TV series
The Vietnam War
Overview
An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
Details
- First air date
- 2017-09-17
- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 10 episodes
- Genres
- Documentary, War & Politics
- Network
- PBS
- Production
- Florentine Films, WETA
- Country
- US
- Original language
- EN
Cast
- Peter Coyote as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Max Cleland as Self
- Hồ Chí Minh as Self - Politician (archive footage)
- Karl Marlantes as Self - Marines (1969)
- Bao Ninh as Self - N. Vietnamese Army
- Tran Ngoc Toan as Self - S. Vietnamese Marines
- Lam Quang Thi as Self - S. Vietnamese Army
- John Musgrave as Self - Marines (1967)
- Duong Van Mai as Self - Hanoi
- Mike Heaney as Self - Army (1966)
- Donald Gregg as Self - CIA
- Bui Diem as Self - S. Vietnamese Diplomat
Creators and crew
- Ken Burns - Executive Producer
- Ken Burns - Producer
- Lynn Novick - Producer
- Sarah Botstein - Producer
- Lynn Novick - Director
- Ken Burns - Director
Episodes
Episode 1: Déjà Vu (1858-1961)
After a century of French occupation, Vietnam emerges independent but divided into North and South.
Episode 2: Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)
As a communist insurgency gains strength, JFK wrestles with American involvement in South Vietnam.
Episode 3: The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965)
With South Vietnam near collapse, LBJ begins bombing the North and sends US troops to the South.
Episode 4: Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)
US soldiers discover Vietnam is unlike their fathers’ war, while the antiwar movement grows.
Episode 5: This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967)
President Johnson escalates the war while promising the public that victory is in sight.
Episode 6: Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
Shaken by the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, America seems to be coming apart.
Episode 7: The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)
After chaos roils the Democratic Convention, Nixon, promising peace, narrowly wins the presidency.
Episode 8: The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)
Nixon withdraws troops but when he sends forces into Cambodia the antiwar movement reignites.
Episode 9: A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973)
South Vietnam fights on its own as Nixon and Kissinger find a way out for America. The POWs return.
Episode 10: The Weight of Memory (March 1973-Onward)
Saigon falls and the war ends. Americans and Vietnamese from all sides search for reconciliation.
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