Hacker News Reader

Similarly, Maya Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial only earned a B in her architecture class at Yale.

https://www.biography.com/news/maya-lin-vietnam-veterans-mem...

Frankly, though, I think it's not that great. Sure, it has a lot of emotional resonance, but that's because the Vietnam War has lots of emotional resonance. Seen solely as a memorial, it's cold & impersonal. That kinda works, given Vietnam's role as the first U.S. victory[0] the country felt badly about.

[0] Yes, the U.S. won: North & South Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, in which North Vietnam agreed that the South Vietnamese people would be allowed to determine their own political future. It was only in 1974 & 1975, after Nixon's resignation, that North Vietnam again invaded South Vietnam, breaking the treaty.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com