Vietnam

An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975

By: Max Hastings

Narrated by: Max Hastings, Peter Noble

An absorbing and definitive modern history of the Vietnam War from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Secret War.

Vietnam became the Western world’s most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for France in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the United States in 1975. Max Hastings has spent the past three years interviewing scores of participants on both sides, as well as researching a multitude of American and Vietnamese documents and memoirs, to create an epic narrative of an epic struggle. He portrays the set pieces of Dienbienphu, the 1968 Tet offensive, the air blitz of North Vietnam, and also much less familiar miniatures such as the bloodbath at Daido, where a US Marine battalion was almost wiped out, together with extraordinary recollections of Ho Chi Minh’s warriors. Here are the vivid realities of strife amid jungle and paddies that killed two million people.

Many writers treat the war as a US tragedy, yet Hastings sees it as overwhelmingly that of the Vietnamese people, of whom forty died for every American. US blunders and atrocities were matched by those committed by their enemies. While all the world has seen the image of a screaming, naked girl seared by napalm, it forgets countless eviscerations, beheadings, and murders carried out by the communists. The people of both former Vietnams paid a bitter price for the Northerners’ victory in privation and oppression. Here is testimony from Vietcong guerrillas, Southern paratroopers, Saigon bargirls, and Hanoi students alongside that of infantrymen from South Dakota, Marines from North Carolina, and Huey pilots from Arkansas.

No past volume has blended a political and military narrative of the entire conflict with heart-stopping personal experiences, in the fashion that Max Hastings’ readers know so well. The author suggests that neither side deserved to win this struggle with so many lessons for the twenty-first century about the misuse of military might to confront intractable political and cultural challenges. He marshals testimony from warlords and peasants, statesmen and soldiers, to create an extraordinary record.

A Wonderful Book

I put the Viet Nam War behind me years ago, and now in my older years wanted to re-examine this part of our history that was central to my life and our nation's life. The book makes for painful reading; the stupidity, the deception, and the destruction displayed by all sides are almost Shakespearean. Yet, it helps put America's role in the war in a perspective that seems balanced, comprehensive, and more than instructive. Magnificent writing. A great balance between big picture and accounts of individual participants--on all sides. And a terrific reader. It was prefect for me as a thoughtful overview of the tragedy. I don't see how he could have written a better book.

Very Thorough Book About Vietnam

Excellent book starting at the end of WWII like it should to explain the Vietnam disaster. I didn't realize Vichy France and Japan played a role in the start of the three decade disaster of Vietnam. I did know Ho Chi Minh visited US Diplomats in WWII and was essentially ignored. It is unbelievable what went on in Vietnam for 10 years. Hopefully, Americans are studying books like this to understand what war really is and what the real results are. Excellent book to really understand this war.

very thorough though authors prejudice show through at times.

it is a spanning and comprehensive account of the war and it's various parties, it really is an excellent work. But...

At times the authors particular prejudices or blind spots come through in odd ways that miss obvious context. For example in a section on the deterioration of the US armed forces, he highlights racial strife and that was an obvious issue. But specifically 'blames' it on the Black Power movement, ignoring the whole ongoing civil rights movement and the violent opposition to it. And then half heartedly adds some 'obviously there were racist whites too'.


I've had similar issues with some of the authors other works and its always stuff tangental to the main discussion(The Irish not joining Britain in WWII for 'some' reason). But it always lands with a clang in the middle of a chapter.

Max hastings absolute thoroughness

Loved it! It flew by, sad it’s over. Will be listening to more by Max

Historical accuracy.

Such a sad, sad story, for both Vietnam and the USA. Revealed many aspects of Vietnam that I war not aware of.