In this interview, Victor Davis Hanson talks with Mark Moyar about his new book “Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968.” Access to North Vietnamese sources changes old assumptions of the war.
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In this interview, Victor Davis Hanson talks with Mark Moyar about his new book “Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968.” Access to North Vietnamese sources changes old assumptions of the war.
Wonderful! This brought together bits and pieces that I’ve been hearing about since the 90s and weaves them together into an understandable whole. I am so glad this podcast is repping a book that is already out and that we don’t have to wait for!
P.S.- Uictor, after all the things you’ve said about Ukraine, you ask if the Vietnam War was “worth it”? If sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, then the answer would be on your own terms an unmitigated “NO!”
Thank you for the interview with Mark Moyar as a follow up to your article last week. Listening to Mark’s insights and research was fascinating. It is a shame that he encountered the road blocks with his latest book. I have ordered the Triumph Forsaken book from a used book retailer and look forward to reading it before getting the next book in the series.
Vietnam is a tragic place to live and be born in. Never ending wars, and invasions. Trump would call it a sh*t hole country, and he is not wrong. Don’t live there, don’t visit there if you have a choice.
Chinese invasions, France colonial rule, Japanese occupation, Viet Minh, Viet Cong, the American intervention. War is most tragic for the civilians. Only thing worse than war is losing one.
What are the lessons of Vietnam?
That’s a broad question. From what you said, Victor, we couldn’t turn our tactical victories into strategic successes. Was this repeated mistake made deliberately for political reasons?
One of the vets interviewed in Ken Burns’ documentary was a marine named John Musgrave. He said returning to fight in places they had previously taken was frustrating.
Another part of the documentary showed three army companies that had been ordered to take a hill. From the ashen look on their faces many of the men knew they would be dead in a couple of days. After some fierce fighting the hill was taken. The order was then given to abandon it.
I’ve also read that our pilots had strict orders to avoid hitting SAM batteries. Apparently we didn’t want to risk killing a Russian advisor.
Why did we never invade North Vietnam and end the war? We had no problem bombing the blank out of it.
The Vietnam war was noble and just, and we should honor those who served. Let’s hope we never repeat the mistakes we made.
Ukraine…
I have no problem with learning lessons from 65-68 but I think it’s an incomplete thought until ones learns how successful the post-Westmoreland Vietnam strategy under Abrams largely did learn those lessons. “A Better War” by Sorely is in order after one reads this book.
I was an Army Intelligence officer in RVN 1965-66. I have not read the book yet, but the comments in the interview ring true, as least as relates to the military situation.
It is certainly true that the main force VC units were controlled by PAVN
As I listen to y’all discuss the Viet Cong thought of Antifa.
Once again, Americans form their opinions without considering natural resources and global chokepoints (like the Strait of Malacca). The Domino Theory wasn’t a conservative fantasy. While communists are only too happy to take any place that they can get, they were looking for the oil, minerals and ability to restrict shipping that taking that part of Southeast Asia would have given them. By the way, when I was in Thailand in ’72, we faced the Pathet Lao (who run Laos today). Vietnam and efforts in Thailand blunted those efforts.
To Charles: Yes! Thank you for chiming in with that!
Thank you for this fascinating analysis. I was young during the Vietnam War, but sat at the dining room table with my Air Force Intelligence Reserves Lt. Col. father seething over his newspaper at Pete Hamill articles! When I was the only one in my entire NYC school who could take the Republican side in a school-wide debate – though I was an artistic airhead – he sat me down and prepared me with an explanation that amazingly has served me to this day. I’m interested to read Moyar’s new information on this conflict.
I just ordered your book on Vietnam. I look forward to reading it. I also wrote four books about my time in Special Forces, two of them about my 18 months in Vietnam and one about my 7 months in Ethiopia during their border war with Somalia in 1964, as well as more time in Special Forces. The name of my books are “Slurp Sends.” Book 1 is about becoming a “Green Beret.” Book 2 is about my time as a “Green Beret” from 1963 to 1966, including my time in Ethiopia. Books 3 and 4 are about my 18 months in Vietnam. They are available on Amazon, or from me, signed.