Vietnam War or American War in Vietnam ? A comparision of U.S. and Vietnamese perspectives

Abstract

Vietnam has been known widely as a heroic nation that has, throughout history, succeeded in sweeping away foreign invaders to protect the independence of the country. Having a chance to write about a heroic phase in its history is the honor and pride of any patriotic Vietnamese. Winning the war against America to save the nation is a glorious milestone marking a new era for Vietnam, an era of full independence and freedom. That national pride has led me to write about this War. The debate whether or not the name American War or Vietnam War is more suitable to reflect the nature of this War seems to be endless, since the two names represent different perspectives from the two countries, Vietnam and the U.S., respectively. However, that is not the objective of this study. The thesis only raises a question to find out the implications behind each name by means of documentary research and interviews instead of arguing which name is right or wrong