the country, A luoi province is located. The region was located very close, of the line that separated
the north of the South. On the 100,000 hectares
of the province, 80% were affected
by American defoliants. Phung Tuu Boi is an expert
in environment. He works on the consequences of
this chemical warfare on vegetation. He regularly takes samples
samples in the region, to keep an eye on
soil contamination. According to statistics, Americans
dumped defoliants, on A Luoi, 256 times. And the commune of Da Nang
where we are, is the hardest hit. The planes passed and repassed over
this commune several times in a row, to spread chemicals. When Agent Orange was
dumped on vegetation, it weakened the leaf stem
which fell at the first gust of wind. As the spreading progresses,
the trees eventually died. But Agent Orange contained
also in its formula, a poison with devastating effects
in the longer term, dioxin. It slid along the plants and ended up infiltrating
in the ground. Over time
and successive rains, dioxin ended up contaminating
the earth deep down. Even today, the rate
dioxin in the soil, is twelve times greater
to the maximum allowed, to cultivate the land. So Phung Tuu Boi tries
to prevent residents, to access the most important areas
affected by defoliants. In greenhouses set up on site, it also grows a species
tree whose roots would be able to capture
dioxin from the soil and clean up the land. Its objective, to give back to these forests
their biodiversity of yesterday and bring the animals back
who fled war and poison. If defoliant drops
started in 1962, bombings on areas
occupied by the Vietcong resistance, intensified from 1964. Until then, American forces
were not officially doing, than support the army of South Vietnam. But that year, an event
will bring conflict, in a new phase. On August 2, 1964,
in the Gulf of Tonkin, 2 American destroyers exchange
cannon fire, with North Vietnamese torpedo boats. An affront that Lyndon Johnson, the new president of the United States,
cannot accept. Repeated attacks on
United States ships, stationed in the open sea
in the Gulf of Tonkin, lead me today to order, to the military forces of the United States, to take action and respond. The United States officially enters
at war with North Vietnam. A year later, they launched the most
major air operation of the conflict, Operation Rolling Thunder, aimed at massively bombing
areas occupied by the communists. During the Vietnam War, a standard fighter plane
of the US Air Force, let's say the F-4 Phantom, for example, could contain
5 to 6 tons of bombs. So a simple plane
combat in Vietnam, contained the same weight of ammunition
than the biggest bombers, used during the Second War
world by the Americans. And if you look at the bombers
B-52 from Vietnam, these could embark
up to 30 tons of bombs. Napalm, a gasoline-based product, is quickly added to the list
of aircraft armament. Its devastating effects, have become the symbol
terrible violence, flight operations
on Vietnam. Located near the border, the province of Quang Tri,
in which many villages, served as a refuge for resistance fighters, was one of the most affected
by bombings. Today, seen from the sky, the bomb craters of the time
allow us to trace, the routes of the B-52
and other American bombers. Located by the sea, Vinh Moc is one of the first villages
north of the 17th parallel. He was under attack from the army
South Vietnamese and Americans, by land, sea and air. The communist resistance fighters who populated
Vinh Moc were therefore on the front line. At the start of the war, families built
simple shelters to protect themselves. Ho Van Triem was 20 years old, when the first bombings
have started. - There were several types of shelters. I lived in this one. This kind of shelters shaped
of A could resist, as well as shells
of the American fleet, than the bombs dropped by their planes. Faced with bombings
more and more numerous, the inhabitants built
trenches. In the region, a network
1300 kilometers, connected the shelters together
and villages. When the bombings became
more fierce and relentless, this type of shelter was no longer appropriate. So we had to dig
tunnels to live in and keep fighting
to defend our homeland. Inside this cliff, the inhabitants dug a network
2 kilometers of tunnel, which connected the beach to the village. The sea wind that seeps in
could rise to the surface, thus allowing ventilation
the underground village. Inside,
the villagers developed, everything that was needed
for their survival. - That's a well. During the war,
we couldn't go out, so, we came to draw water here. The Vinh Moc tunnels housed
also an infirmary, an operating room
and even a maternity ward. Between 1965 and 1973, 17 children were born in the tunnels. Ho Thi Giu is one of them. She lived her early years
in these narrow rooms, who kept her safe
rains of bombs. We called it the apartment. In reality, it's just a small
room in the middle of the tunnels, but they were nicknamed apartments
because we accommodated a whole family there. It's small, but 3, 4 people
could live here. Because of the war, life was
impossible outside and every family, no matter its size,
only had one room to live in. We had nowhere
somewhere else to go. Despite the war,
life in the tunnels, was very interesting. I know it may seem unbelievable, but we were finally
all very happy. There was a strong
solidarity between us. We shared every little fish,
each grain of rice. We also shared our cultures
potatoes or cassava, if there were any. We all ate together. But above all, we fought together. At the end of the bombings, the residents of Vinh Moc returned
live in the light of day. But on the surface, the war had
completely devastated the region. We no longer had a house. And everywhere in the region, the land
was strewn with all types of bombs. At the end of the conflict, the inhabitants
started to live again, with the permanent threat
to explode, mines still hidden underground. The Vietnamese association Renew, is tasked with cleaning up the area
of this deadly pollution. Its teams work
to neutralize bombs, mines or rockets
which remain in the ground. Today, the deminers
go to a field, where 325 lots have already been explored. They have already found
145 explosive devices. The time of the mission,
the nearest hospitals, are on alert
to accommodate possible injured people, in the event of an accident. We have Phong Dien hospital, for superficial injuries,
which is 6 km away, ten minutes by car. For serious injuries we have
Hue Central Hospital. Who is a little further away,
45 minutes from here. It only takes a few minutes
to the team, to detect a new
explosive device. The bomb found this morning
has been identified. It's a bomb
BLU-26 fragmentation. About the size of a tennis ball, the BLU-26 bomb,
contains 85 grams of Cyclotol. A preparation based
of TNT and RDX, one of the most explosive
powerful ones that exist. Its particularity, its explosion liberates, 300,000 projected loopholes
360 degrees. Okay, let's blow it up. Prepare all medical means. The bomb is way too much
unstable to be transported. The destruction team is therefore obliged
to intervene directly on the ground. Four sentries are in place
and secure the area, within a radius of 150 meters. You see, here, when it explodes, It throws all these balls everywhere. It's very dangerous.
It's fatal. Here we are in a field
operated by farmers. It's really very dangerous. It's an extremely sensitive bomb
which explodes as soon as you touch it. Among the other explosives found
frequently by deminers, there is the MK2 hand grenade
including the detonator, is blocked by a simple pin. Once removed, simply
to release the spoon, so that the grenade explodes
after a few seconds. The AN M47 A3 bomb, is, for its part, dropped by plane. On impact, it delivers
33 kilos of phosphorus. The explosion is accompanied
corrosive white smoke, extremely powerful. In total, 160 types of bombs,
mines or other grenades, were identified by the deminers. Here, in our daily lives, we hear explosions all the time. As soon as we hear a noise,
everyone goes out. And we often find someone
who jumped on a mine. U.S. the young ones,
we think we can contribute, to make this earth safer. But it's true that it's a job
where you can die every day. We leave in the morning without ever
really know, if we will return in the evening. Of the millions
tons of explosive devices, used during the Vietnam War, an estimated 10% did not explode. and still threaten the population. Americans will perform more
300,000 air missions, to try to win the war
as quickly as possible. But in 1968, after three years
intensive bombing, a totally unexpected event
will tip the conflict. The communist alliance launches
to everyone's surprise, his greatest attack,
the Tet Offensive. Tet is the Vietnamese New Year, the most important festival in the country. Since the start of the war, it was marked by a truce
between the two camps. On January 30, 1968, when the general Tet offensive
broke out throughout South Vietnam, it was an operation
perfectly prepared. The day of Tet is so
important in the country, that he would never have come
to the idea of the Americans, nor for that matter of the Republic
South Vietnamese, that the revolutionary communists
launched an offensive that day. Hue, Da Nang, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Vinh Long. In total, more than a hundred
of cities held by the government of South Vietnam, are attacked simultaneously
in the night. Among them,
the central point of the offensive, Saigon, the capital. To strike the spirits, the Vietcong had selected
the most emblematic targets. Among them,
the United States Embassy, the HQ of the Southern Army, the Independence Palace and the national radio station. Weapons intended for the offensive, were transported
by the Ho Chi Minh trail, from the north
to the Cu Chi tunnel. They were introduced into Saigon, hidden in transport trucks
of foodstuffs. The communist resistance fighters thus
gathered in the heart of the city, under the noses of the Americans, a gigantic military arsenal, to launch the Tet Offensive. One of the largest
Saigon weapons caches, was with the Tran family. Nearly 50 years after the fighting, their son preserved this place
mythical of the Resistance, in its original state. Here, there are bullet marks. These are the bullets fired
on the night of Tet in 1968. It is from here that commando number 5
left to attack, the Independence Palace. During the offensive,
the soldiers of the Southern army, discovered the point
departure of the commando. They launched an attack,
they were convinced that there remained explosives inside. Here we are in the underground cage
where the weapons were. Behind, there is access to
the city's sewer system. In the event of a problem, we could
or, escape through the sewers, or resist on the spot. Look, these are grenades. These are American, used against the Americans. These came from Soviet aid. And these are Chinese. That's an AK 47. Its charger is still intact. A block like that, is capable of blowing up
a 3-story building. Just put a detonator in it,
to make 2 holes on both sides. The fuse lights the detonator
which activates the explosive block. It's very dangerous
these TNT blocks. In total, three tons of weapons
were stored, under the Tran family house, all intended for the offensive
from Tet to Saigon. Here we received
around twenty resistance fighters. They came in the evening to gather
and prepare the weapons and left in three cars
towards the Independence Palace. Despite all the preparation
implemented by the Resistance, the Tet attack on Saigon
was a military failure. Around 2 a.m., at night
of January 31, 1968, the Vietcong manage to penetrate
in the United States Embassy. But in a few hours,
American soldiers, regain control of the speaker and eliminate the attackers. From a military point of view, the Tet offensive is a defeat
for the communists, but their determination
strikes the spirits. For two years, the Americans
will continue to fight. But in 1971, they resigned themselves. They will not win this war. Their soldiers withdraw
gradually from the country. At the same time, they accept
to negotiate in Paris, with the Hanoi government. We must now leave the war
from Vietnam to the Vietnamese. The 17 million inhabitants of the South
Vietnam have the right to choose, their government
without external interference. On the ground, the army of the North
then wants to strike a big blow. In March, his troops entered
in the south of the country. The United States decides
to re-intervene, to protect their former allies. Their bombardments force
the North to retreat. Both parties had
already started to negotiate. And the United States had accepted
to withdraw from the country, without the army of the North
need not leave the South. But then they started demanding the
withdrawal of troops from the Northern Army. On the Hanoi side,
this was not acceptable. This is why the United States played
the last card they had left. Hit Hanoi. At the end of 1972, the Americans launch
Operation Linebacker II, known as Christmas Bombing, the Christmas bombing. From December 18 to 29, the forces of the United States and the South, come together one last time to make
bend the northern government. 1700 aerial missions
hit the capital, Hanoi. In nine days, more than 15,000
tons of bombs, are dropped on North Vietnam. We find Phung Tuu Boi
in the gardens, from the Census Institute
and forestry planning of Hanoi. During the war he worked there
already as a researcher. At the time, he was 22 years old. To protect employees
bombings, bunkers had been built
in the gardens. This day in December 1972, when the bombs
started to rain, it is here that Phung Tuu Boi and his
colleagues came to take refuge. There, it's a crater
dug by a bomb. We were in this bunker
when the bomb exploded, there, right in front of us. The bomb dug deep into the ground and then all the earth
been projected upwards. The smoke from the explosion
entered through this door. She rushed in
violently in the shelter. We had the ears
which buzzed and we were suffocated. I remember,
we were violently shaken. In downtown Hanoi, the bunkers had been built
to accommodate only one person. The Phung Tuu Boi bunker and its
colleagues was much broader. Up to 20 people
could take shelter there. These 2 entrances allowed the smoke
from an explosion to evacuate quickly, thanks to the air intake. You did see,
he is still so good, despite all these bombings. After so many years, so much bad weather, It proves that he was really strong. It's all thanks to knowledge
soldiers of the director of our institute. If we had had a small bunker, we would probably all be dead. Today the bunker is
still covered by the earth, ejected during the explosion. Over time,
the vegetation has grown back and gradually camouflages
the scars of war. In the gardens, the craters
bombs have been transformed in fish farming ponds. After the bombings, we
decided to preserve certain craters. And to make them
more alive, more joyful, we put goldfish in it. Ultimately, it counteracts
the grim image of war, that these craters symbolize. The American bombings on Hanoi, will cause 1,600 civilian casualties. But air defense
of the army of the North, will manage to bring down more
80 American planes, including sixteen B-52s. The Christmas Bombing will be
the last offensive, from the United States to Vietnam. The United States could no longer
accept losing again, so many planes and pilots, after all these years of conflict. They therefore proposed to the Northern army, a return to the negotiating table. And finally,
the new version of the agreements, is almost identical to that
which had already been agreed, the year before. In reality, the bombings
had no effect, on the negotiations. On January 27, 1973, the peace agreements mark the end
of the American intervention in Vietnam. American soldiers
leave the country. Prisoners of war are released
and the north and the south, are supposed to respect
a ceasefire. But contrary to the signed agreements, on the ground, the fighting continues. Without its American allies,
the South is weakened and suffered repeated attacks
northern forces. The Party's long-term goal
Vietnamese communist, was, from the start of the war,
the reunification of the country. So, after the Americans withdrew, we had to defeat their allies to the south. There was no question of knowing
whether this war was legitimate or not. It was a war for reunification
of the country, quite simply. After two years of conflict,
the tanks of the Northern army, take the city of Saigon. On April 30, 1975,
the Southern army capitulates. Vietnam is reunified. The whole country
then becomes a communist. This radical political change
causes panic. Thousands of South Vietnamese, are trying to leave the country at all costs
to escape re-education camps, or even execution. Today, Saigon has been renamed
Ho Chi Minh City. In the streets, traces of war
and collaboration, between the United States and the Southern Army
have completely disappeared. Iconic buildings
were destroyed and the Southern Army no longer exists. Ta Van Ban, veteran
of this army disappeared. is a collector of war objects. In town, flea markets
offer a whole display, of his memories of hell. Everyday objects
on the American camps, to the uniforms of the soldiers, the expert eye of Ta Van Ban, allows him to find
rare pieces. This is a lighter that was used
smoking a pipe. Many American soldiers
arrived with it in Vietnam. It's really a very good product. They were often used
by the aviators, because these lighters have the advantage
not to fear the wind. Look,
the wind can't come in. We hold it like this
to light the pipe. And even when it's windy,
he cannot extinguish the flame. Here it says USN, it means US Navy. That means he belonged
to the US Navy. Even rarer
than American objects, items from the Southern Army
are very valuable. They are the relics
of a vanished army, that history and culture
Vietnamese tend to forget. That's a military badge. A soldier had lost it. This is the badge
medical units. This is the insignia of commando units. Like the Rangers. This helmet belonged
to a nurse. He is very old. It must have been exposed to the air
free for too long. That's why it's all damaged. There is a name here. Huy. The person who wore it
is probably dead. In general, there are helmets
green in color, but helmets with badges
like this one, it's rather rare. Today,
veterans of the Southern Army, who fought
alongside the Americans symbolize a part of history that
some residents would prefer to forget. Veterans like Ta Van Ban, are still forced to melt
in the crowd of Ho Chi Minh city, without making any noise. More than 40 years after the end of the war, the bodies of many soldiers
were never found. 300,000 Vietnamese
and 1,600 Americans, rest in nature. Jesse Stephens is an archaeologist. It belongs to an agency
of the American government, responsible for finding the bodies
soldiers missing in action. Its new mission is
in the A Luoi region, just 50 kilometers away
of the old border. With the collaboration
Vietnamese authorities, the team is on the trail
3 missing American soldiers, 50 years ago. This is where the patrol
American was positioned. The 3 soldiers came
a landing field, used at the time in the region. They went up to the ridge and then came back down there,
on that side. That's where they fell
in a Vietnamese ambush and that some of them
lost their lives. We know that at the moment
from the ambush, about 50 years ago, the ground surface was actually
slightly lower than today. The terrain was changed during
of work carried out in the region, about twenty years ago. My goal is to succeed
to read in the ground. We try to distinguish the different
layers of terrain that make up the soil. There, it's quite obvious. We have this clay above
all mixed together, which is above this line
a little darker. In fact, there are many
of pieces of coal here. That's a nice piece of wood. The presence of coal testifies
that fires took place here. This layer of dark earth
is therefore probably, the one that covered the ground
at the time of the war. If someone buried
whoever is here, his body would therefore be
below this layer. So, that’s where we’re going to look. The Earth is transported
at the sorting station, where team members go
the contents of each sieve jump. This is where Roger Antrim comes in. He is the US Army's expert, who can identify
the nature of the clues found during the excavations. We still find many fragments
bombs on excavation sites, because the country has been extremely
affected by the bombings. But you can also find shoes,
parachutes, survival equipment. Sometimes you arrive at a site
which is so well preserved, that you can still read the inscriptions
on the soldiers' plasters. Because they were covered
of fuel oil for 40 years. It preserved the remains
in their original state. Hey, it's a shoe
of Vietnamese soldier. All items found, will be sent to the laboratory,
in Hawaii. It's here, on the other side of the Pacific, that the pieces placed are analyzed
brought to light by archaeologists. Each case is classified confidential
by the Pentagon. While the investigation is ongoing, experts cannot reveal
nor the names of the people sought, nor the place of their disappearance. Today, Howard Mariteraji, one of the agency's experts, investigating plane crash
F4 fighter in Vietnam. During the excavation, archaeologists
found several remains, around the debris of the plane. Among them, a shovel which equipped, American soldiers of the time. A helmet, but also several pieces
that the expert managed to identify. For example, we found this. It is a collector which is fixed
on the inflation system, of the lifeboat. There is a lifeboat installed
under each ejection seat. And there's an ejection seat
for each driver. If we find a piece like that
at the scene of a plane crash, means that there was no ejection,
that the plane crashed to the ground, with the pilot still inside. In the case of this crash, we found
2 very important identical pieces. This is the room
on which comes to fix itself, the pilot's microphone on his helmet. There is of course a microphone
for each crew member. So if we find two, that means there must have been
two people in the F4. And that probably, both
did not have time to eject and they were still sitting
when the plane crashed. After analyzing the remains of combinations
and pilot equipment, experts have discovered clues
among the most precious, those who allow
to identify the victims. That's a watch. It's very interesting
because at that time, these watches, had serial numbers assigned
to a particular person. And here, the serial number
is still readable. So, we can find out who exactly
This watch belonged to. But the best find here, remains this plate
military identification. The pilot carried all these items
on him when he crashed. We must treat them
with great respect, because they are the last
remains of his life. Thanks to work
experts from the agency, one of the crash pilots
could therefore be identified. Members of his family will be
the first to be notified by the government before
the information is not made public. Nowadays, more than 1000 soldiers missing
in Vietnam were found. Ceremonies are organized
to salute their memory, when their remains
are returned to the families. A tribute that shows those
who are still waiting, the return of a loved one, that the American state will not forget it. In Vietnamese culture, the souls of millions of dead keep watch
now on their descendants, who meditates before the altars erected
in memory of those who have passed away. Many cemeteries honor
the communists who fought, for the reunification of the country. For many years, in Bien Hoa, the largest cemetery
military of the soldiers of the South, was inaccessible
and left abandoned. Today the place has been renovated
and allows everyone, to honor his soldiers. More than 40 years after the end of the conflict, Vietnam has risen and is reconciled
gently with his story. The words of the inhabitants
begins to free itself and they finally agree to tell
these long years of fighting, among the bloodiest
of the 20th century. A dirty war whose traces
will never fade.
