Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Washington

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a long wall of black granite engraved with the names of the fallen soldiers, on the National Mall. The Washington audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this poignant place of memory, one of the most moving of the capital.

The wall of remembrance

You are in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It presents itself in the form of a long wall of black granite that runs along an alley of the Constitution Gardens, constituted of seventy-two granite panels that reveal, engraved in the stone, the names of the tens of thousands of men and women dead or missing during the Vietnam War. This war, that lasted long years and profoundly marked the United States, was one of the most painful and controversial conflicts of the history of the country. The memorial, inaugurated at the beginning of the 1980s, was conceived in a deliberately sober way and without military glory: its black and polished wall, that sinks into the ground and reflects the image of those who look at it, descends then rises, like a wound in the earth. The names, classified in chronological order, give back to each missing person their identity. A place of intense contemplation, the memorial is often covered with flowers, letters and objects left by the families and the veterans. Of a rare emotional force, it honours the sacrifice and invites to remembrance. A wall of remembrance and a poignant place of memory, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is discovered with respect.

What to see

Here you discover, with respect, the long wall of black granite that runs along an alley of the Constitution Gardens, constituted of seventy-two panels engraved with the names of the tens of thousands of dead and missing of the Vietnam War; conceived in a sober way, this polished wall that sinks into the ground and reflects the visitor is of a great emotional force, often covered with flowers and objects left by the families. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a poignant place of memory of Washington. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial lies in the Constitution Gardens, on the National Mall, in Washington, reachable on foot. It is an open-air memorial, freely accessible. It is best to visit it with the respect due to this place of contemplation.

How does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Washington present itself?

In the form of a long wall of black granite that runs along an alley of the Constitution Gardens, constituted of seventy-two panels engraved with the names of the tens of thousands of men and women dead or missing during the Vietnam War; conceived in a sober way, this polished wall that sinks into the ground and reflects the visitor is of a great emotional force, often covered with flowers and objects left by the families.

Where is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington?

In the Constitution Gardens, on the National Mall, in Washington, in the United States.