The Weight of Memory (Explicit Language Version)
While the Watergate scandal rivets Americans’ attention and forces President Nixon to resign, the Vietnamese continue to savage one another in a brutal civil war. When hundreds of thousands of North Vietnamese troops pour into the south, Saigon descends rapidly into chaos and collapses. For the next 40 years, Americans and Vietnamese from all sides search for healing and reconciliation.
Episodes
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Things Fall Apart (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E26 - 1h 28m
On the eve of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on Johnson’s promise that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” The president decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest.
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Things Fall Apart (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E16 - 1h 27m
On the eve of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on Johnson’s promise that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” The president decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest.
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Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
S1 E6 - 1h 27m
On the eve of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on Johnson’s promise that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” The president decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest.
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This Is What We Do (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E25 - 1h 28m
American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the central highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson Administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight.
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This Is What We Do (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E15 - 1h 27m
American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the central highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson Administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight.
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This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967)
S1 E5 - 1h 28m
American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the central highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson Administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight.
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Resolve (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E24 - 1h 57m
Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the south, while Saigon struggles to “pacify the countryside.” As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers’ war.
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Resolve (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E14 - 1h 56m
Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the south, while Saigon struggles to “pacify the countryside.” As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers’ war.
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Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)
S1 E4 - 1h 57m
Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the south, while Saigon struggles to “pacify the countryside.” As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers’ war.
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The River Styx (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E23 - 1h 58m
With South Vietnam in chaos, hardliners in Hanoi seize the initiative and send combat troops to the south, accelerating the insurgency. Fearing Saigon’s collapse, President Johnson escalates America’s military commitment, authorizing sustained bombing of the north and deploying ground troops in the south.
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The River Styx (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E13 - 1h 57m
With South Vietnam in chaos, hardliners in Hanoi seize the initiative and send combat troops to the south, accelerating the insurgency. Fearing Saigon’s collapse, President Johnson escalates America’s military commitment, authorizing sustained bombing of the north and deploying ground troops in the south.
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The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965)
S1 E3 - 1h 57m
With South Vietnam in chaos, hardliners in Hanoi seize the initiative and send combat troops to the south, accelerating the insurgency. Fearing Saigon’s collapse, President Johnson escalates America’s military commitment, authorizing sustained bombing of the north and deploying ground troops in the south.
Extras + Features
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Fellow Warriors: Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam
S1 - 20m 46s
John Musgrave is a Marine veteran who served at Con Thien in Vietnam where he was wounded. After returning home, Musgrave struggled with survivor’s guilt and depression. Today, he counsels active-duty soldiers and other veterans who are having trouble adjusting to life after their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The Reviews Are In
S1 - 30s
America's top critics are unanimous in their praise for The Vietnam War. Find out what they're saying about Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s ten-part, 18-hour documentary series. #VietnamWarPBS
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Some Peace
S1 E10 - 2m 33s
Seeking reconciliation and peace, veterans from Vietnam and the United States meet in Vietnam years after the war.
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The Diaspora
S1 E10 - 50s
A Vietnamese-American comments on being displaced from his country, and his desire to go back there to live out the last years of his life.
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Moratorium Protests, 1969
S1 E7 - 1m 44s
On November 15, 1969, half a million demonstrators turned out in Washington, D.C., to protest the war.
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Rolling Thunder
S1 E4 - 1m 10s
President Johnson and Defense Secretary McNamara discuss the bombing campaign and strategy by phone.
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The Nightlight
S1 E2 - 1m 37s
A Marine remembers being afraid when assigned a listening post at night near the DMZ and how that fear stays with him today.
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JFK on the Diem Coup
S1 E2 - 1m
Days after President Diem and his brother were killed in Saigon, President Kennedy dictated his own rueful account of the coup and his concerns for Vietnam's future.
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Combat is an Enormous High (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 - 1m 12s
A soldier describes the enormous high and enormous cost of being in combat. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War.
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Everybody's Special (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 - 1m 2s
A Marine phones his mother when he doesn't think he'll make it out of Vietnam alive. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War.
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A Mother's Worry (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 - 46s
A mother wonders how she'll be informed if her son is injured in combat. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War.
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Living is the Difficult Thing
S1 E6 - 2m 10s
A captured Army doctor recounts his experience of being taken prisoner by the Viet Cong.
Schedule
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Image
The Vietnam War
Riding the Tiger
Saturday
Apr 5
1 Hour 30 Minutes
President John F. Kennedy and his advisers consider how deeply the U.S. should get involved in South Vietnam, as a communist insurgency and Buddhist protests intensify. -
Image
The Vietnam War
Riding the Tiger
Sunday
Apr 6
1 Hour 30 Minutes
President John F. Kennedy and his advisers consider how deeply the U.S. should get involved in South Vietnam, as a communist insurgency and Buddhist protests intensify. -
Image
The Vietnam War
Riding the Tiger
Sunday
Apr 6
1 Hour 30 Minutes
President John F. Kennedy and his advisers consider how deeply the U.S. should get involved in South Vietnam, as a communist insurgency and Buddhist protests intensify. -
Image
The Vietnam War
The River Styx
Saturday
Apr 12
2 Hours
Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the bombing of North Vietnam, and sends U.S. ground troops to the south. -
Image
The Vietnam War
The River Styx
Sunday
Apr 13
2 Hours
Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the bombing of North Vietnam, and sends U.S. ground troops to the south. -
Image
The Vietnam War
The River Styx
Sunday
Apr 13
2 Hours
Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the bombing of North Vietnam, and sends U.S. ground troops to the south.
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