ABSTRACT
This chapter explains that with the rise of international mobility, the Vietnam War is again a key site for thinking about commemoration, allowing for insight into how Western collective memory of the conflict is being reshaped by the rise of war tourism rituals in Vietnam. It focuses on the guided tour narration of the battlefield and specifically its interpretation by young tourists, drawing on semi-structured interviews with American, Australian and Europeans aged under 40. The rise of international tourism in Vietnam is not only dialogical in that it involves foreign social actors in the remembering of the past but that this brings with it a new historical dialogue, with international tourism activating new local reputational entrepreneurs, a term used to characterise particular individuals who are influential in the remembering of the past. The Cu Chi tunnels are only toured by selective locals and members of Western nations; however, the narratives from this tourist ritual influence national histories more broadly.
