A dark, funny and vietnamese look at the vietnam war. When truong nhu tang returned to vietnam to fight for national liberation, he rose to become the minister of justice for the vietcong. The vietnam war was a period of american involvement in southeast asia from 19611975 in which u. Hanoi, vietnam forty years ago, on april 30, 1975, nguyen dang phat experienced the happiest day of his life. Greenes conclusion seems to be that america was a somewhat. This literature, although dealing mostly with the participation of the united states in the war and the consequences of this, is not solely of american. Tran tells an intergenerational tale about how vietnams wars shaped his family, how the fall of saigon turned them. List of books and articles about vietnam war in literature. Viet thanh nguyen grew up in america with war movies like apocalypse now and platoon, which offer accounts of the war focusing on americans. How young vietnamese view the vietnam war the atlantic. Seeing the pilot is having a hard time keeping up, one of the chinese mercenaries called nungs, says to the team leader, lets kill the dai uy.
It escalated from a vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict in which the united states was deeply involved, and did not end. America is a crassly materialistic and innocent nation. The whole of the antivietnam war movement sprang from the belief that the vietnam war was essentially a national revolutionary movement against the south vietnamese regime, perceived by them as unpopular, not one fomented or directed by the communist north which, in turn, was being instructed by communist china. Brigham in the republic of vietnam of the mid1960s, as in the united states, citizens attitudes toward military service varied widelyand underwent momentous change.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The vietnamese revolution and politicalmilitary strategy. Life and death in the south vietnamese army modern war studies hardcover by robert k. That morning, as communist troops swept into the south vietnamese capital of saigon. In this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. If youve only read vietnam war books by american authors, come check out this list of the best books by vietnamese authors to get a new perspective. List of books and articles about vietnam war online. But north vietnams war generation experienced those events. A vietnam war reader, edited by michael hunt, is a unique collection of shocking lived experiences, directly from the mouths and the pens of those soldiers, politicians and citizens who lived through the days of the vietnam war and its bloody aftermath.
The best books about vietnam as a country, not just the vietnam war. Books in this category describe how the war was prosecuted, experienced and understood by the vietnamese. The latest in a long line of studies focused on the legacies of the war in the united states, appys book covers everything from film and literature to foreign and military policy. But most vietnamese are too young to remember the day in 1975 when saigon fell, celebrated in hanoi. Suffering persecution and massacres for their collaboration with america during the. Vietnamese perspectives on the war in vietnam hsu digital. Ready to read the most celebrated and best vietnam war books. After spending her adult years in america, she returns to vietnam to. Page v the united states and all other countries respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of vietnam as recognized by the 1954 geneva agreements on vietnam.
Vietnam in a conflict fought under the most favorable circum stances could expunge deeply encrusted and still painful memories of an earlier and very different kind of war. Many thought the united states involvement in vietnams affairs was a mistake, and the opposition to the war defined a generation. It paints a complicated narrative that is both enlightening and captivating. A vietnamese perspective on the wars war is boring medium. American and vietnamese perspectives 2010 michael h. This effort became a war in august 1945 when the viet minh overthrew french. The definitive collection of fiction and nonfiction on the war 1998 by stewart onan diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task. To put the vietnam war in perspective three questions must be addressed. Excellent study of the vietnam war looking at a far wider range of topics than in most books on this war, and with contributions from american, north vietnamese and south vietnamese authors and participants in the war. James zumwalt about his new book on the vietnam war, as seen. America started the war to help france get vietnam back, university student luong. Vietnamerica is one of the best books about the vietnam war. Best vietnam war books vietnam veterans of america. Before the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, many readers didnt know any authors or books written from the vietnamese perspective.
Thousands and thousands died in the war on all sides. Vietnam war in literature a vast body of literature has been dedicated to the vietnam war 195475, including scientific research volumes, fiction stories, autobiographical accounts and poetry. Beyond that, on the fiction front, we quickly traipse into forgettable territory. After world war ii, ho chi minh, an expat who was away from vietnam for over 30 years, introduced communism into vietnam. Four recent books examining the africanamerican experience during the vietnam war represent some of the matured product of that new military history. A documentary history from american and vietnamese perspectives new edition by hunt, michael h. Us soldiers, communist leaders, saigon loyalists, vietnamese peasants and even nixon himself. An essential new resource for students and teachers of the vietnam war, this concise collection of primary sources opens a valuable window on an extraordinarily complex conflict. America and the democratic republic of vietnam s 1947 initiative mark bradley waging revolutionary war. Subjects range from south vietnamese citizens who opposed their government and joined the viet cong, to important figures in hanoi who dedicated their lives to the communist cause, to nationalists who were stalwart opponents of communism, to north vietnamese commanders who. His role with the vietnamese communists began when he met ho chi minh while in france.
From the vietnamese perspective, was the war to conquer. Book examines vietnam war from viet congs point of view pbs. Diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. A rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. The thesis of turse, and of his vietnam war books, is that american acts of violence against vietnamese civilians werent accidental and they werent rarethey were a systematic part of the war and soldiers were trained for and ordered to take part in hatebased slaughter. How the north vietnamese remember the vietnam war, 40 years. Teaching the vietnam war from the vietnamese perspective tlhe vietnamese struggle for independence began with the french colonization of indochina in the late nineteenth century and gained steam with the rapid development of nationalist movements from the 1920s onward.
They believed that the united states, which in their view had failed in korea and taiwan in the 1950s, was now expanding the war against china into vietnam. Michael hunt brings together the views of the conflicts disparate playersfrom communist leaders, vietnamese peasants, saigon loyalists, and north vietnamese soldiers to u. Governments come and go, but the unified of the country stay forever. This movie did what no other vietnam war movie did, in the beginning, it provided the reasoning of the north vietnamese army, as well as feature south vietnamese forces fighting with the us and throughout the movie, it switches back and forth on both sides to get a full perspective of the entire fight. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. The great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. Soul soldiers, african americans and the vietnam era, edited by samuel w. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. In addition to jayne werner and luu doan huynh, the contributors are mark bradley, william duiker, david elliott, kristin pelzer, george vickers, james harrison, george herring, ronald spector, paul joseph, jeffrey clarke, ngo vinh long, benedict kiernan, marilyn young, david hung, keith taylor, and tran van tra. The author was the highest ranking member of the communist party to defect after the war. So i got my information from books like fire in the lake and films like the deer hunter. The texts are drawn evenly from both sides of the conflict, and include speeches, letters, official documents, diplomatic cables, diary entries, interviews, and passages from novels. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. Sorrow of war offers the north vietnamese perspective by tracing.
Accounts of the vietnam war from the perspective of vietnamese are often overlooked, and books by south vietnamese soldiers in particular are. I have broken down the best books about vietnam into helpful sections. The best vietnam war stories by vietnamese authors culture trip. American and vietnamese perspectives by hunt, michael isbn.
As its title suggests, it tells the story from the perspective of the vietnamese. Viet nam war books vietnamese and american veterans of. Vietnamese and american perspectives jayne werner and luu doan huynh an improbable opportunity. At the seminar, leading western diplomatic and military historians and vietnam scholars met with prominent vietnamese communists to reflect on the vietnam war. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for. The vietnam war, as we americans call it, looms large in american history. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. Rick lovekin, a member of vva chapter 83 in new castle county, delaware, took part in the vietnam experience, a salute to veterans held at wilmington university in new castle, earlier this year. However, for the vietnamese, the war had started many years before.
More than a decade later, he returned to his former battlegrounds and recorded his journey in goodbye vietnam. How the north vietnamese remember the vietnam war, 40. An impressive piece of work that gives a good overview of the vietnam war and the wider issues that surrounded the conflict. A vietnam reader is a fantastic collection of primary documents on the vietnam war. As the war continued and more young men were drafted, it became.
There is catch22, and slaughterhouse five, and these are classics to be sure. Its a shame, because although there are many excellent books written by american authors about the conflict, they dont give you an idea of how a vietnamese person saw the war. For subjects that loom large in history, literature, film, and nonfiction such as the vietnam war, known in vietnam as the american war it. Sinovietnamese war reeducation camp vietnam boat people vietnam war casualties opposition to the vietnam war opposition to the u. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Much of the war was fought in a nontraditional guerilla style, and there were many casualties on both sides. A documentary history from american and vietnamese perspectives university of north carolina press, 256 pp. The materials gathered here, from both the american and vietnamese sides, remind readers that the conflict touched the lives of many people in a wide range of social and political situations and. In the united states, the story of america and south vietnams defeat is familiar. Black, senator john heinz pittsburgh regional history center, pittsburgh, 2006 is the least useful of the lot. The necessary war, michael lind if you only read one book on the vietnam war, this is it.
Perhaps the only decent thing to emerge from the vietnam war is a body of literature unsurpassed by the writing thats come out of any other war. Before he penned the screenplays for jarhead and castaway, a young william broyles enlisted to serve in the vietnam war. Teaching the vietnam war from the vietnamese perspective. Hunt, an emeritus history professor at the university of north carolina who taught vietnam war history for many years, presents an excellent selection of primary sources in a vietnam war reader. From his encounters with exvietnamese soldiers to interviews with victims of his own violence, broyles memoir is a reminder of how the brotherhood of man can. Maybe 10 years from now the communist party is no more, but the country stay integrity, thats the most important thing. What is the best book about vietnam war written from. Perhaps more targeted at the scholarly minded, this book collects official documents and private letters from a sea of sources. This is a hilarious tale of an air force combat fighter pilot in vietnam who goes out on patrol with a special forces team he has supported many times from the air. American views on the vietnam war historical society of. Hanoi, vietnamforty years ago, on april 30, 1975, nguyen dang phat experienced the happiest day of his life.
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