The Vietnam War

Below you will find an annotated list of some web-based resources on the Vietnam War. This is not an exhaustive resource list, however, each website has been recommended by SEAP program professors and graduate students for content. In addition, these sites were evaluated by SEAP Outreach staff to determine utility, applicability to local learning standards, and comprehensiveness.

Battling Memories: Exploring Personal and Public Consequences of the War in Vietnam
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This lesson plan from the New York Times on the Web Learning Network requires students to read an article about former Senator Bob Kerrey’s experience as a lieutenant in the Navy Seals during the Vietnam War. The article discusses a specific night where Kerrey’s commando team killed thirteen women and children. Students are asked to read the article and discuss the issues surrounding the events discussed in the article in small groups. This lesson plan may be a good companion to others that deal with ethical issues in war.

Digital History Vietnam
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This site is part of the larger Digital History site, which seeks to make available resources on major topics in American History via the web. While the site doesn’t offer lesson plans on Vietnam, it offers two textbook chapters on the war, a variety of primary source documents, links to photographs, teachers’ resources, and other reference materials useful to teachers.

Ed Moise's Vietnam War Bibliography
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This on-line bibliography, recommended by Dr. Keith Taylor is an extensive listing including some articles and websites, but mostly books. The bibliography is categorized by topic and includes microfilmed collections and government documents collections. It will be of interest to teachers looking for background resources and in depth information on all aspects of the war in Vietnam.

History in Film
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This website was created by a high school teacher for a class using film to teach history. Each movie has a synopsis of the plot, an outline of the movie, a cast list and homework assignments. In addition, there is a comparison between the film and historical events, a timeline of events during the Vietnam War, and casualty rates. Curricula for Hamburger Hill (http://www.historyinfilm.com/hamhill/index.htm), Platoon (http://www.historyinfilm.com/platoon/index.htm), and Full Metal Jacket (http://www.historyinfilm.com/jacket/index.htm) are available through the site.

Internet Modern History Source Book: America: As World Leader: External Power
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
The Internet Modern History Source Book is a great resource for teachers looking for primary source material for students on a variety of subjects. Scroll down to the section titled The Vietnam War. The archive includes links to the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, Letters to Ngo Dinh Diem, State Department White Paper on Vietnam, letter exchange between Lyndon Johnson and Ho Chi Minh and the War Powers Resolution, among other documents.

Living Vietnam Memorials: Exploring First Hand accounts of the Vietnam War Both Overseas and at Home
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This lesson plan from the New York Times on the Web Learning Network asks students to examine the Vietnam War from first hand accounts. Students read a journalist’s account of the fall of Saigon. The on-line account also provides a timeline, a slideshow, and articles relating to the war from the New York Times archives. Students interview adults who lived during the era of the war and then create first-person narratives using quotations from their interviews.

Opposing Views on Vietnam
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This lesson plan was created by the Discovery Channel Education website. It juxtaposes Nixon's policies and rationale for war with John Kerry and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. It emphasizes that the American public held a variety of opinions about the war. The on-line lesson plan is all-inclusive, no external resources are necessary. Internet access is recommended, though not necessary for the completion of the activities.

The Vietnam War: A Popular Music Approach
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
The Rock and Roll hall of fame offers a number of teacher created lesson plans using popular music. Scroll down to lesson 6 for a lesson plan about the Vietnam war using music from the era. The lesson plan provides a good bibliography, with books that offer a discography and list of suggested recordings.

Teach Vietnam
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
The educators' section of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund site offers a secondary curriculum on-line. Echoes from the Wall is also a teachers kit, which can be sent to schools. The teachers' guide and student activities can be downloaded in pdf format. In addition, the site provides information on the Echoes from the Mall curriculum, which has lessons on the Vietnam War Memorial. Though this curriculum is not accessible on-line, it can be ordered and sent to schools free of charge.

Teaching Vietnam: A Story in Photographs (from the National Archives site)
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This section of the National Archives site for educators provides photographs that illustrate the experiences of soldiers in the war. It offers activities for use with the photographs, and a document analysis worksheet, and links teaching activities to the National Standards.

Texas Tech University Vietnam Archive
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This is the educators’ portion of the on-line Vietnam archive at Texas Technical University. It contains a variety of primary sources documents on the Vietnam War, has secondary-level lesson plans, subject searches aimed at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, oral interviews, and other information. It is linked to the larger archive site, where one can browse through similar material.

Ask Asia
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
Teacher Resource for Lesson Plans, Background Essays, Maps, Images, and Resources. Produced by the Asia Society.

Vietnam Yesterday and Today
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
This site is a good reference for those interested in reading about the war in Vietnam. It provides a list of fiction and non-fiction books on the war. It also provides a descriptive timeline with links to documents. In addition, it offers links to information concerning current issues in Vietnam.

The Wars for Viet Nam: 1945-1975
Last verified: 1/28/2011 
Robert Brigham ( the first American scholar allowed access to the Vietnamese archives in Hanoi) hosts this site at Vassar college. The site offers an overview of the war, a collection of documents (including some translations of those found in the Hanoi archives), and links to outside resources. This site is another good site for more in-depth references and resources on the war.