Regardless of your political opinion, I will echo bdschobel's statement. In the great retrospective opportunity you gain by visiting Vietnam, touring war sites, speaking with the locals, and exploring the (admittedly one-sided) war museums, it becomes clear that lessons learned from the Vietnam conflict were applied - and can be applied - toward current events. And, that history often has a way of repeating itself. It is fascinating to look at events more than three decades ago, and see similarities and differences.