Internet Resources
- Viet CongVietnamese military and political organization information from Britannica.
- Viet Cong FightersAt the start of 1967, some 280,000 Viet Cong opposed 385,000 Americans, and in the previous year more than ten times as many Viet Cong had died. Almost always outgunned and without effective air or artillery support, the Viet Cong relied on their knowledge of local terrain and the element of surprise, with often deadly results.
- Who Were the Viet Cong and How Did They Affect the War?The Viet Cong were South Vietnamese supporters of the communist National Liberation Front in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the American War). They were allied with North Vietnam and the troops of Ho Chi Minh, who sought to conquer the south and create a unified, communist state of Vietnam.
Streaming Media
- Things Fall ApartOn the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch attacks on cities and military bases throughout the South, suffering devastating losses but casting doubt on Johnson’s promise that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.”
- Viet Cong (Declassified)Piecing together recently disclosed stories from allied and enemy sources, this program analyzes why U.S. commanders in Vietnam made the mistake of fighting the Battle of Hamburger Hill as they had fought the battles of World War II. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes) Distributed by A&E Television Networks.
Perspectives
'Vietnam'
The American experience during the Vietnam conflict is universally known: the brutalisation of the US fighting men, the drug abuse, and the trauma. Even today the very word 'Vietnam' is too often interpreted as referring to this conflict (and specifically the American perception of it) rather than to the country and its people. The view from the other side-- the Vietcong and North Vietnamese-- has been virtually ignored. In this remarkable piece of twentieth-century oral history-- now available in paperback for the first time-- the story emerges of the ordinary people of both North and South Vietnam, of the Vietcong guerrilla fighters and terrorists, North Vietnamese soldiers and cadres, monks, opposition leaders, propaganda chiefs and village secretaries. Constructed as a series of interviews, this book provides an account of dedication and heroism at all levels, and also of the brutality and trauma faced by a people in the grip of revolution and a terrifying war. Those featured in the book describe aspects of the war: the murderous trek down the Ho Chi Minh trail, the self-immolation of Buddhist monks, the methods of Vietcong assassination teams and life under attack from American bombs and napalm. Taken as a whole, the accounts provide a rare insight into the thinking of the 'other side.'