How We Lost the Vietnam War [Paperback]

Cao Ky Nguyen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1979

Nguyen Cao Ky was a pilot, general, air marshall and finally premier of South Vietnam. When South Vietnam fell, he and his family became part of the refugee population airlifted to the United States.

HOW WE LOST THE VIETNAM WAR is his account of the conflict--its origins, it realities and its end. "Two nations lost the war in Vietnam. Now, as I try to analyze the causes leading to that defeat, I must stand them against history...on one hand a country that lives in the past and abhors all change; on the other hand a country that would be lost without a future, without a goal to achieve. We went to war side by side, puzzled by each other, a country of yesterday and a country of tomorrow, each trying to keep in step with the other."

HOW WE LOST THE VIETNAM WAR is a valuable outside view of a painful period in American history.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Well worth reading. (Library Journal )

Brings new light to some areas in which darkness has prevailed. It is a view of Saigon quite different from that to which we have become accustomed, and it is one which could have been provided by almost no other figure. (Minneapolis Tribune )

Outstanding… one of the three best books written about Vietnam. (Indianapolis News ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

6 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Stein & Day Pub (September 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812860160
• ISBN-13: 978-0812860160
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,425,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A VALUABLE HISTORY LESSON AND AN INTRESTING PERSPECTIVE., April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How We Lost the Vietnam War (Paperback)

I assumed this would be another book bashing of our Vietnam experience.

Instead this was an interesting perspective from a major player in this historic endeavor.

It provides a timeless truth leaders and foreign policy makers seem to ignore but must learn if we are to enjoy successful foreign policy.

LESSON:

"Applying Occidental solutions to Oriental problems is a recipe for failure!"

When Ky said "WE lost" he is not refering to the American military but to the American and South Vietnameese Policies and approach to the conflict.

Nguyen Cao Ky professes to have uncompromising values and being above the corruption that infected the politics and policies of the South East Asian war. His definition of corruption may be very different from that of a westerner.

Regardless if it is in Vietnam, Somolia, Haiti, Iraq, Bosnia or now in Kosovo, the American politicians and military leaders are destined to fail if they persist in not learing that "You cannot project your values, beliefs and customs on an alien culture and expect success".

RVN Class of "68"

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iraq is Vietnam Deja Vue., January 17, 2007

By 

Kurt L. Olney "Sealight" (vista, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How We Lost the Vietnam War (Paperback)

Doesn't anybody in our government read history? South Vietnam didn't want Communism, but they weren't exactly excited about American Democracy. And, in our simplistic American way, we didn't understand we could not impose our system on top of the South Vietnamese. Ky's assessment of America's mistakes are, in parallel with the mistakes we are making in Iraq--just as we didn't give South Vietnam what they needed to win and gave them what we thought they needed to win--so we are doing the same thing to the newly elected government of Iraq.

Ultimately, Congress cut and ran on the deal Nixon made with South Vietnam. South Vietnam was overrun by North Vietnam who had the full military support of the Soviet Union. We abandoned the South and let them be crushed, while the Communist stayed true to the North and made them the victors. Looks like we are going to cut and run in Iraq. Same losing strategy, different war.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars how we lost the vietnam war, March 11, 2006

By 

William H. Stafford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How We Lost the Vietnam War (Paperback)

well written and very informative. Since i have met the author , i enjoyed the book more. I also served in viet nam two tours in the late 60's