History

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The Vietnam War features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses.

The Weight of Memory (Explicit Language Version)

1h 51m

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

  • Things Fall Apart (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Things Fall Apart (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • This Is What We Do (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • This Is What We Do (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Resolve (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Resolve (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Resolve (January 1966-June 1967): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • The River Styx (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • The River Styx (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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

  • What is Vietnam Worth to Me?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Binh Gia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Vietnam's Beauty: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Early Antiwar Movement: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Reporters in Vietnam: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • The 9th Party Plenum: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Ia Drang: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Student Protests: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Declaration of Independence: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Declaration of Independence

    S1 E1 - 1m 15s

    On September 2, 1945, Vietnamese civilians gather to hear Ho Chi Minh declare the country's independence.

  • Ho Chi Minh's Letter: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

Schedule

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