A newly opened pub in Richmond, Victoria has been accused of capitalising on wartime atrocities after using a series of images related to the Vietnam War for its décor and social media promotion.
According to many Australian media outlets, the bar used orange tones, reminiscent to some of Agent Orange, a destructive herbicide used by US military forces during the Vietnam War.
Half a million children have allegedly been born with birth defects in Vietnam, while around 2 million people are suffering from cancer or other illness caused by Agent Orange.
On their Instagram account, Rickshaw Bar shared, among others, a photo of a pint of beer with empty bullet shells resting in it, and a photo from Operation Frequent Wind, in which more than 7,000 people were evacuated by helicopter before the fall of Saigon, with the caption “Leave your ride at home”.
It received strong backlash from the public, especially the Vietnamese community in Australia.
Veteran Dinh Nguyen, President of the ARVN Veterans Association In Australia said he knew about the bar.
The war-themed Instagram account of Rickshaw Bar before the critical backlash. Source: Instagram
“I have seen some of their photos,” he told SBS Vietnamese.
“First of all, we all have happy and sad memories [about the war] in our minds.
Time might have passed, but the memories of sadness still linger in our minds, such as [the fall of Saigon] on 30 April 1975, we had to leave our homeland.
“I heard that the owners of this bar are not Vietnamese. They may not have a clear understanding of the origin of the Vietnam War, so they used those images, which provoke sorrowful memories in the minds of the Vietnamese refugees. What’s more, if any Australian veterans who fought in the Vietnam War saw these images, perhaps they would be sad, if not ‘outrageous’.”
Shop Bao Ngoc, a second-generation Vietnamese restaurant in Brunswick, also voiced concern on their Instagram account: “Richmond is a cultural hub for so many Vietnamese folks, especially our elders who survived the Vietnam War...
My family didn’t go through all that trauma (and still is) for your own personal gain. It’s tacky and insensitive af. Do better @rickshaw_bar.
Rickshaw Bar has subsequently taken down all its controversial posts and images on Instagram, and issued the following statement: “We have taken down our content and apologise to anyone that was offended or found the content inappropriate. We have revised our tone and are working hard to make it right. Sorry for any distress caused - it was never our intent.”
Dinh Nguyen has welcomed this change: “In general, everyone has the right to make private statements on political issues. However, when those statements, opinions or images offend an individual, a group, or a community, or cause distress to an individual, a group, or a community, then they should review it. And if they have reviewed it and made a change, then we must acknowledge and appreciate the change.”
Rickshaw Bar has issued an apology on their social media. Source: Instagram
