Books

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of books about Vietnam and the Vietnam/American war in particular. I have read quite a few, some far better than others. The few I have selected all have something unique about them and, most importantly, are all very readable. 

The Sorrow of War-Bao Ninh: Easily the best book about the war written from a North Vietnamese perspective. One of the saddest, most profound books I have ever read. Written in a unique style, I would say it's almost required reading for anyone who has an interest in what the Vietnamese people went through, particularly those in the in North.

One Crowded Hour (The biography of Neil Davis)-Tim Bowden: Neil Davis was arguably the most important war cameraman since WWII. He was one of the very few westerners who stayed in Saigon when it became evident that the Communist forces were about to enter the city. His footage of the first North Vietnamese tank crashing through the front gates of the Presidential Palace was seen all over the world and remains famous to this day. His life story is interwoven with every major political and military conflict that occurred in South East Asia during the 1960's and 70's and is a fantastic read. He was a larger than life character who took extraordinary risks to show war stripped of any notions of glamour. Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and other parts of the region are all extensively covered. Definitely one of my favourite books and highly recommended.

Catfish and Mandela-Andrew X. Pham : This covers the experience of a Vietnamese family who fled to the west after 1975. In this case it focuses on the story of a boy who left as a child, grew up in America, and then returned to Vietnam for a cycling trip as an adult. It gives an insight into the Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese) experience and the difficulties involved with growing up caught between two, very different cultures. Interesting and surprising.

A Peoples History of the Vietnam War-Jonathon Neale: A comprehensive examination of the war from all sides, with many personal accounts from those involved. It also shows how the war has influenced U.S. foreign policy and thus the rest of the world, ever since. Well written, insightful and disturbing.

Dispatches-Michael Herr: Rated by many as the best book about the Vietnam War. A collection of articles written at the time for Esquire magazine, Michael Herr basically had a roving commission to report on the war as he saw fit. As he did not have to write within the constraints of a conventional news service, he was able to write stories that conjured up much more vivid pictures of the insanity, tragedy and absurd humour that occurred during the war.

The Quiet American-Graham Greene: A brilliantly written story about the tangled web of intrigue that existed in Saigon during the French war of the 1950's. It's concise, understated and addictive.

Saigon Tea-Graham Reilly: By no means a literary masterpiece, it's nonetheless an enjoyable read. A simple story about a Scottish lad who ends up in modern day Saigon via Australia. It paints a fairly accurate of Saigon today. 

 Vietnam. A Reporters War-Hugh Lunn: Shows the war from the perspective of an Australian journalist and interesting for that fact. Particularly notable because of the author's closeness (both personally and geographically) to the killing of four foreign journalists that occurred in Saigon during the Tet offensive of 1968. It gives some background to these journalists that helps to humanise this tragic event, and it describes in detail what was a major world story at the time.

Well Done, Those Men-Barry Heard:  Not really a story about the Vietnamese but  a story of an Australian national serviceman (conscript) and what he experienced during the war an afterwards on his return to Australia. Especially poignant for Australians as it shows the shameful treatment of these men by the Australian public and successive Australian governments of the recent past. 

All the books listed, with the exception of the last two, are available from the booksellers on the streets of Saigon. "One Crowded Hour" can be difficult to find but if you ask one of the sellers they should be able to go away to the secret book cave and be back with a copy in about ten minutes.

 

Movies

There are many films about the Vietnam (American) war but there are few easily available films about modern Vietnam. This is beginning to change but as of now I have not been able to get my hands on any in English or with sub-titles. I am trying to  track some of the newer Vietnamese films down at present so there will be some reviews in the very near future. Many films about the war may not be directly relevant to Vietnam today but they do give at least some insight into the tumultuous recent history of the country.

 The war was such a defining event for the people of Vietnam, but more particularly for how the country was viewed by other countries and this, along with the fact that it was basically a closed country up until the early nineties with very limited resources financially, makes the situation understandable.

 As a result, this list is short a t present. I won't bother with the large number of American made films as many cover similar territory and are primarily based on the U.S experience. Platoon is probably still the pick of the bunch for a linear narrative type film that covers the major events through the U.S. soldier's experience in Vietnam. Full Metal Jacket is notable as one of the only films (if not the only) that focuses on the only substantial urban warfare that occurred during the war when parts of Hue were attacked and held by the communist forces during the Tet offensive of 1968. Apart from these two I'd say the following are interesting, all for different reasons.

Apocalypse Now: The old standard for movies on the Vietnam (American) war. More relevant to the Americans than the actual Vietnamese now but still worth a look.

The Quiet American: Set during the Vietnamese/French war in the 1950's, it's by no means a masterpiece and is far inferior to the Graham Greene novel on which it's based. Flawed as it is however, it is still one of the only easily accessible movies that deals with this particular era.

The Odd Angry Shot: A hard to find, small Australian movie that was made in the 1970's not long after the war had ended. It gives an Australian perspective on the Vietnam experience of that time. Very dated and a little clunky in parts, it still manages to catch the mood of humour surrounded by ever-present tension. Worth a look to see Brian Brown, John Jarrett, Graham Kennedy and other well known Australian actors in their younger days. It also contains one of the great lines from Australian cinema, uttered by one of the soldiers of a small patrol as they make their way silently in oppressive heat through the steaming jungle of South Vietnam, "Jeez....I'd love a Passiona!"