The Vietnam War - BBC4 Documentary

Ken Burns is a brilliant documentary maker.

A very good series with a clever mix of personal and political stories.

Also lots of different perspectives.

Saw one of the episodes randomly and thought it was excellent. I'll try and catch the rest
I've been to Vietnam, fascinating country.

Watched one and two so far. Simultaneously fascinating and horrifying.

golfaddick said:

I've recorded the first 2 sets of programmes (4 in all) & watched the fiest one the other night.

Never knew that Vietnam was a French colony & did all they could to keep control after WW2. Bloody French are useless - can't defend their own country in 1939 & then want to keep something on the other side of the world after 1945.

hate the French with a passion.

Really! A know nothing comment. If we weren't an island Hitler would have smashed us in WW2.
Read about the Maquis in WW2, if they were caught their whole family inc kids were executed, that ups the anti right there if you were in the resistance.
My grandfather was a professional soldier from 1925-51 he fought all round the world inc Dunkirk and the French liberation.
He transferred to the recce corps just before the liberation of Paris and reckoned the Maquis were the bravest fighters he fought alongside.

...And of course in Vietnam it's called the American War.
Excellent museum in Saigon which paints a completely different picture of what went on.

I asked the tour guide what they thought of the Americans. The answer I was given is that the Americans are welcome to Vietnam. Any military aggression is not.
I came across a group of school children in Hue with a cache of guns being taught how to use them. I didn't ask as I was quite shocked but I assume that they were following the boy scouts motto "Always be prepared" (or something like that).

The_President said:

Feck me , just been offered a job in Vietnam today - dont tell me the bad bits.Just tell me its brilliant.

Lucky Bastard. If you don't want it I'll have it.


The war museum in HCMC is interesting enough and has an amazing war photography section that is a must for anybody interested in that side of things.
It is a very stereotypical Communist propaganda version of things at times as is to be expected. Basically every mental and physical disability still to this day in Vietnam is because of the Yanks use of chemicals.

Excellent. Not just the US perspective for a change.

We dodged a bullett, figuratively and literally, by not getting involved in that war and that something my generation is thankful for though ironically the British army were the ones that had the right experience for fighting it because of what had happened in Malaysia. I've just watched the first episode (thanks for the heads up) so don't know what else gets mentioned in later episodes.

There was a great Australian mini- series called Vietnam and twenty/thirty years ago with an unknown Nicole Kidman in it which dealt with Australia's part in the war.

letthegoodtimesroll said:

We dodged a bullett, figuratively and literally, by not getting involved in that war and that something my generation is thankful for though ironically the British army were the ones that had the right experience for fighting it because of what had happened in Malaysia. I've just watched the first episode (thanks for the heads up) so don't know what else gets mentioned in later episodes.

There was a great Australian mini- series called Vietnam and twenty/thirty years ago with an unknown Nicole Kidman in it which dealt with Australia's part in the war.

One of Harold Wilson's best decisions was to refuse to get militarily involved in Vietnam. Amazing really given how every other PM since WW2 did everything they were told or asked to do by the Americans to support their foreign policy.

It is another great piece of work by Ken Burns. I particularly recommend his series on the American Civil War and his series on Jazz. Both are absolutely wonderful.

Interesting... I'll have to take a look at this

I love History but growing up I've only really been interested in the Romans | Napoleonic | WW1 | WW2 eras with the latter only really covering the Allied side - Last few years though I've been trying to get into History across all the centuries.

Vietnam and the Korean War especially interest me at the moment

Henry Irving said:

Worth checking out Ken Burns American Civil War and Baseball documentries.

He did one on Jazz too that I've never got round to watching.

You should. It's brilliant.

ForeverAddickted said:

Interesting... I'll have to take a look at this

I love History but growing up I've only really been interested in the Romans | Napoleonic | WW1 | WW2 eras with the latter only really covering the Allied side - Last few years though I've been trying to get into History across all the centuries.

Vietnam and the Korean War especially interest me at the moment

Dont want to take the discussion away from the thread but can anyone recommend any good books on the Vietnam War?

iainment said:

Henry Irving said:

iainment said:

Henry Irving said:

Worth checking out Ken Burns American Civil War and Baseball documentries.

He did one on Jazz too that I've never got round to watching.

You should. It's brilliant.

Bit too much jazz in it

Open your mind. It's as much history and sociology as all his stuff.

Open your sense of humour and realise it was a joke