'Vietnam' A Portrait of its People at War

by Chanoff, David; Van Toai, Doan

• ISBN13: 9781860640766
• ISBN10: 1860640761
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-15
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris

Summary

The American experience during the Vietnam conflict is universally known: the brutalisation of the US fighting men, the drug abuse, and the trauma. Even today the very word 'Vietnam' is too often interpreted as referring to this conflict (and specifically the American perception of it) rather than to the country and its people. The view from the other side-- the Vietcong and North Vietnamese-- has been virtually ignored. In this remarkable piece of twentieth-century oral history-- now available in paperback for the first time-- the story emerges of the ordinary people of both North and South Vietnam, of the Vietcong guerrilla fighters and terrorists, North Vietnamese soldiers and cadres, monks, opposition leaders, propaganda chiefs and village secretaries. Constructed as a series of interviews, this book provides an account of dedication and heroism at all levels, and also of the brutality and trauma faced by a people in the grip of revolution and a terrifying war. Those featured in the book describe aspects of the war: the murderous trek down the Ho Chi Minh trail, the self-immolation of Buddhist monks, the methods of Vietcong assassination teams and life under attack from American bombs and napalm. Taken as a whole, the accounts provide a rare insight into the thinking of the 'other side.'

Author Biography

David Chanoff is the author of many books and articles on international issues and is currently based at Brandeis University.

Doan Van Toai was formerly a student political leader and then an editor in Saigon, and is now writing a history of the Vietnam War. Together Chanoff and Toai have collaborated on two earlier books.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Xuan Vu's Story: The Fench War	p. 5
Nguyen Cong Hoan's Story: Coming of Age to the South	p. 12
Nguyen Thi Ty (Nguyen Cong Hoan's Wife): Hoan in Prison	p. 20
Trinh Duc's Story: In the Underground	p. 22
Le Van Tra: Leave-taking	p. 28
Huong Van Ba: Going North	p. 29
Truong Nhu Tang: Meeting Uncle Ho	p. 34
Tran Van Tra: Uncle Ho's Parting Words	p. 36
Hoang Huu Quynh: Ten Years to Grow a Tree	p. 38
The Venerable Giac Duc: Buddhists and Catholics, the Beginning	p. 39
Volunteers and Conscripts	p. 42
Nguyen Tan Thanh	p. 42
Phan Thanh Long	p. 43
Nguyen Van Hoang	p. 45
Bui Van Binh	p. 47
Nguyen Van Hung	p. 58
Hoang Thien Loc: A Chinese in the North	p. 50
Le Thanh: Coming of Age in the North	p. 56
Nguyen Ngoc Oahn (Le Thanh's Wife): Seamstress	p. 65
Tran Xuan Niem: Try to Keep Your Faces Intact	p. 67
Nguyen Trong Nghi: Our Future Selves	p. 68
Xuan Vu's Story: In the North	p. 74
Nguyen Cong Hoan's Story: In Opposition	p. 84
Nguyen Thi Ty (Nguyen Cong Hoan's Wife): Assemblyman's Wife	p. 93
Trinh Duc's Story: Village Chief	p. 94
Le Thi Dau (Trinh Duc's Wife): Vietcong Nurse	p. 112
Nam Duc Mao: Messengers of Death	p. 113
Han Vi: A Single Will	p. 114
Hoang Huu Quynh: Blood Debt	p. 122
The Bombing	p. 125
Nguyen Van Mo: Hanoi Under Attack	p. 126
Tran Van Truong: Bombing in Haiphong	p. 127
The Capture of Commander Richard Stratton	p. 128
Nguyen Van Thanh: Antiaircraft Battery	p. 130
Van Anh: Capturing an American Pilot	p. 130
The Venerable Giac Duc: Buddhists and Catholics, the Showdown	p. 134
On the Ho Chi Minh Trail	p. 146
The Ho Chi Minh Trail	p. 146
Nguyen Danh: Opening the Ho Chi Minh Trail	p. 147
Sau Thuong: The Road in the Motherland	p. 149
Huong Van Ba: Back Down the Trail	p. 152
Vu Hung: The Battle of Dong Xoai	p. 158
The Mine Sappers	p. 161
Nguyen Van Mo	p. 161
Hoang Tat Hong	p. 164
Van Cong Van	p. 166
Captain Stuart Herrington: The American Side	p. 166
Nguyen Van Thich: VC Assassin	p. 168
Bui Van Tai: The B-521	p. 171
Tran Van Tra: Comradeship	p. 172
Xuan Vu's Story: Back to the South	p. 178
Nguyen Cong Hoan's Story: The Communist Assembly	p. 187
Nguyen Thi they (Nguyen Cong Hoan's Wife): Death in Absentia	p. 194
Trinh Duc's Story: The Purge	p. 197
Afterword	p. 203
Important Dates and Events	p. 211
A Note on Sources	p. 217
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.