The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. A history gets called the bible of vietnam and with good reason. An absorbing and definitive modern history of the vietnam war from the acclaimed new york times bestselling author of the secret war. The longform name of the country is the socialist republic of vietnam. The best books about vietnam as a country, not just the vietnam war.
Learn about vietnam war protests, the tet offensive, the my lai massacre, the pentagon papers and more. While the book can be dense at times, i have learned important figures and movements that made vietnam what it is today. Historycovers the breadth of the chronological history of the united states and also provides the necessary depth to ensure the course is manageable for instructors and students alike. Books there is no book in english, and probably none. This intervention would become one of the most divisive decisions in u. History of vietnam lonely planet travel information. List of books and articles about vietnamese history online.
A history from earliest times to the present 9780195160765. It is a graphic novel and the story is told in a beautiful emotional voice. Also included are men who served time as prisonersofwar. Keith taylor, professor of vietnamese studies in the department of asian studies, never set out to become an expert on vietnamese history. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. It went on to win a number of prestigious awards, including the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, national book award, and the bancroft prize. An overview by a reporter who began reporting from vietnam in 1959 and who served as chief correspondent for pbss emmy awardwinning series, vietnam. The authors introduce key forces and major developments that together form the american experience, with particular. A history of the vietnamese cambridge concise histories.
An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry. A history, stanley karnow the most complete account of the vietnam war to date. A new history of americas descent into vietnam hardcover by. Everything we had, al santoli if i had to recommend only. Vietnam simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Vietnam is one of five remaining countries that believe in communism. Taylor is the author of the new book, a history of. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. This oral history gives the reader a visceral sense of what it was like, as a black man, to serve in vietnam and what it was like to come back to. Originally published a companion to the emmywinning pbs series, karnows defining book is a precursor to ken burnss tenpart forthcoming documentary series, the vietnam war. The best vietnam war books, as recommended by vietnam war vet karl.
Everything we had, al santoli if i had to recommend only one book as a guide to stepping into the. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans, by wallace terry, brings together the voices of 20 veterans. This pattern of affiliating and adapting was already evident in vietnams historical relations with china, and it reappeared as descendants of mandarins responded to the challenge of the west by rejecting tradition and becoming. What is the best book providing a comprehensive history of. From reading this book i have learned the intricate and dynamic history of vietnam that dates back thousands of years. The book includes, as terry notes in his introduction, enlisted men, noncommissioned officers, and commissioned officers. For about 1,000 years, northern vietnam belonged to china, but from 938 the country became independent and later expanded southward at the expense of the champa kingdom. A professor at the university of chicago, bradley already has an impressive list of prior works on the history of vietnam, including imagining vietnam and america. An epic tragedy 19451975 is published by william collins. A land of staggering natural beauty and cultural complexities, of dynamic megacities and hilltribe villages, vietnam is both exotic and compelling. The making of postcolonial vietnam, 19191950, and coediting credit for making sense of the vietnam war.
Justin j corfield a comprehensive history of vietnam describing dynasties, civil war, and power struggles between north and south, governments under china, france, and japan, the vietnam war, and independence. But his experience in the vietnam war made a reasonable choice. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. This book goes very deep and reveals a rich cultural history of vietnam. Vietnam was his beat from the death of the first american soldier there in 1959 until after the 1973 ceasefire that ended u. The outrageously inventive followup to by the blood of heroesinglourious basterds meets dawn of the dead in this steampunk alternate history world war i zombie novel.
What books are good to read about a complete history of vietnam. At the close of 1917, the germans introduced a new type of gas, tleichecorpse gasa. A landmark workthe most complete account to date of the vietnam tragedy. He interviewed almost all of the major players in the war and was there while the story unfolded. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. A history is a clearly written and accessible history of the vietnam war, starting with the early days of french colonialisation all the way through to the fall of saigon. Karnow is well qualified to write this text, with a career reporting on vietnam that dates back to the 1950s. Brief overview of the history of vietnam vietnam has a history of tribes uniting to form strong dynasties. Pbs produced an emmywinning television series, vietnam. Vietnam has a long history of affiliating with a dominant civilization and adapting that civilizations ideas, institutions, and technology to vietnamese purposes. This book is the first comprehensive account of vietnams natural history in english. 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. In 111 bc, the han dynasty from china absorbed vietnam into their empire.
Authored by journalist frances fitzgerald, this account of vietnam, its history, and the effects of its war with the united states was on the bestseller list for more than ten weeks. A television history, to accompany the books release. Sure, the american war in vietnam captured the attention of the west, but centuries before that vietnam was scrapping with the chinese, the khmers, the chams and the mongols. An oral history by wallace terry is one of the most powerful and moving books from the point of view of the soldiers who fought the battles day in and day out. The first dynasty that many consider to be the start of the vietnamese state was the hong bang dynasty which was ruled by the legendary hung kings. The title is somewhat misleading, as this is really a history of the vietnam war rather than vietnam itself. 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. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. Kiernans dispassionate recording of the behaviour of the regional powerschampa, cambodia, china, indiashould help to make viet nam. Oliver layton press, c1966, by tuli kupferberg and robert bashlow page images at hathitrust. A stirring family saga tells a taboo history of vietnam. Mar 02, 2015 pbs produced an emmywinning television series, vietnam. A stirring family saga tells a taboo history of vietnam the. Unforgettable experiences are everywhere in vietnam.
Halberstam, who was a vietnam war correspondent for the new york times. Mar 17, 2020 a stirring family saga tells a taboo history of vietnam. 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. A history, karnow has produced the most comprehensive, fairminded and enthralling account of one of this centurys most controversial wars. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most courses. Pages in category vietnam war books the following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total. The biggest city is ho chi minh city formerly saigon.
Sophie quinnjudge, times literary supplement in viet nam, ben kiernan synthesises three millennia of history in a beautiful book that aids the reader with numerous maps and over a dozen photographs. At one point the book quotes an american in 1990s vietnam saying, vietnam is a country, not a war. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. For those interested in this country, the history from the earliest of days, its terrain, its people and the many wars which vietnam has suffered, then it is the book for you. A history puts events and decisions into such sharp focus that we come to understand and make peace with a convulsive epoch of our recent history. It is an illustrated memoir of one familys journey from wartorn vietnam.
The vietnam war lasted about 40 years and involved several countries. How could we hope to make sense of this turbulent time in our history. Terry is the renowned authority on the african american soldier and experience in vietnam. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Vietnam became the western worlds most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for france in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the united states in 1975. Best books on vietnam 194 books meet your next favorite book. This book isnt a complete history of vietnam history, culture, economics, sociology, etc. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war.
The roll is long, for the battles are many and the fighting hard. Catfish and mandala is the story of an american odyssey. Panoramic in scope, profound in understanding, and compassionate in human portrayals, it is filled with fresh revelations drawn from secret documents and from exclusive interviews with hundreds of participants on both sides. Archaeological findings from 1965, still under research, show the remains of two hominins closely related to sinanthropus, dating as far back as the middle pleistocene era, roughly half a million years ago. The start of the book about the vietnam war covers the history of vietnam. The history of vietnam can be traced back to around 4000 years ago. The author takes care to switch back and forth between different perspectives the us government, the north vietnamese leadership, us soldiers, and. This book is a great read if you enjoy reading books about the vietnam war. History vietnam has a history as rich and evocative as anywhere on the planet. Illustrated with maps, photographs, and thirtyfive original watercolor illustrations, the book offers a complete tour of the countrys plants and animals along with a full discussion of the factors shaping their evolution and distribution. Dk acts as the parent company for alpha books, publisher of the idiots guides series and. Disappointingly, however, the paperback covers are somewhat flimsy as are the pages. Nothing, certainly not our film or book, can make the tragedy of the vietnam war all right.
825 800 1261 485 430 232 654 563 741 744 1178 999 920 250 1172 39 757 464 57 1129 71 660 1187 480 986 602 682 17 1417 27 1117 277 1329 894 271 65 562 921 1093 53 642 1129 872 1040