In the second installment in my Visiting Vietnam series, this post focuses on the experiences of veterans. One of the most rewarding aspects of studying the Vietnam War is speaking with veterans. Having met many American veterans, I eagerly awaited meeting their Vietnamese counterparts. Once in Saigon, I did not have long to wait. Within minutes of leaving Tan Son Nhat International Airport, our local guide, Tony, greeted me. Little did I know that within a few hours, Tony would teach me more about Vietnam and the America War than I had ever imagined.
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For three weeks, between May and June, I toured Vietnam. During my time in country, I visited the cities of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi. I saw the Mekong, Perfume, and Red rivers. I swam in the South China Sea and dove in the beautiful Ha Long Bay. By far the most memorable areas seen during my trip where the battle sites of Cu Chi, the Iron Triangle, Hue, and Khe Sanh. While this post addresses my visiting various war related sites, future installments will discuss other facets of my trip. So without further ado here is the first post about my experiences in Vietnam.
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This summer should prove eventful with my participation in a USM sponsored trip to Vietnam. This May I will be in Vietnam as a part of a program to bring veterans of the war back to the environs of Vietnam for the first time since the cessation of hostilities. It is not often that one gets an opportunity to witness a soldier reconnect with the past, especially those of the Vietnam War. Thus if anything it is this shared experience with a veteran that really makes me eager about going to Vietnam. It would be great to construct a dissertation that adequately infuses the firsthand accounts of inviduals with the the seemingling less human aspects of diplomacy and war planing. Consequently, I hope this trip will provided me with more insight into how to better combine the memories of soldiers with the wider diplomatic and strategic military elements of the Vietnam War. Put another way, the insights of a veteran will hopefully contextualize the strategic and diplomatic repercussion that emerged from events like the Tet Offensive. As such, travel to Vietnam is, for me, like going to the archives.
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Sorry for the lack of posts during these past two months, but it has been a busy academic year. Three semesters in to the PhD program, and with one more to go, my energy has been directed towards completing the remain coursework requirements. As for progress on figuring out my dissertation topic, I am leaning towards following the approach of historians like Mark Atwood Lawrence and Eugenie M. Blang. These scholars examined the European connections to America’s Vietnam War. I hope to more fully explore the British Commonwealth’s role in the Vietnam War by incorporating Australia and Canada into a study of America’s waging of the war in Vietnam. Much like my earlier musings on the selection of a dissertation topic, I hope to have a more developed idea after I complete course and examination requirements.
As noted in my last post, the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS) features some great posts from graduate students. Recently, my good friend and colleague Christine Leppard wrote of her experiences researching in London. Her insight into the workings of the British National Archives and the Imperial War Museum archive should be of great value to those embarking on their first research trip to the UK. Additionally, Christine’s experiences emphasis the importance of making the most of unforeseen situations, like the IWM’s expensive copier fees and their ban of an historians best friend, the digital camera. So be sure to read her entire article over at the LCMSDS blog.
Synopsis
The purpose of Thompson Werk is to present the musings of a US War and Society doctoral student. Discussion topics principally center around the World Wars and Vietnam.
The opinions expressed on this site are not be confused with those of my colleagues, employers, friends, family, and/or anyone else associated with me.
Contact me with any comments, complaints, and/or questions.
Responses
- Robert: Everyone needs to see Vietnam,
- Ross Mahoney: Sounds like it is another
- Robert: My original post omitted the
- Robert: Hey Ross, Vietnam is a
- Ross Mahoney: Robert it looks like a
