Books about the Vietnam war (ideally non-fiction)

[Bumblebee7]

Hello,
I'm not much of a history buff in general, but went to Vietnam on holiday last year and came away hugely fascinated by the Vietnam war. Found it very interesting and the difference in perspective was very eye opening. I'd be very keen to read some more about it, and ideally both from a Vietnamese and American perspective. Open to recommendations, thank you!

[Bumblebee7]

Thanks everyone for the comprehensive responses! Will work my way through the list and many thanks for the recommendation to read about the origins of the war- certainly not a bad place to start!

I know the basics of worldwide history, but never been too much of a history buff. Must say that I have been fascinated by everything that went on in South East Asia though. When in Vietnam we went to the Cu Chi tunnels, visited countless museums, underground hospitals, bunkers etc. Normally I'd be bored out of my mind, but genuinely found it very interesting. That's not to even mention the psychological impact of visiting the killing fields or the genocide museum in Cambodia. Auschwitz is an eerie place but it brings it home even more that the atrocities in SE Asia were even more recent.

Thanks again for the contributions, look forward to learning more.

[Bumblebee7]

Hammerhead said:

Not a book recommendation, but a TV documentary I’d recommend highly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vietnam_War_(T...
It’s very, very long but worth it for the analysis & recall from those who were actually there, from all sides. No history ‘written by the victors’ angle, just how it was.
I expect it’s on rotation on PBS, if you can access it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I need to get on it! There's a lot to work through as it's only available until the 19th June.

[Bumblebee7]

Bumblebee7 said:

Hammerhead said:

Not a book recommendation, but a TV documentary I’d recommend highly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vietnam_War_(T...
It’s very, very long but worth it for the analysis & recall from those who were actually there, from all sides. No history ‘written by the victors’ angle, just how it was.
I expect it’s on rotation on PBS, if you can access it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I need to get on it! There's a lot to work through as it's only available until the 19th June.

I've just finished the documentary! Was quite a marathon as there's 10 episodes, each nearly 2 hours long so I had to watch one every day as it's being taken off Netflix today. Very interesting watch, there was a surprising amount of footage in general and the individual accounts were interesting. I'd like to know a bit more about the tunnel warfare too, as although touched upon the documentary didn't go into any great detail.

Thanks for the book recommendations, as soon as I finish what I'm reading now I'll start working my way through the list. Only downside of this is making me want to go on another trip to Vietnam! Must resist as there's so many other amazing places to see too!