Product Details

• Actors: Various
• Directors: The History Channel
• Format: Blu-ray, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: December 6, 2011
• Run Time: 282 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005BSCPCM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,697 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #65 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Documentary
  • #83 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Military & War

Editorial Reviews

Their story is in danger of being lost to history. The men who came home from the Vietnam War represent a second silent generation. These are the men who won every battle in a lost war. Using the same experiential approach to storytelling as WWII in HD, HISTORY gives these veterans a voice. Through a collection of color Vietnam footage never seen by the public from private collections, museums, the US government, veteran's and news organizations as well as sources from Vietnam, they tell their stories and relive their struggles, courage and fears. This six-hour miniseries spans the massive initial troop build-up in 1965 to the fall of Saigon a decade later. Sound design, using popular music from that era, powerfully evokes the time period and experience.

This 2-disc set presents all 6 episodes in stunning Blu-ray high-definition.

BONUS FEATURES: TBD

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The History Channel Serves Up A Fitting And Personal Six Part Miniseries Tribute To Those Who Served During Vietnam November 14, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray

Emulating the formula that worked so successfully with its impressive "WWII in HD," the History Channel set its sights on a new generation of hero with "Vietnam in HD." All of the trademark production values are present including actual footage shot by soldiers in battle as well as high profile actors incorporated into dramatic vocal recreations. While all of the newly filmed material looks stellar in its HD presentation, the real Vietnam filmstock quality varies depending upon the source material. It has, however been cleaned and restored to an admirable degree and many of the images (as they were culled from private sources) have not been utilized before in other Vietnam projects. This found footage provides "Vietnam in HD" a real intimacy. The six part miniseries is both a harrowing and realistic look at the Vietnam conflict as well as a fitting tribute to the men who served. While few documentaries can hope to cover every angle of this complicated situation (and I'm sure many will point out the subjects that were not covered in depth--for example, almost all focus is on ground forces), "Vietnam in HD" scores in an area that counts the most--it honors the soldiers in a very personal way.

The basic narrative presentation recounts the stories of 13 men and women, and we see the war unravel from their perspective. From soldiers, to medical personnel, to reporters, to those on the homefront--this covers a myriad of individual experiences while highlighting key components and chapters of the war itself.

Episodes: (1) The Beginning 1964-1965, (2) Search & Destroy 1966-1967, (3) The Tet Offensive 1968, (4) An Endless War 1968-1969, (5) A Changing War 1969-1970, and (6) Peace With Honor 1971-1975....

The miniseries is narrated by Michael C Hall (Dexter) and features a large and diverse vocal cast including James Marsden, Blair Underwood, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Zachary Levi, Armie Hammer, Dylan McDermott, Dean Cain, Adrian Grenier, and Edward Burns among many others. From the build-up of troops in 1965 to the fall of Saigon a decade later, "Vietnam in HD" expertly balances the recreations (that are told through the words of those that are portrayed) and documentary footage. It is a must for anyone interested in the topic! KGHarris, 11/11.

Bonus features: Sadly, the 2 disc set contains NO supplemental material.

NOTE: While this set still has NO extras, a bonus disc is included with the DVD release with 51 minutes of additional footage if purchased through History Channel website. Makes me wonder why they just didn't include this with the set. Here are a few of the features.

Behind-the-Scenes "Intern Vets"
Film Corps "The Seawolves"
Helicopters in Vietnam
Huey Helicopter: Deconstructed
Cu Chi Tunnels: Deconstructed
Vietnam Country Deconstructed
Aircraft Carrier Deconstructed
Amateur Cameramen Read more ›

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial War, Honorable Soldiers December 1, 2011

By Granni Jani

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

Vietnam is my generation's war. It is hard to comprehend the young kids shooting the video presented in this DVD are now, like me, in their sixties. This DVD is not an in depth study of the war. It does not get into the reasons why this country became both mired in it, and torn apart by it. The Gulf of Tonkin is mentioned as the first step toward increasing U.S. involvement, but it does not discuss the controversy regarding legitimacy of the Tonkin incident. It doesn't mention Mai Lai, nor does it spend a lot of time discussing the reasons why the American public turned against the war. It is not meant to. This is the recollections of the young Americans who were on the ground, a nurse who served there and a P.O.W.'s wife. It does a great job of describing all the different hard fought engagements with the NVA, and the horror of it all. Many who went to Vietnam were volunteers,but many were draftees with no say in the matter. These young men served without caring about the politics of the time. They went, did what they were told to do, and just tried to stay alive. All Vietnam Vets who served risked their lives, and should be honored for the sacrifices they made. Some just wanted to survive and get home. Others returned home to join those speaking out against U.S. involvement. All were patriotic Americans, and hearing their personal stories put a human face on this war. For those who were interested in this DVD and/or the history of the Vietnam War, I recommend the exceptional PBS Documentary, "Two Days in October". Remembering my friend, John. Deployed in August of 1967, and killed in Kontum Province, March of 1968. 19 years old.

118 of 139 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A Series That Starts Out Strong, But Finishes with A Whimper December 25, 2011

By John Lopez Jr.

Format:Blu-ray

The series starts out strong with some vivid images and compelling stories that bring back strong personal memories of the early years of the Vietnam War. We really thought that once the U.S. military arrived in force it would be over within a year or so. I was in the fifth grade in 1965. Seven years later, in 1972, I was graduating from high school and facing the prospect of being drafted to fight in what appeared to be a never ending war.

I was impressed with the early episodes of this series, but it goes down hill beginning with episode 3. First, though the producers come up with some very good images of the war, they did not do their research very well. They show images of US Army infantrymen in combat while telling a story concerning the Marines on the DMZ. There are many examples of the film not matching the story being told. Second, by episode 3 they are starting to repeat the same film images over and over again. Third, there is virtually no mention of the other Free World allies that supported our war effort - the Australians, New Zealanders, South Korean, Thai, the Philipino soldiers who fought side by side with us. Unlike today's "Coalition of the Willing" in Afghanistan and Iraq, these Allies stayed with us to the very end in 1972 and did more than their fair share of the fighting. However, you would not know that watching this series. And finally, while the series emphasizes that we propped up an corrupt regime in Saigon, it seldom mentions that the ARVN did a majority of the fighting and dying in that war.

The one compelling segment of this series centers on the 1968 Tet Offensive and the reaction of the Johnson Administration.... It recounts the reaction of the Administration, their weighing the costs of escalation and total mobilization of the US military in reaction to the offensive and other ongoing crisis around the world. And more importantly, how the American Public began to turn against the war.

The last episode glosses over the last significant acts of the war - Lam Son 719 invasion into Laos in 1971, the Easter Offensive of 1972 and more importantly, the Linebacker raids of December 1972. The series talks about the North Vietnamese going back to the peace talks in early 1973 without explaining why. Instead, the series degenerates into individual stories of veterans and citizens turning against the war and their government.

This series follows a trend in movies, books and the popular culture that promotes an American centric view of our history, especially our military history. This trend has prompted us to rename past wars with politically correct titles, leaves the public with the impression that only the US fought in World War II and that Vietnam was a "civil war" that became an "American" War. Never mind that our intentions were to stop the spread of Communism in the middle of a very heated "Cold War".

I cannot, in good conscious, recommend this series. There is too much shoddy research and poor editing to make this series worth while. Unfortunately, there are no series that presents an impartial and accurate view of the War in Indochina. Most of what's out there promotes a stereotypical, biased view that has come to be accepted by the public who is beginning to forget what it was really like during those years - both over there and here in the states. Read more ›