I have just finished watching The Vietnam War on Netflix, which unfortunately has been taken off the steaming service. It is a 10-part documentary recalling accounts of people on all sides of the war, from the National Liberation Front, to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, American conscientious objectors to civilian daughters and sons of officials. It is brilliantly produced and paced, taking time to explore each aspect of the war in depth, based on personal accounts and stories of people whose lives were changed drastically by the war. Produced by Americans, it is biased towards exploring the feelings of primarily Americans, including detailed and insightful accounts into American society, and the anti-war movement in the 60s and 70s. If it were produced by the Vietnamese, there are no doubts there would be enough material to make 50 documentaries, as the war undisputedly had a far greater impact on Vietnam, touching the lives of every citizen and ripping the country in half.
The documentary starts by contextualising the turbulent past of Vietnam from 1858 to 1961, exploring the career of Ho Chi Minh and his struggles for Vietnamese independence against the French, Japanese, and later the United States. It is hard not to feel anger at the American involvement in Vietnam, who assumed financial and military support after the (US backed and funded) French were defeated in the First Indochina War in 1954. Whichever way it has been spun in the history books, it was cold war paranoia fixated on the spread of communism that brought them there, and an unwavering sense of American arrogance and invulnerability. American presidents, one after another; Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford, were each more dangerously out-of-touch than the last, resulting in further complications and ultimately, deeper involvement in Vietnam. They placed American pride and international image above moral decision-making and the Vietnamese (on both sides), and American citizens paid the price. In 1965, Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara’s closest advisor John McNaughton wrote that the US aims were:
1. 70% - To avoid a humiliating US defeat (to our reputation as a guarantor).
2. 20% - To keep South Vietnam territory from Chinese hands.
3. 10% - To permit the people of South Vietnam to enjoy a better, freer way of life.
The Vietnam War explores in detail the chilling accounts of POWs, veterans and devastated families at all the major battles, bombing campaigns and events in the war including Ap Bac, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, La Drang, Con Thien, Dak To, Khe Sanh, the Tết offensive and the massacre at Huế. It is easy to feel overwhelmed at the sheer complexity and scale of the war, especially without prior understanding of the history of Vietnam and international relations, but the documentary does an excellent job at breaking down and highlighting key events in a concise manor.
There were always those who objected the war, who in the beginning were a minority. But towards the late 60s and early 70s, the war was increasingly hard to justify to many Americans. As a part of the counterculture, anti-war demonstrations and protests exploded across all states in major cities across the U.S. The protesters saw no reason why Americans should be there, and did not buy into the fear-mongering anti-communist Red vs Blue rhetoric. The movement of Opposition to US involvement in Vietnam grew, ultimately forcing the US presidents to end military involvement, or forfeit their approval rating and hopes of re-election.
As of 2013, the U.S. government is paying Vietnam veterans and their families or survivors more than $22 billion a year in war-related claims. Like many historical spectacles, The Vietnam War is one shrouded in lies, corruption and self-serving intentions. This is what happens when the people in charge of governments care more about the perception of their values than their values. The lesson is highly relevant today, and the cost must never be forgotten.
Further reading –
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-timeline
Although taken off Netflix, The Vietnam War can be found online:
https://watchdocumentaries.com/the-vietnam-war/
I highly recommend you watch it.