Vietnam's American War: A History

Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations

by Pierre Asselin

Communist forces in the Vietnam War lost most battles and suffered disproportionally higher casualties than the United States and its allies throughout the conflict. The ground war in South Vietnam and the air war in the North were certainly important in shaping the fates of the victors and losers, but they alone fail to explain why Hanoi bested Washington in the end. To make sense of the Vietnam War, we must look beyond the war itself. In his new work, Pierre Asselin explains the formative experiences and worldview of the men who devised communist strategies and tactics during the conflict, and analyzes their rationale and impact. Drawing on two decades of research in Vietnam's own archives, including classified policy statements and reports, Asselin expertly and straightforwardly relates the Vietnamese communist experience - and the reasons the war turned out the way it did.

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, International Relations, Asia, Military Fiction

306 pages, Hardcover

First published January 11, 2018

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective.

[Aaron Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opener for sure. This book tells the story of the Vietnam War from completely different points of view than the average American (that’s me) is used to. I had it for a paper I needed to write and ended up getting immersed and finished it. Always great to see something explained from other viewpoints!

[Jeff Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, very well written, and deeply researched book on not only the Vietnamese-American war but also the Indochina war with France. Should really be required reading for any students of this period/ topic. The author really doesn’t get into questions of whether we should’ve been there at all — we being Americans. It’s not that kind of book. The book is about documenting both wars from the Vietnamese perspective. And it’s hard for me to imagine anyone else doing a better job of this. So why only four stars? The author certainly fulfilled his intention so based on that I should’ve given the book five stars. But I really wanted more of an analysis of the American and French side of things as well but again that’s not this book. How about 4 1/2 stars?

[Piker7977 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid overview of Vietnam's war against the United States and her role in the larger cold war world between 1945 and 1979. I'm not sure if Asselin is considered a "revisionist" historian as his study tears down many of the myths and stereotypes surrounding this conflict. To me, a more accurate description of his approach would be honest, and at times blunt. Some of this comes from providing a different perspective on the events, but that is more than welcome in the historiography of Vietnam's war against the U.S.

A strong historical analysis.

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was never the biggest fan of military history and foreign policy before I took this class. I thought this book was well laid out, written in a way that non-historians can understand and mentions more than just one part of the war. I would recommend this to anybody who wants to learn more about a 30 year period of modern history that was so devastating and destructive, and want to know how wars can be somewhat of a proxy between major powers wanting to make a point.

4.5/5

[Alan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another look at the war from a slightly different perspective. From the standpoint of the Vietnam Wars (multiple), this book reinforces some conclusions reached when I studied the war in greater depth in a seminar class in college as a history major upon my return from southeast Asia in 1974 following service with Air Force.

[raceasin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the book for class but genuinely enjoyed it! Very informative. Looked at the Vietnam War from the perspective of North (mostly) and South Vietnam rather than the U.S.

Liked how rather than just focusing on military battles, the book also focuses on the politics/diplomatic scuffles and Vietnamese culture and society.

[Edward L.]

1035- 16

[Lydia Scheel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-paced and compelling writing.

[Angie Coldeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asselin manages to provide a remarkable glimpse of the North Vietnamese & Viet Cong’s perspectives of the war! (not just American perspective like we’re always taught)