Vietnam

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.

18 of 18 people found this review helpful

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.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

'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 of 8 people found this review helpful

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 of 8 people found this review helpful

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 of 6 people found this review helpful

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 of 6 people found this review helpful

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 of 4 people found this review helpful

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 of 3 people found this review helpful

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 of 3 people found this review helpful

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 of 2 people found this review helpful