The day I visited the prison-turned-museum, a woman was outside it selling T-shirts, one printed with "Good Morning Vietnam" in red letters.

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His unit was caught in what Mr Ellicock describes as a Vietnam-style exchange of red and green tracer bullets.

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Foreign-ministry officials proudly hand out business cards that show the islands in red on a map of Vietnam.

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The red lipstick, mounted on steel caterpillar tracks, seemed to comment on both the Vietnam War and the male-only makeup of Yale College's student body.

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However, Mr Thiraphong does fear competition from places such as Vietnam, because he reckons that the government there is better than Thailand's at cutting red tape.

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"If the United States is ever called upon to fight deep in east central Europe against the Red Army or the Russian armies, this country will be divided far more deeply than it was during Vietnam, " former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan said.

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