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Vietnam
- The Australian War
- Narrated by: Peter Byrne
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Americas
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Summary
Seen as the last 'hot' frontline of the Cold War, the 10 year struggle in the rice paddies and jungles of South Vietnam unleashed the most devastating firepower on the Vietnamese nation and visited terrible harm on civilians and soldiers. Yet the Australian forces applied tactics that were very different from those of the Americans. Guided by their commanders' experience of jungle combat, Australian troops operated with stealth, deception and restraint in pursuing a 'better war'.
Drawing on hundreds of accounts by soldiers, politicians, aid workers, entertainers and the Vietnamese people, Paul Ham reconstructs for the first time the full history of our longest military campaign. From the commitment to engage, through the fight over conscription and the rise of the anti - war movement, to the tactics and horror of the battlefi eld, Ham exhumes the truth about this politicians' war - which sealed the fate of 50,000 Australian servicemen and women.
More than 500 soldiers were killed and thousands wounded. Those who made it home returned to a hostile and ignorant country and a reception that scarred them forever. This is their story.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 07-04-13
Highly recommended
This book covers the Vietnam War from the Australian and New Zealand point of view. Not scared of the controversial issues, it covers the background to the war, the stories of the diggers themselves, and looks at the aftermath. It benefits enormously from having an Australian narrator, and Peter Byrne does a fantastic job. The description of the terrifying battle at Long Tan is worth the cost on its own and once finished, left me with enormous respect for the ANZACs and their approach to soldiering. Highly recommended.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- andy
- 23-11-09
AUSTRALIAN WAR
Have listened to this book and found it to be the most informative ive heard both in terms of the military and political information it reveals. Very well written by Paul Ham, and narrated by Peter Byrne. For anyone intrested in this conflict, this book is a must.
Andy, Ireland.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- w
- 08-07-14
Enthralling
Having listened to the Kakadu Trail,by this author,i expected and realized another full account of the war in vietnam.
Listen to it.You will not be disappointed.Excellent story
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Roger
- 09-02-12
Very good
Good, well researched book free of the left wing blinkers that lots of authors seem to put on when they write about Vietnam. I kept thinking I'd heard the last chapter, but there was more and more additional information.
Very well narrated. Narrator has a pleasing Aussie accent, and good delivery that makes the occasional humourous sentences even funnier.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Christopher
- 30-11-10
What can I say, awesome book
Thoroughly enjoyed this audio book and was very well narrated and very informative. Anyone with an interest in the Vietnam Conflict, definitely worth a listen :0)
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-11-19
very good
very informative and a real eye opener on a subject I knew hardly anything about
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- paul hadfeild
- 01-05-18
Very informative overview
I would have liked a bit less all about the politics and politicians and a bit more about the troops and the equipment they used but it was a good read.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-10-21
Through and balanced telling of not often well taught war
Very little of Australia’s story gets told in memory of Vietnam and this book does an amazing job of filling in a lot of the blanks and telling the experiences of the soldiers. There are a lot of instances of bad faith criticisms and a lot of red washing people involved in the anti war movement but is understandable for telling the soldiers story. Also had to cringe a bit when the reader did a Vietnamese accent. But over all is a brilliant telling.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Thj Williamson
- 18-06-19
not good at all
I find the history of the war in Vietnam interesting
but when the narrator puts on a condescending
tone with a Vietnamese accent realy bad
if not even racist . I got about 1/2 way through
and called it a day. but I flicked through the latter chapters to see if got any better but alas no
so it's good night from me and goodnight from him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Alan T Alcock
- 21-04-09
Fascinating detailed account
Anyone interested in Vietnam, the good, bad & ugly should listen to this Australian perspective. If it has a fault it lies in that not a lot of attention is given to the Air Force & Navy roles in this conflict, but the detail on the Army role is exceptional. There are passages that will make you both laugh and cry but most importantly will give you a birds eye view of the Australian Forces role in this conflict. Well worth the listen.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 03-10-09
Brilliant and Entertaining
This is a fascinating book. Certainly it is a book about the Australian Army's war, but it also details the context of Australia's decision to become involved. The book covers the background in Australia including; domestic politics, conscription, the peace movement, families of service personnel, the media, etc. There is a relatively balanced discussion of the the North Vietnamese perspective and and their attitudes to Australia's involvement. The book covers, all of the significant actions, the use of weapons such as napalm, cluster bombs, tanks, and chemical defoliants. There is an excellent chapter on the impact of the service personal and the Vietnamese themselves of these and other chemicals. Overall it is a fascinating book. Some of the stories anger you, frustrate you and others make you laugh. The narration is fantastic. Peter Byrne offers listeners dead-pan statements, lively characterisations and emotive oration all when appropriate. Even thought the material is occasionally dry, the treatment given by both the text and narration make this easy to listen to from start to finish. If you want a book about battles only, you will be skipping forward often. however if you want to know about the war from the perspective of individual soldiers, civilians, prostitutes, politicians, children, etc, you will get a lot out of this book. I recommend it to anyone who lived military history, Australian history or just loves a well written, non-fiction essay about people who's experiences are as amazing as they are so very human.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anniebligh
- 03-02-11
'It could hardly get worse"
This is the Australian experience of Vietnam.
The times, the events, the politics, the personalities, the news items, the photographs, the distress are all familiar to me.
It is said that history is written by the powerful .
Paul Ham does capture a time and does describe the time by direct reference to many who experienced the events of the period and the war. It is especially for that reason I give this 5 stars.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 19-05-10
Vietnam: The Australian War (Unabridged)
I thought I knew a lot about Vietnam because two of my brothers were there. But this audio book opened my eyes to more!
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven
- 16-04-12
The truth FINALLY!!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutley because it is a truthful, telling account of the Australian side of the story and not that of America.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Many, too many to mention.
Any additional comments?
This book made me sad, and ashamed at times. Sad for the pain and loss of war. Ashamed because of the way our political leaders failed our service men and woman. Ashamed of the protestors and those who abused our diggers calling them baby murderers and rapists, but most of all it made me PROUD of our soldiers, sailors and airmen.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Daniel
- 11-08-10
Detailed
This book has it all about the Aussie in Nam, if you thought u knew about our diggers in Nam then read this for a surprise.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JMC
- 23-03-13
Very Enlightening
If you could sum up Vietnam in three words, what would they be?
Thorough, compelling and engrossing.
What did you like best about this story?
It broke down a lot of preconceptions. Surprised with who I thought were the heroes of the era were not.
What does Peter Byrne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He helped bring the characters to life.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
The government’s involvement, labour and liberal.
Any additional comments?
The American and Australian involvement is generally tarnished by the same preconceptions in the eyes of the public. This book draws distinctions between the operations and behaviour of the Australian troops and American troops.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eleanor
- 15-01-13
Looks Dull but is a truly Riveting Read.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Definately. It is a fascinating account of a very controversial war, looked at from many perspectives, including the North Vietnamese, the Viet Cong, the US and Australian-New Zealanders, the anti war movements, the draft dodgers, and mainly, and very painfully, the soldiers of both sides and the Vietnamese civilians.
I felt that all of the apsects were dealt with thoroughly and in an intensely interesting manner.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The descriptions of the suffering of the civilians, the soldiers, the soldiers families, the boat people, the draft dodgers. The brutal ugliness of the regime which was being defended (the south) and the brutal ugliness of the northern invaders. The lies which we were fed by our politicians, generals, and the communists.
The deliberate treatment by the northern communists of their own Viet Cong soldiers, as cannon fodder, and their disappearance from communist history, was a revelation
The entire book book was compelling. I listened to it day and night, the entire 30 or 40 hours, in 4 days.
Of all of the books about history and war which I have read and listened to (many, in all periods of history, and every continent), this is the most complete and comprehensive decription of the many causes and effects of war. It should be compulsory reading in Australian and New Zealand schools. Americans should read it to see how their friends saw their actions.
What does Peter Byrne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His American and Vietnamese accents are pretty funny, but despite that, it does help to put the quotes into perspective.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me very sad. It also stimulates me to read more about Afghanistan, just in case we are not learning the lessons of history and are repeating similar mistakes there.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- O'Brien
- 16-04-12
A really good story, well read
Would you consider the audio edition of Vietnam to be better than the print version?
For me yes. I have difficulty reading full novels as I am usually too tired. Listening to Audiobooks in my car takes the monotony out of driving.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
Peter has great voice control and makes the story flow.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene was the the battle of Long Tan
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Richard Adler
- 13-11-12
Excellent portrayal of war conflict.
What did you love best about Vietnam?
Unbiased and insightful recollection of events and opinion surrounding Vietnam war and its participants - including the in depth historical backgrounding.
2 people found this helpful
