The Vietnam War: An Illustrated Guide to the Conflict's History

Josh Grill: It has all the information I learned in school and more. Including facts about the war I didn't know about.

United States on Sep 03, 2023

Damian G. Karlo: With a name boasting of being a definitive history, from an institution as prestigious as the Smithsonian, no less, I was expecting a well-researched and thoroughly written "tome" on the war in S.E. Asia. Instead, this is more of a beginner's primer on the conflict. The book mainly consists of photographs of the Institution's Vietnam displays with text (I suspect) that was copied from the placards associated with each display. Very disappointing..

United States on Jul 04, 2023

Hande Z: This was one of the most terrible wars. Chemical warfare and massive bombings as well as all sorts of conduct not just against enemies, but also among the people on the same side - by both sides. The photographs are impressive and the stories largely accurate. The slight slant in nuance seems to be to avoid blaming the US for the war. It also avoided direct admission of defeat. In that sense, the book's shortcoming is this slight lack of objectivity.

United States on May 07, 2023

Cutie: great info, great pics, glad I bought my son was very happy with it

United States on Feb 15, 2023

Looper: Filled with many details one would not know. A great reference catalogue . I recommend this book for its details. There is no one story but many stories or situations that manifest. One should read it.

Canada on Jul 11, 2022

Matt: Peccato non esistano libro del genere in lingua italiana un vero peccato

Italy on Jun 11, 2022

Mr.: Awesome and amazing book about this war. A must have for your collection.

Canada on Jun 09, 2022

Morgan: Sehr gute Fotos Informationen

Germany on Jul 11, 2021

Alan: Reasing this book has been a milestone for me because I always hated reading, couldn't even get through a 90 page-short book but after reading this book I realised the way stuff is written that makes all the difference.
This book will give you a full background of the Vietnam war, explain every possible detail of the war itself and even a brief account of the subsequent years up until the 21st century for both the American veterans and Vietnam (and the rest of Indochina).
The book is also very rich in images, documents and personal stories, which definitely helped a millennial (quite a depressing term) like me to understand quite well how things were back in the day.

United Kingdom on Jan 01, 2020

Larry: I was only 11 when the cease fire ending the Vietnam War took effect, but I will never forget the eerie quiet -- except for some firecrackers popping in the distance -- that pervaded my neighborhood that night. The war was always a backdrop in my childhood, but for some reason I expected a celebration that the thing was finally over.

Even as I grew older, I never really understood what happened -- or, more important, why.

Within just a few chapters, this book gave me the context to start to understand. It uses straightforward, clear and nonjudgmental reportorial writing augmented by awesome photos, graphics and maps to explain how this regional conflict escalated into the infamous quagmire it became. It is broken down into logical and easily digestible segments that touch on all phases of the war -- military, political and social -- from all sides. The writing is crisp and clear, making a very confusing subject flow with ease. I highly recommend this book.

United States on Jul 16, 2017