South Vietnamese Soldiers: Memories of the Vietnam War and After: Memories of the Vietnam War and After

by Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen

Overview

South Vietnam lost more than a quarter of a million soldiers in the Vietnam War, yet the histories of these men—and women—are largely absent from the vast historiography of the conflict. By focusing on oral histories related by 40 veterans from the former Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, this book breaks new ground, shedding light on an essentially unexplored aspect of the war and giving voice to those who have been voiceless.

The experiences of these former soldiers are examined through detailed firsthand accounts that feature two generations and all branches of the service, including the Women's Armed Forces Corps. Readers will gain insight into the soldiers' early lives, their military service, combat experiences, and friendships forged in wartime. They will also see how life became worse for most in the aftermath of the war as they experienced internment in communist prison camps, discrimination against their families on political grounds, and the dangers inherent in escaping Vietnam, whether by sea or land. Finally, readers will learn how veterans who saw no choice but to leave their homeland succeeded in rebuilding their lives in new countries and cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440832420
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/21/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	289
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen, PhD, is associate professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the National Centre for Australian Studies at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

What People are Saying About This

Jeffrey Grey

"In a powerful and eloquent book, Nguyen rewrites the South Vietnamese back into their own history and gives them back their voices. This is an important and overdue treatment of the missing dimension of the Vietnam War. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with surviving veterans of the Republic of Vietnam's military, Nguyen restores a critical perspective to the study of the war and offers additional dimensions to our understanding. This often deeply moving study should be read by everyone with an interest in the subject."

Peter Edwards

"Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen has made a major contribution not only to the history of the Vietnam War but also to the history of wars and their aftermath. South Vietnamese Soldiers is both a scholarly and an emotive account of those who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam. Based on extensive interviews with former service personnel, the book recovers an important dimension of the war, too often distorted or completely overlooked in the extensive literature on the war."