DK Eyewitness Books: Vietnam War: Discover the People, Places, Battles, and Weapons of America's Indochina Struggl

DK Eyewitness Books

by Stuart Murray

A visual and informative guide to one of the longest and most controversial wars in American history, now revised and updated in the relaunched DK Eyewitness Books format. Explore the people, places, battles, and weapons of America's Indochina struggle with DK Eyewitness Vietnam War . See campaigns in the air and battles in jungles, cities, and rice paddies, from Saigon to the Mekong Delta. Learn about the most powerful combat weapons of the age, including napalm bombs and M-60 machine guns. From the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the Viet Cong to the war's aftermath, discover the Vietnam War, why America went to war in Indochina, and who fought there. Now available for the first time in paperback, DK Eyewitness Vietnam War tells the dramatic story of patriotism, tragedy, bloody conflict, and heroism. Series Each revised Eyewitness book retains the stunning artwork and photography from the groundbreaking original series, but the text has been reduced and reworked to speak more clearly to younger readers. Still on every colorful vibrant annotated photographs and the integrated text-and-pictures approach that makes Eyewitness a perennial favorite of parents, teachers, and school-age kids.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American, American History, Military Fiction

72 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2005

About the author

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Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

So - last of the EYEWITNESS "Wars of the 20th Century" books (my categorization, not theirs), as for some reason they didn't do one on Korea - never sure why that one is so often overlooked.

Similar to the previous two books (WWI, WWII) this is a typically informative overview* presented in the now-classic DK graphic style - much to learn here from a variety of angles, as can be seen from the Contents page: chemicals in war; highland struggle; medical care; heliborne warfare; the Television War; village life; war on inland waters; etc. Of particular interest (to me at least) was learning that the entirety of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (and there were actually two of them, the other being called the Sihanouk Trail) ran through Laos and Cambodia, not VIetnam itself, which kind of makes one understand more America's intensive bombing of those two countries during the war - basically, both sides were seriously ignoring and abusing their nominally neutral status.



Despite all the carnage and tragedy - and there was a lot of carnage and tragedy - I found the most heartbreaking item a single photo and the following text at the very end: "An estimated 50,000 Vietnamese children were fathered by US soldiers. The men returned home, leaving mothers and children behind…Some were adopted in the US, but most remain outcasts in Vietnam."
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* Informative to the point of being a little dry sometimes, in that they never really give you a sense of what being in the war would have been like. For that, the best reads are oral histories told in the words of the participants themselves. And there are a number of excellent ones out there - for WWI, try The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War; for WWII, try Voices of the Pacific: Untold Stories from the Marine Heroes of World War II; and for Vietnam, you can read either Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History or Tears Before the Rain : An Oral History of the Fall of South Vietnam. All are totally immersive and totally heartwrenching.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always a very nice informative read. Great selection of pics and a well written overview. Recommended

[Jessica Rawden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most DK eyewitness books, Vietnam War has a lot of stuff going on at once. There is mid-reading level text with a ton of pictures, all with various captions and random information. There's a lot to see and a lot to read, and the text can become overwhelming. That being said, though this is a war book, there is not a lot of detail concerning tactics, and violent pictures are not shown. I think a mature child could handle this book in fourth or fifth grade, especially if he or she was really excited about the topic. However, I think the book is more geared toward grades 6-9.

[Dan Castrigano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty balanced, except for one instance when the adverb "gallantly" was used to describe an American action. It was never used for the Vietnamese. The amount of named Vietnamese people is roughly equivalent to named American people. So that's good. The tunnels are terrifying. I learned about different types of American helicopters: Huey (all-around), Sea Cobra (attack), Chinook (cargo), and Skycrane (moving heavy equipment and weapons). And LBJ grumbled, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the war." Because it was "The Television War" and popular opinion then continued to sway to antiwar.

[Shoaib Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and comprehensive account of battles/ campaigns and events with picturesque views of Vietnam war. in short duration of time one can easily grasp this complete event of history with a book just having 72 pages. At the end of the book there is a complete review of the book covered in two pages, and having questions and answers at third page, which surely leaves no window for reader to be in ambiguity.

[Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as an entry level or pre read. Read it before you dive into a big Max Hastings Nam book

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased for grandson who is 12

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise and informative for a beginning insight to the overall history of the conflict.

[Jon the · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good and detailed.

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, "Vietnam War" is one of the books in the Eyewitness books so it is a book full of facts and information about the Vietnam War. It's not told like a story. It's just presented with different facts, lists, and information about the war, soldiers, countries, weapons, and other stuff. Reading about history, especially wars, is one of my favorite subjects. I learned a lot from this book too because it gives you information from different sides. Along with the facts that are in it there are a lot of pictures from that time that are really good and go along with the information you are reading.

Since my grandfather was in this war, I really enjoyed learning about the people who were fighting in it and even people who were against it and protested. If you are interested in learning about one the wars that America has been in, then I recommend this book especially if you like short facts and all kinds of information about everything to do with the Vietnam War. If you like that, then you will love this book!

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all factual it’s not a story. It includes lots of information and real pictures from the Vietnam War and the time period. I would say this would be a better book for older elementary students or if a teacher was to just pick out a few sections to talk about with the class. I feel that this book would help kids to understand what the war was about and how it was affecting the United States. The book has information about what was going on in Vietnam and also talks about anti-war movements and what was happening in the states.

[Dave/Maggie Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I've come to expect from DK's _Eyewitness Handbooks_ series.

The history is sketchy, and much of the information on weapons and equipment is in error. It's a good stocking-stuffer for kids, but there's little here for serious history buffs.

[Df · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very good for students because it contains a lot of solid facts about the vietnam war.The book gives facts about the soldiers and the type of weaponry and equipment they used,the enemy, and why we went.The book covers a broad variety of facts from all over the war.

[Class 501]

i am now happy that the war had stop and they carry so much stuff and the bages look so cool. Dangelo

[Acton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome because of all the stories of battles, pictures, and much, MUCH more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lee Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good photobook about the Vietnam war

[Eric Evhs Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic description on the Vietnam War. Book for minors who are interested in Vietnam War, not for research.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A seemingly balanced presentation, with outstanding pictures and graphics. Recommended.

[Rose]

959.7 Ber