Vietnam's American War
A History

A survey of the Vietnamese communist experience during the Vietnam War (1954–75) with a focus on high-level decision-making and military planning.

Pierre Asselin (Author)

9781107510500, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 January 2018

316 pages, 10 b/w illus. 5 maps
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.49 kg

'This is an excellent book that provides readers with a sense of the war from the perspective of Hanoi, with greater clarity and in a more accessible format than any other book. Asselin's account of Party politics and policy-making in Hanoi leading up to and during the war is the real strength of this book. Here his research competence and analytical ability are displayed with full force. I recently used this book with undergraduate students; they found the book to be readable, interesting, and enlightening.' K. W. Taylor, H-Diplo

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.

Introduction: why Vietnam matters
1. From Dai Viet to the August Revolution
2. French War, 1945–54
3. Interwar period, 1954–65
4. American war, 1965–68
5. American war, 1968–73
6. Civil war, 1973–75
Epilogue. Legacies
Annotated bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Military history: post WW2 conflicts [HBWS], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Asian history [HBJF]