The best documentary on the Vietnam war...

[17poundr]

What is in your oppinion the best documentary on the Vietnam war?
I myself, have seen half a dozen short ones (one hour to 90min usually), and before my favourite two long ones (multi hour jobs, one was called 'Vietnam the ten thousand day war', I seem to remember, I still have both in VHS somewhere).

But I got myself a christmas present of a long series of a documentary, on the basis of seeing just one part of it on Discovery channel about three years ago, it's called: BATTLEFIELD. Series three: Vietnam. The complete history of Vietnam's key battles.

And it delivers. It gives nicely diagrammed analysis of the key battles, from Dien Bien Phu, to the US operations in 67, to Rolling Thunder, to the Planning of TET and Khe San, to the Execution of them, and through Vietnamisation, and the Canmbodjia operations to the 72 failed NVA offencive, to Linebacker and through to the 75 final attack of the North...

I truly must say that after about seven documentaries, and two large books, one good mid sized one (the one called 'We were warriors', about LZ-XRay). To about four small books about small unit actions in the Marine held areas, and LRP's in the A'shau ect...

This is the most satifying and informative 'all in one' info packet that I have come across...

I fully recommend it (it can be ordered through amazon.co.uk at least)...

Please give any other pointers to anything that you think would be on par, or better to this one!

I chose to put a documentary before a book because in Vietnam we got the chanche to have a visual record of the fighting, that will perhaps never be attainable again... I have incuded a fiew pic's from the documentary's last episode, just to wet your appetites... I'm shure that the makers of the documentary wouldnt mind, as I am of the oppinion that it's a great doc'o!!!

Mr Poundr.

72 offencive, part of the planning...


US troops leaving to home...


Op Linebacker diagram.


NVA amassing for attack...


South Vietnamese fighting back..


North Vietnamese offencive 75

Stuff like this, but spanning 6 dvds and 12 episodes! And they are quality inspite of being about 90min long per episode!

[Boonierat]

I've posted a few episodes of Battlefield Vietnam already, here or at Skoblin's Place. They are pretty good compared to most and they tried to use as much actual footage of the event depicted as they could, instead of using the same old stock footage over again. Still for me, the best doc ever on Vietnam is Pierre Schoendoerffer's The Anderson Platoon filmed in 1966 and following a platoon from the 1st Cavalry Division on operations THAYER and IRVING:

[KEN JENSEN]

good video boonie

ken
do no harm

[medevac]

[QUOTE=17poundr;1100462]What is in your oppinion the best documentary on the Vietnam war?
I myself, have seen half a dozen short ones (one hour to 90min usually), and before my favourite two long ones (multi hour jobs, one was called 'Vietnam the ten thousand day war', I seem to remember, I still have both in VHS somewhere).

But I got myself a christmas present of a long series of a documentary, on the basis of seeing just one part of it on Discovery channel about three years ago, it's called: BATTLEFIELD. Series three: Vietnam. The complete history of Vietnam's key battles.

And it delivers. It gives nicely diagrammed analysis of the key battles, from Dien Bien Phu, to the US operations in 67, to Rolling Thunder, to the Planning of TET and Khe San, to the Execution of them, and through Vietnamisation, and the Canmbodjia operations to the 72 failed NVA offencive, to Linebacker and through to the 75 final attack of the North...

I truly must say that after about seven documentaries, and two large books, one good mid sized one (the one called 'We were warriors', about LZ-XRay). To about four small books about small unit actions in the Marine held areas, and LRP's in the A'shau ect...

This is the most satifying and informative 'all in one' info packet that I have come across...

I fully recommend it (it can be ordered through amazon.co.uk at least)...

Please give any other pointers to anything that you think would be on par, or better to this one!

I chose to put a documentary before a book because in Vietnam we got the chanche to have a visual record of the fighting, that will perhaps never be attainable again... I have incuded a fiew pic's from the documentary's last episode, just to wet your appetites... I'm shure that the makers of the documentary wouldnt mind, as I am of the oppinion that it's a great doc'o!!!

Mr Poundr.

72 offencive, part of the planning...


I almost died in this one.

[LRB]

'Best' is very subjective.

I have Walter Cronkite's series on Vietnam, and while some don't like his slant on the war, you have to hear the war through the people that were actually there and then understand that the possible bias is part of the experience. If you eliminate the historical conditions from the experience, you miss part of the experience.

Then there was the series The Ten Thousand Day War Hosted by I think the name is Michael Maclear. Also worth watching.

I have a series likely less well known called Vietnam Combat which spans 7 dvds and covers the war in a series of logical topics.

I have a series I think might be known to some called Vietnam A Television History on 4 dvds.

[DeltaOne]

Medevac - Thanks for the name of that documentary. I think it is one that I saw a bit of but never got the name.
I received as a gift once the Times Magazine three part CD coverage of the Vietnam War. The footage was good but that old wind bag Cronkite was on it.

[medevac]

Originally Posted by DeltaOne

Medevac - Thanks for the name of that documentary. I think it is one that I saw a bit of but never got the name.
I received as a gift once the Times Magazine three part CD coverage of the Vietnam War. The footage was good but that old wind bag Cronkite was on it.

Actually it was 17poundr that gave the name of the documentary, not me. Have to give credit where it is due.

[EliteSoldier]

the best vietnam war documentary i ever saw was :
face of war ,97 days with the marines company .

[Hufflepuff44]

A pretty good one was "Vietnam: a television history." It was more a series of Docs, being a TV series, but a good, unbiased show nonetheless. It has some pretty incredible footage too.

[DeltaOne]

Originally Posted by EliteSoldier

the best vietnam war documentary i ever saw was :
face of war ,97 days with the marines company .

Never have seen it. When and where did you find/watch it? How old is it?

[EliteSoldier]

@ delta one

( face of war ,97 days with the marines company )

i bought on :
www.militaryvideo.com

that documentary is amazing jesus
really combat footage 5 stars

[Lordofwar]

The PBS documentary vietnam war: A Televison history is pretty good, although it is somewhat pro-vietnam but what do you expect from PBS

[Sgt Thorburne]

Best Doc? Good question. I've seen em all. from "In the year of the pig" to "Battlefield: Vietnam". IMO, the best doc is Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War.

Funny I should stumble upon this thread because I re-bought that DVD recently from vietnam10k.com . I hadn't seen it since the late 80s.

Vietnam: A television history is a distant second though.

[Yankee]

speaking of Battelfeild Vietnam . The one about Dien Bien Phu and Khe Sanh were informative at best .

[sleepyworm]

I do enjoy the documentary : "Vietnam - The 10000 days war". It´s all about the First and Second Indochina-War" in which the US was deeply involved.