Best literature about the vietnam war fiction and nonfiction. Those that should read this book are those that called vietnam soldiers baby. This official collection features resources about the vietnam war. Located in district 3, it gets regularly packed youll find long lines of school groups as its one of the most interesting museums in the country. Oct 25, 2017 the anti vietnam war movement in 39 photos. The following three interviews were conducted during the authors visit to vietnam in december 2003 and january 2004. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. Dec, 2017 in this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. War books is mwis occasional series featuring great books on.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Battles vietnam history australian there are 44 products. They traveled light, carrying only a pistol, a knife and a flashlight. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through. Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. Nov 20, 2014 these tunnels are still there, and it does feel as claustrophobic as it looks. At the peak of the war in 1968 the united states armed forces deployed 543,482 troops in vietnam. Tunnel rat in vietnam warrior, band 161 rottman, gordon l.
One of the more remarkable but littleknown campaigns of the vietnam war was. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. Most impressively, the book strayed from postwar propaganda. Some viet cong soldiers were uniformed and highly trained, however, most were volunteers and reservist farmers who received only occasional training, if any at all. The tunnels dug in the 1960s by the vietnamese to hide from the us soldiers during the vietnam war. Please check out my book happiness is a warm guna vietnam story. Army sketch of the tunnels provides a sense of how the underground network worked. Online shopping for vietnam war from a great selection at books store. 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. When serving during the vietnam war, many of us were unaware of the real names of our fellow soldiers in the bush. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from penguin random house.
A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam kindle edition by mangold, tom. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tunnels of cu chi. At the height of the vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from cu chi province to the edge of saigon. These numbers include not only soldiers who were active in combat but also the nurses who served at military hospitals tending to the wounded. I have compiled an annotated list of books and other media about vietnam, the war, and the impacts on soldiers and their lives that i have found interesting and useful over the years. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. And i have much empathy for the american soldiers or tunnel rats who faced. Apr 30, 2015 it is 40 years since the vietnam war ended but the scars and memories remain. Jun 30, 2019 soldiers on both sides faced many difficulties and challenges during the vietnam war including climate, terrain, the complex political situation and unclear military objectives. The vietnamese who fought on both sides of the war wanted the same thing for the country that they love, peace. Vietnam veterans is the term used to describe the 3.
Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the. Communist forces began digging a network of tunnels under the jungle terrain of south vietnam in the late 1940s, during their war of independence from french colonial authority. Troops nicknamed tunnel rats cleared vc and nva tunnels for enemy soldiers and booby traps. These tunnels are approximately 200 kilometers long and were hand dug by the.
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. Interviews with a top north vietnam army general and two former soldiers provide important insights into the other sides perspective on the vietnam war. My story is just one about a young couple in love during one. One of the ways they did that was by using creative methods to rig booby traps to injure or kill u. Guerillas guard an outpost on the vietnam cambodia border protected by poisoned bamboo punji stakes. The experience of the american soldier in vietnam was characterized by searchanddestroy missions conceived to implement an attrition strategy. Account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam. The soldiers and journalists who wrote about the war were close to. The tunnels served as a hideaway, not just for the military but communities as well. If you really want to learn about the devastating consequences of the vietnam war which locals actually call the american war, you really ought to visit the war remnants museum, in saigon. For a soldier during the vietnam war, one of the most dangerous of obstacles was faced by a select few soldiers known as tunnel rats.
The tunnels wereuntil nowa footnote in my understanding of the vietnam war. The tunnels were used by viet cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous north vietnamese fighters. 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. War sites in vietnam to understand the nations history. Feel how this story takes you back in time during carsons experiences. Preparing for underground warfare modern war institute. Is there a list of all soldiers that were in the vietnam war. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and books. A special collection about the vietnam war is presented in both print books and ebook formats by the naval history and heritage command, plus you will also find other narrative monographs and commemorative resources published by the us department of army center of military history, joint chiefs of staff, and more. I originally read this book for my a level as we were studying the vietnam war and. Effective ventilation shafts were later installed which allowed viet cong soldiers to remain hidden underground for months at a time. American service members for much of the vietnam war.
Minh daoanother vietnam national geographic books we even came up with a new form of flash photography to illuminate our fighters and villagers who were living in bomb shelters and tunnels. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. Today, tourists can crawl through parts of the tunnels that are regarded as safe, eat a meal that would have been familiar to a viet cong soldier, see the booby traps, and fire an ak47 on a firing range. This book is about the tunnels that the vietnamese dug and used during the war in the 1960s. Mar 16, 2015 at the peak of the war in 1968 the united states armed forces deployed 543,482 troops in vietnam. Two viet cong prisoners are led to an arvn command outpost at ha tien. These unsung heroes of the vietnam war were american, australian, and new zealand soldiers specially trained as combat engineers, who carefully crawled through the cramped viet cong underground to perform perilous covert search and destroy missions. Across the us anniversary ceremonies were held to commemorate and honour veterans of the vietnam war. Astoundingly, given their great length, the tunnels were dug with bare hands or very simple tools during the french occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded during the american war better known in this hemisphere as the vietnam war in the 1960s. I hope you will find them helpful as you continue your exploration of our history. Soldiers who braved enemy tunnels in the vietnam war. At the height of the vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground.
Video and photographs of the cu chi tunnels in vietnam taken by eugene taylor and abraham krikorian in november 20. The cu chi tunnels played a major role in the vietnam war. In all, at least 45,000 vietnamese men and women are said to have died defending the cu chi tunnels over the course of the vietnam war. Start reading tunnel rat in vietnam warrior book 161 on your kindle in. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of. Interviews with a top north vietnam army general and two. Each chapter was about a different aspect of tunnel. My 32,672,800 seconds began in midaugust 1968 and ended in. Tunnels were used heavily by the north vietnamese army and viet cong. Astonishing, rare images of the vietnam war from the winning side. In this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. Viet cong and nva tunnels and fortifications of the vietnam war fortress.
Kanika datta visits the cu chi military tunnels a testimony to a plucky little countrys 30year war of resistance against, first. Tunnel rats were us, australian and newzelander soldiers who went inside viet congvc tunnels to kill any vc inside, gather any intel, recover arms and finally demolish the tunnels by planting explosives. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. This vietnam memoir includes exciting tales, close calls, and battle memories. Though the tunnels became famous in the vietnam war, parts of the network were first constructed in the 1940s by peasants fighting french occupation forces. Oct 02, 2015 american, australian, and new zealander soldiers who performed underground search missions. This is one of the best books i have read on vietnam.
Mar 06, 2015 dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. Inside vietnams extraordinary underground military base. Our fatigues were severely worn and without unit patches, rank and name tags no identities. Nov 08, 2012 our books experts recommends 10 authors to read on the conflict. But its construction was plagued by accidents from the. Originally published in 1978, webbs classic novel of the vietnam war follows three soldiers from different worlds who are plunged into a whitehot murderous realm of jungle warfare as it was fought b. Opinion my life as a tunnel rat the new york times. Australian vietnam war book, many of these war books cover the major australian vietnam battles of long tan, coral and balmoral, tet offensive, australian army vietnam battle war history books. My vietnam 32,672,800 seconds american official involvement with vietnam began in august 1950 and ended in may 1975. Minh daoanother vietnamnational geographic books we even came up with a new form of flash photography to illuminate our fighters and villagers who were living in.
Inside the eerie 75mile network of 2ft high vietnamese tunnels where viet cong guerrillas hid as war ravaged the country in the late 1960s. The tunnels were used by viet cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living. The author spent ten years in vietnam, starting in 1966 when he went there as a freelancer, and stayed through the fall of saigon in 1975. Unseen pictures of the vietnam war from the other side. Doan cong tinhanother vietnam national geographic books.
Chi district of ho chi minh city saigon, vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. Inside vietnam s extraordinary underground military base. Their unofficial moto was non gratum anus rodentum. In these burrows, the viet cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike. Unlike great war fictionthe red and the black, the red badge of courage, war and peace, all quiet on the western front, and a farewell to armsthat is read for generations, becoming part of a literary culture, the vietnam novels and memoirs are specific to a time and place. A legendary war cameraman in vietnam by yasutsune hirashiki. In 1965, soon after the first us combat troops had arrived in vietnam, it was realized. After saigon fell in 1975, vietnam preserved the cu chi tunnels as war memorial parks. Throughout the course of the war, the tunnels in and around c. As a war correspondent, he covered vietnam, two middle east wars, and the. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the cold war. Ia drang the battle that changed the war in vietnam by.
Australian vietnam war books battles of the vietnam war. I have broken down the best books about vietnam into helpful sections. It focuses mostly on the armys preparations leading up to the war, the establishment of the air cavalry vietnam was the first war where use of helicopters to transport troops was widespread, and one of the first major battles of the war, the battle of the. Saigon was the capital city of south vietnam and the tunnels served as a means to move supplies, communications, troops, and equipment, while also providing the ability to perform sneak attacks. Fear of causing china to enter the war had limited the scope of u. The men of the 3 field force, an australian combat engineering unit that served in vietnam from 19651966, have made a convincing argument that they were the first allied troops to enter the tunnels. Not only did they play an important role in the tet offensive, a major north vietnamese attack on south vietnam, but also in the fall of saigon which ended the war.
To clear out the dangerous enemy tunnels, brave infantrymen from australia, new. Tunnel rats were usually soldiers who were physically smallable to fit inside the tight spaces of the viet cong tunnels. Astonishing, rare images of the vietnam war from the. I read this book, describing the us side and the sorrow of war. Cuchi tunnels, vietnam war museum bohemian vagabond. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war.
Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. After reading this book, it is clear that the tunnels were of extreme importance and played a very significant role in the war. By the onset of the vietnam war in the 60s, the tunnels included several hospitals, storage facilities, training camps, and barracks. Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the vietnam war, and were the viet congs base of operations for the t. Sharpened then hardened with fire, punji stakes were often hidden where enemy soldiers would step on them. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. Revolutionary war, 1812 war, mexican war, indian wars, spanishamerican war, and all post vietnam military operations have been fought by us volunteers. Armies of russias war in ukraine elite book 228 english edition. Sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. List of books and articles about vietnam veterans online. Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the c. Dec 19, 20 video and photographs of the cu chi tunnels in vietnam taken by eugene taylor and abraham krikorian in november 20. Soldiers seen slowly lowering a tunnel rat into a tunnel during operation oregon in vietnam. 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.