The Vietnam War: What Happened, by the People Who Lived It

A brutal war ends, but its impact never does. This documentary follows four people: two American veterans, a North Vietnamese soldier, and a South Vietnamese refugee whose lives were forever shaped by the Vietnam War. Through first-hand accounts of combat, loss, and survival from the 1960s to today, they reveal how war trauma lives on across generations. A powerful journey exploring PTSD, resilience, and the lasting wounds of war from Vietnam to conflicts today. What You Need to Know About the Vietnam War: The Vietnam War escalated into full American involvement from 1965 to 1973, dividing a nation forever. After Vietnam was split at the 17th parallel in 1954, tensions grew between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam, which received support from the US. President Kennedy sent military advisers to South Vietnam in the early 1960s. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, President Johnson escalated US involvement, and by 1968 over 500,000 American troops were deployed. This wasn't a conventional war. Viet Cong guerrilla fighters used hit-and-run tactics in dense jungles while Americans relied on massive firepower and bombing campaigns. Most US soldiers were young draftees (average age just 22), many from working-class families. President Nixon expanded operations into Cambodia and Laos before withdrawing the last American troops in 1973. Saigon fell to communist control on April 30, 1975. The human cost was devastating: 58,000 Americans killed, up to 2 million Vietnamese civilians dead, over 1 million North Vietnamese fighters lost. Veterans returned home not as heroes but to a divided nation, many struggling with undiagnosed PTSD for decades. The war's legacy still shapes military policy and how we understand trauma today. CHAPTERS 00:00 How the Vietnam War never ended 01:42 How we got here 05:20 The letter 07:27 Guerrilla tactics 13:06 Survival mode 15:35 The walls we build 17:39 Coming home 24:07 25 years of silence 28:28 War remains #dwhistory #historymatters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CREDITS Report: Melissa Aparicio Supervising Editor: Ricarda Otte Camera: Adam Harris & Melissa Aparicio Edit: Jennifer Gärtner Graphics: Raik Voigt Archival Research: Julia Rose & Israel Dehesa For more visit: https://www.dw.com/en/culture/s-1441 Please follow DW's netiquette: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G