TOPIC: The Vietnam War

I don't know if anyone saw The Vietnam War on the History Channel last night, I have seen a few different ones but I have to say I learnt a lot about the lead up to the war in this one. Very informative! Some footage I haven't seen before too. Was the first episode last night . If you are in any way interested in this conflict I think is worth a look!

Is this the Ken Burns documentary? I'm watching that on Netflix at the moment. It's excellent, especially having all sides represented and the politics and history explained.

I thought it was well done too. Good coverage from the Viet Minh side and the film footage, a lot of which was new was well placed, unlike others when the film used is clearly out of place with the commentary.
Perhaps a separate episode on Dien Bin Phu to follow?
Not sure though that the pronunciation of Giap was right though nor did they include that the Viet Minh guns used at DBP were Us captured by the Chinese in the Korean war.

Seen the series too.. very well done.. good to see VietMinh footage and Dien Bien Phu footage too..

A friend of mine pointed me towards this:

dangerclosemovie.com/

I'm watching this again on Netflix. Episodes are a bit longer than the Ondemand episodes.
Best doco I have seen in ages.

Yes Netflix version much better includes more from NVA & VC vets

Not watched much but did the programme cover the action of General Loan when he shot the VM prisoner?

olive drab wrote: Not watched much but did the programme cover the action of General Loan when he shot the VM prisoner?

Yeah, also an interview with Burns here: www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/...m_term=.b812406b50d5

Thanks Grant this clip goes someway into the background filmed by an Australian film journalist the same one who filmed the NVA entering Saigon at the fall of the south, warning that this clip could upset some people.

I'll forward the Burns article to my top year 12 history student who is doing an assignment on the impact of the media on Vietnam war.

Makes you wonder.. how, in modern times.. stuff like this would be viewed.....

Very moving clip, I read about the murders that lead to this execution....

Be interesting to see the reaction I get from my students next week.

Just caught the episode of the Vietnam war it was interesting that even now we see the shooting by Loan of the prisoner but no back ground to Loan's actions. It does focus on the TV coverage, the defeat of the Viet Cong and the NVA was massive but unlike the German defeat in the Ardennes which was just as crippling the TV coverage painted a completely wrong picture, even creating fake news when it came to the events in the US embassy and it was shown live in the US.

I just finished watching the series on Netflix. Great series, learn a lot of things I didn't know myself. I even made me ask questions to my Father who served with the USMC during this time but was lucky enough to be stationed in Rome during the conflict.

Looking for more, I came across this interview with Hal Moore, if you have 2 hours to listen to it it's really worth it. He talks about the battle and how everything he did was on his gut and the mistakes that happened etc.. really worth it.

www.c-span.org/video/?301573-1/harold-mo...ory-interview-part-1
www.c-span.org/video/?301573-2/harold-mo...ory-interview-part-2

There are other interviews on this page with Ed Too Tall Freeman etc... But I haven't listened to them as of yet.

Thanks for the info I'll play the two links over the weekend as background while doing a model. The film "We Were Soldiers" is based on the battle described.