Vietnam's American War: A HistoryCommunist forces in the Vietnam War lost most battles and suffered disproportionally higher casualties than the United States and its allies throughout the conflict. The ground war in South Vietnam and the air war in the North were certainly important in shaping the fates of the victors and losers, but they alone fail to explain why Hanoi bested Washington in the end. To make sense of the Vietnam War, we must look beyond the war itself. In his new work, Pierre Asselin explains the formative experiences and worldview of the men who devised communist strategies and tactics during the conflict, and analyzes their rationale and impact. Drawing on two decades of research in Vietnam's own archives, including classified policy statements and reports, Asselin expertly and straightforwardly relates the Vietnamese communist experience - and the reasons the war turned out the way it did. |
Contents
1 From Dai Viet to the August Revolution | 16 |
2 French War 19451954 | 47 |
3 Interwar Period 19541965 | 79 |
4 American War 19651968 | 118 |
5 American War 19681973 | 163 |
6 Civil War 19731975 | 206 |
Legacies | 234 |
Annotated Bibliography | 255 |
Index | 267 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
17th parallel allies American armed forces Army ARVN Asia attack Bao Dai battle became Beijing Beijing's bombing Cambodia campaign ceasefire Central Committee China Chinese civilians Cochinchina colonial combat commitment communism communist forces Communist Party decision-makers defeat Despite Diem Diem’s Dien Bien Phu domestic DRVN authorities DRVN leaders DRVN's Duan Duan's regime economic effort enemy fighting foreign France French Geneva accords Giap Hanoi History Ho's hostilities independence Indochina Indochinese Kissinger Laos Le Duan Le Duc Tho leadership military Minh Moscow movement national liberation national reunification nationalist negotiations Nguyen Nixon North Vietnamese Northern organization Paris agreement patriotic PAVN peace peasants Pham Pham Hung Politburo political President revolutionary Saigon soldiers South Vietnam Southern Vietnam Soviet Union strategy talks Tet Offensive Thanh Thieu tion Tonkin troops United University Press victory Viet Cong Vietminh Vietnam War Vietnamese communist Vietnamese Revolution Washington