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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Riding the Tiger (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E22 - 1h 26m
President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.
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Riding the Tiger (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E12 - 1h 26m
President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.
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Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)
S1 E2 - 1h 26m
President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.
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Déjà Vu (Explicit Language Version)
S1 E21 - 1h 25m
After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem’s untested regime in the south.
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Déjà Vu (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E11 - 1h 25m
After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem’s untested regime in the south.
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Déjà Vu (1858-1961)
S1 E1 - 1h 25m
After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south.
Extras + Features
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What is Vietnam Worth to Me?
S1 E3 - 1m 5s
In a taped conversation between President Johnson and National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, the president expresses concern about the possibility of success in Vietnam.
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Official Trailer | No Single Truth (Vietnamese Subtitles)
S1 E11 - 30s
Watch an official trailer for The Vietnam War.
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Binh Gia
S1 E3 - 1m 43s
After North Vietnamese forces shoot down a U.S. helicopter, South Vietnamese Marines are sent in to retrieve the bodies of four American military advisors. En route to the crash site, they are attacked.
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Vietnam's Beauty
S1 E3 - 1m 22s
Marines arrive in South Vietnam expecting to have to fight their way ashore. Instead they are greeted by young women offering flowers. A Marine discusses his surprise in discovering the beauty of the Vietnamese landscape.
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Early Antiwar Movement
S1 E3 - 1m 22s
While many Americans know little of the conflict in Vietnam, an antiwar movement begins to grow. Faculty at the University of Michigan organize an all-night discussion, dubbed a "teach-in," to promote debate on the subject.
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Reporters in Vietnam
S1 E3 - 1m 35s
Despite the dangers, reporters flock to cover the conflict in Vietnam. One journalist discovers that it is not always possible to remain neutral reporting on war.
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The 9th Party Plenum
S1 E3 - 1m 32s
In Hanoi, two North Vietnamese factions disagree about how best to proceed in the war. China and the Soviet Union offer conflicting advice.
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Ia Drang
S1 E3 - 1m 9s
Soldiers discuss the psychological shock of witnessing death on the battlefield. Journalist Neil Sheehan talks about the courage he observed during the fighting in the Ia Drang Valley.
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Student Protests
S1 E2 - 1m 42s
Students across South Vietnam protest the government's treatment of Buddhist monks. President Diem arrests thousands of students in response.
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Declaration of Independence
S1 E1 - 1m 15s
On September 2, 1945, Vietnamese civilians gather to hear Ho Chi Minh declare the country's independence.
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Ho Chi Minh's Letter
S1 E1 - 1m 24s
In 1919, a young Vietnamese man, who would eventually be known by the pseudonym Ho Chi Minh, delivers a letter to the American delegation to the peace talks in Paris, in the hopes that it will reach President Woodrow Wilson.
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Behind the Scenes: Consulting with Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
S1 - 2m
Gen. Merrill McPeak and Mai Elliott talk about their experience consulting with the filmmakers on The Vietnam War.
Schedule
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Image
The Vietnam War
This Is What We Do
Saturday
Apr 26
1 Hour 30 Minutes
As casualties mount on both sides, American soldiers face deadly ambushes and artillery; President Johnson assures the public that victory is within reach. -
Image
The Vietnam War
This Is What We Do
Sunday
Apr 27
1 Hour 30 Minutes
As casualties mount on both sides, American soldiers face deadly ambushes and artillery; President Johnson assures the public that victory is within reach. -
Image
The Vietnam War
This Is What We Do
Sunday
Apr 27
1 Hour 30 Minutes
As casualties mount on both sides, American soldiers face deadly ambushes and artillery; President Johnson assures the public that victory is within reach. -
Image
The Vietnam War
Things Fall Apart
Saturday
May 3
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Shaken by the violence of the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, Americans begin to doubt President Lyndon B. Johnson's promise that victory is near; Johnson decides not to seek re-election. -
Image
The Vietnam War
Things Fall Apart
Sunday
May 4
1 Hour 29 Minutes
Shaken by the violence of the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, Americans begin to doubt President Lyndon B. Johnson's promise that victory is near; Johnson decides not to seek re-election. -
Image
The Vietnam War
The Veneer of Civilization
Saturday
May 10
2 Hours
Draft-age Americans wrestle with their choices; Richard Nixon narrowly wins the presidential election; soldiers on all sides of the conflict witness savagery and courage. -
Image
The Vietnam War
The Veneer of Civilization
Sunday
May 11
2 Hours
Draft-age Americans wrestle with their choices; Richard Nixon narrowly wins the presidential election; soldiers on all sides of the conflict witness savagery and courage.
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