<Tr> <Th> NRHP reference #</Th> <Td> 01000285 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Added to NRHP </Th> <Td> November 13, 1982 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2 - acre (8,000 m2) U.S. national memorial in Washington D.C. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam / South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for (missing in action, MIA) during the war . </P> <P> Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex . The memorial consists of three separate parts: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, completed first and the best - known part of the memorial; The Three Soldiers, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial . </P>

What is the central idea of the vietnam wall