Vietnam war simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Despite how one may feel about the war, the universal themes bourke exposes re. The vietnam war began on november 1, 1955, and ended april 30, 1975. During this time of social distancing and postponement of commemorative events, we continue to receive requests for vietnam veteran lapel pins vvlp by individual veterans living in america and abroad who served on active duty in the u. East asiasoutheast asia vietnam the world factbook. The vietnam war was as much a part of the tumultuous sixties as flower power. Five great books about the vietnam war for middle readers. The vietnam war pictures that moved them most while the vietnam war raged roughly two decades worth of bloody and worldchanging years compelling images made their way out of the combat. The vietnam war is one of if not arguably the most devastating and wellknown war happening after the infamous world war i and world war ii.
Located on the perfume river in central vietnam, hue was the capital of vietnam from 1802 until 1945. The viet cong were vietnamese rebels in the south who fought against the southern vietnam government and the united states. The work also included a damning warning about what the u. In the short history of vietnam war literature, publishers would hardly touch a book on the war until the late 1970s and early 1980sa part of the selfinduced. Vietnam is a long, narrow nation shaped like the letter s. Webb is someone who does think, in spite of the fact that hes a politician its hard for. Tell me about the first book on your list, a rumor of war 1977. The city of saigon was later renamed to ho chi minh city in his honor.
Jan 12, 2019 how much do you really know about the vietnam war though. Learn about vietnam war protests, the tet offensive, the my lai massacre, the pentagon papers and more. Critically acclaimed since its release in 1977, dispatches was one of the first books which offered an insiders account of the vietnam war to the general public. North vietnam wanted to reunite the country under communism, its political and economic system. Read cnn s vietnam war fast facts and learn more about the conflict between communistled north vietnam and ussupported south vietnam.
The vietnam war lasted about 40 years and involved several countries. Jul 01, 20 read cnn s vietnam war fast facts and learn more about the conflict between communistled north vietnam and ussupported south vietnam. The vietnam war was the longest military battle in the history of the united states. Diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task.
The vietnam war is the commonly used name for the second indochina war, 19541975. If you want to read only one history of the vietnam war, choose this book, vietnam, an epic tragedy, 19451975, by max hastings. Usually it refers to the period when the united states and other members of the seato southeast asia treaty organization joined the forces with the republic of south vietnam to contest communist forces, comprised of south vietnamese guerrillas and regular. Also known as great uncle ho, ho chi minh is the founding father of modern. In the early 1900s, nationalist movements emerged in vietnam, demanding more selfgovernance and less. Jun 14, 2018 covering world war i, world war ii, and the vietnam war, this book does an exceptional job illuminating the psychological aspects of wartime on those who do the killing. The vietnam war was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of vietnam under a communist government and. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the cold war.
Philip caputo was a marine who later became a very wellknown journalist. How much do you really know about the vietnam war though. Common belief is that a disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the vietnam war. Ken burns and lynn novicks tenpart, 18hour documentary series, the vietnam war, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in american history. Nov 08, 2012 our books experts recommends 10 authors to read on the conflict. It was the era of bertrand russells warcrimes tribunal, in which the philosopher led an investigation in sweden into u. Halfway around the world, another cold war conflict was escalating. The best vietnam war books, as recommended by vietnam war vet karl. Jul 06, 2014 here are 25 interesting facts about vietnam war. But vietnamese traffic etiquette is that you just walk, and the vehicles will move to the side. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners.
Michael linds book breaks new ground, therefore, by insisting that the vietnam war was necessary for precisely the reasons that american leaders at the time said it was. Vietnam war history book details the tragedy of vietnam. Our books experts recommends 10 authors to read on the conflict. What was the vietnam war oconnor, jim, who hq, foley, tim. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite. Its focus on the facts that both sides claimed provides a fascinating insight to the. The roads are filled with motorbikes, which can be intimidating when you try to cross the road. A walled citadel, 2 km by 2 km, as well as a moat, surrounded the city. Fascinating facts and interesting vietnam war stories by dwayne walker, bill oneill at. By making the relationship between fact happeningtruth and fiction. A short summary of the disastrous and bloody vietnam war. Two viet cong prisoners are led to an arvn command outpost at ha tien.
It is also the war that many do not understand fully because the information given by the media and taught in schools is usually limited, incomplete, incorrect and full of bias for both sides in the war. Active military action was carried out for almost 20 years, from 1 november 1955 to 30 april 1975. Fascinating facts offering readers a great overview of the war including some history of the u. Karnow is well qualified to write this text, with a career reporting on vietnam that dates back to the 1950s. His coverage of the war in dispatches was groundbreaking for its presented a type of journalism that traded monotonous details for visceral descriptions. Armed forces from november 1, 1955 to may 15, 1975 please see instructions to the right of this message. Before being killed in vietnam in 1967, he wrote eight books that many claim are some of the best history books about the french war and the beginnings of the vietnam war. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Join us november 12 for reading into history family book club.
Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. The vietnam war has roots in vietnam s centuries of domination by imperial and colonial powersfirst china, which ruled ancient vietnam, and then france, which took control of vietnam in the late 1800s and established french indochina. This is one of the vietnam war books that covers the basics in great detail, like the fact that black soldiers made up nearly onequarter of the. Michael herr was a war correspondent for esquire between 1967 and 1969. Vietnam war facts at your fingertips library binding january 1, 2010 by leo daugherty author see all 5 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The greatest battle of the vietnam air war the air combat trilogy book 2 jeffrey ethell. North and south vietnam were divided at the 17th parallel.
These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. Although the bulk of the fighting took place in vietnam, the war also spilled over into neighboring laos and cambodia in the early 1970s. Jim oconnor has written several books for who hq, including what is rock and. Vietnam war summaryoverview of the conflict history. Come discuss this book with us and meet author thanhha lai in person. It began in 1954, after the country of vietnam was split into two parts, north vietnam and south vietnam. Marines in hue city, february 1968 department of defense national archives max hastingss book about the vietnam war reimmerses us in a period of history most americans would prefer to. A history is a monumental undertaking for both the author and the reader tracing the history of vietnam and its quest for freedom through the ages up until the 1980s when the book was published. These 9 vietnam war books range from darkly comic war fiction to. 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. Covering world war i, world war ii, and the vietnam war, this book does an exceptional job illuminating the psychological aspects of wartime on those who do the killing. Hugh thomson, the man who during the vietnam war had landed a helicopter in the line of fire to confront and stop american troops who.
It divided the united states like no event since the civil war 58,318 american soldiers lost their lives in a war on the other side of the world. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. Tim obrien, american novelist noted for his writings about american soldiers in the vietnam war. Oct 25, 2017 the anti vietnam war movement in 39 photos. The vietnam war was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. In my mind its one of the first really wellwritten books that describe the moral ambiguities and difficulties faced by a young marine officer in this particular war. After supplies and weapons were found in a viet cong tunnel network, a soldier burns a nearby hut used for rice storage by the viet cong. The vietnam war was a long conflict in southeast asia. This website presents the most informative, insightful and popular nonfiction books about the vietnam war. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. Vietnam war 195475, conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam and its allies in south vietnam, the viet cong, against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet.