Giap: The Victor in Vietnam [Hardcover]

Peter G. MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

A look at the career of Vo Nguyen Giap, based on interviews with the Vietnamese general, reveals how an army so poor in material resources accomplished so much militarily, discussing Giap's early days as a resistance fighter and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A retired British brigadier, MacDonald was invited to Hanoi in 1990 by the Vietnamese government to interview Vo Nguyen Giap, the legendary general whose "primitive" army defeated two great Western powers. The result is the first major biography of this great military leader, as well as a new look at his army and its methods of waging war. MacDonald traces Giap's 30-year leadership of the Vietminh and People's Army, describing how he learned to exercise his talents as organizer, logistician, strategist and tactician against the French in the 1940s and 1950s and against the Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, employing a unique combination of guerrilla and conventional warfare. An important political and military figure, Giap was involved in decision-making at the highest levels of government. As MacDonald points out, Giap can claim the largest share of credit not only for winning two major wars but also for securing the unification and independence of his nation. There is unfamiliar material here about Giap's brilliant victory over the French at Dien-bienphu and his creation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the anti-aircraft defenses of Hanoi. MacDonald confidently nominates him for membership in that exclusive club, the Great Captains. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Vo Nguyen Giap, the architect of Communist Vietnam's decisive victories over France and the United States, arguably ranks with the greatest names in the history of warfare. Yet he remains an elusive figure in this work by British author-soldier Macdonald, who interviewed the elderly Giap in Hanoi in 1990. If the man himself remains opaque, his military feats do not. Under the guise of biography, Macdonald provides a succinct, vivid, and well-informed military history of modern Vietnam, in particular bringing to life the key battles of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and Khe Sanh in 1968. His brief chapter on the Ho Chi Minh Trail is fascinating, and his analysis of America's war in Vietnam is illuminating. Unfortunately, Macdonald tells us almost nothing of Giap's political role, and his political analysis is derivative and jejune. For academic and most public library collections. Military Book Club selection.
- Steven I. Levine, Boulder Run Research, Hillsborough, N.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393034011
• ISBN-13: 978-0393034011
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brit One-Star Gets Four Stars in my Book, November 1, 2000

By 

"pilgrimmaster" (The Midlands, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Giap: The Victor in Vietnam (Hardcover)

A detailed, balanced and often fascinating account of the life of one of the twentieth century's most successful and lesser known military commanders. It is written by a British Brigadier (that's a one-star general in the US).

What makes this work different is that it doesn't pull punches in terms of 'political correctness'. It might therefore upset the odd Frenchman, the occasional American (or even some Japanese readers). Those that might have pre-conceived or ill-informed notions as to the role of their respective nations in the various wars in Vietnam during Giap's years as a commander.

It should be required reading at Army Staff Colleges, such as Leavenworth (if it isn't already) and France's Ecole Militaire at St.Cyr, where it probably is not, although it seems that there is a french translation.

In all, a thought provoking title, and well worth a read by those interested in the subject from whatever angle.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, even-handed, and thorough, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Giap: The Victor in Vietnam (Hardcover)

MacDonald, a Britisher, had easier access to the Vietnamese than an American or French writer would, as the Vietnamese judged he would be less biased in his approach. Their faith was rewarded; in a book which draws much on personal interviews with Vo Nguyen Giap and other veterans of the Vietnamese war, MacDonald has given us a clear, balanced, interesting portrait of one of the major military figures of the 20th Century.

In a career spanning three decades, having only the resources of a small third-world country (though with powerful international friends), Vo Nguyen Giap managed to bring the armies of two major Western powers to their knees. MacDonald tells us the military and some of the political story of this remarkable leader.

What is missing is the personal side. Except for a little information surrounding his first wife's death and his second marriage, the book is silent on Giap's private life. It would be fascinating to know more of this man as a person, but apparently Giap was unwilling to discuss personal matters with MacDonald. Perhaps this is just Vietnamese reticence, but there is no real insight into the man himself.

The political Giap is only a little more fully drawn. The blank spots here are a function of Vietnamese and Communist ways of thinking. Giap was a member of a collective leadership which took the collective part very seriously; no policy or initiative is attributed to an individual, only to the complete Politburo. A few hints of personal positions, a vague suggestion of a possible difference of opinion, and the screen of the collective solid front descends again.

Though primarily a biography of Giap, the book is also a history of the series of armed struggles in Indochina beginning in the late 1930s. The Japanese invasion, the French war (which MacDonald calls the Indochina war), and finally the war with the U. S. are all described tersely but clearly. It is refreshing and revealing to read an account which is designed neither to justify nor excoriate the U. S., but instead is a sober report on the facts.

Especially as the U. S. and Vietnam approach normal relations and as U. S. investment and interest in Vietnam increase, this is a useful and valuable book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should Be Required Reading for Politicians, September 6, 2005

By 

G. E. Kugler "Ed Kugler - nomoreBS - Author o... (Big Arm, Montana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Giap: The Victor in Vietnam (Hardcover)

It should be required reading for politicians and military leaders but especially politicians who get all our kids in harms way. Great book on the life of a great General regardless of which side you're on. It isnt politically correct but it does take you inside the mind of the guy behind the victory in Vietnam. As a vet of two tours in Nam with the Marines I found it fascinating to peer inside the strategy and the man. Great read.