Documents of War: The Vietnam War
Documentaries involving the Vietnam War (1956-1975). Topics range from the politics and propaganda involved in the conflict to the soldiers and citizens affected by it.
List order is from newest to oldest (by year of release), and titles are sorted alphabetically within each year.
Related documentary list: Documents of War: The War on Terror
List order is from newest to oldest (by year of release), and titles are sorted alphabetically within each year.
Related documentary list: Documents of War: The War on Terror
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- DirectorRory KennedyStarsRichard NixonHenry KissingerStuart HerringtonDuring the final days of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands.
- StarsPeter CoyoteHuy DucJames WillbanksA comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
- DirectorChristopher KosinskiThe development of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and it's unforeseen ability to heal a nation from one of the most controversial conflicts in U.S. history.
- DirectorMike AttieMeghan O'HaraStarsTravis ColeLucien DarensburgCharles B. FordIn Country follows the men of Delta 2/5(R) as they recreate, by choice, the battles of the Vietnam War once each year. Disquieting and provocative, the film asks, "what compels these men to bring this controversial war back to life?"
- DirectorJohn Ryan DailyIn 1965 most citizens of Philadelphia thought very little about issues in Southeast Asia. When the military conflict that had existed there for decades finally escalated into a full-scale war its citizens would be thrown into the hardship, confusion, and struggle that was the Vietnam War. Young men from across the city who grew up in different neighborhoods and came from different backgrounds would soon be fighting across South Vietnam to stop the spread of communism. Their experiences of survival and horror in the midst of combat would change them in a way that could never be undone."Nothing for Ourselves" documents the impact the Vietnam War had on the greater Philadelphia area.
- DirectorTom JenningsStarsBill PaxtonSky Soldier: Vietnam in 3D The Vietnam War is one of the most photographed in history. It was believed that all the images taken during the war were only in 2D -- until now. A recently discovered archive of rare 3D photographs has been found and is now featured in the new documentary, Sky Soldier. The photos were taken by Joel Glenn, a young helicopter pilot from Florida who had a passion for taking pictures in three-dimensions. Sky Soldier documents Joel's time growing up on his family farm, his two tours in Vietnam and his battle with cancer caused by his exposure to the chemical Agent Orange. Joel Glenn's remarkable collection contains the only know 3D photos taken of American troops fighting in Vietnam. His story -- and his pictures -- bring the war in Vietnam to life in ways never before seen.
- DirectorMichael JorgensenWhile working in Southeast Asia, a war torn veteran of the Vietnam War discovers a mysterious man claiming to be an American MIA and so begins his struggle to prove the lost soldier's identity and reunite him with his family.
- DirectorKen RodgersBetty RodgersTwenty weeks before Khe Sanh, these men were boys, sitting in their mother's kitchens. Then they went to war. Through interviews, film footage, photographs and audio recorded in Vietnam in 1968, fifteen former Marines and Navy Corpsmen tell their tales of battle, fear and survival at the Siege of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, 1968.
- StarsTempestt BledsoeEdward BurnsDean CainOriginal Vietnam War footage presented in high definition along with narrations by war veterans and the voices of Hollywood stars.
- DirectorHenry CorraPrivate McKinley Nolan vanished forty years ago in Vietnam on the Cambodian frontier. Some say he was captured, some say he was a traitor, some even say he was an American operative. The US Army officially claims he was radicalized and "went native", joining the Viet Cong and later encountering the Khmer Rouge. In 2006, retired US Army Lt. Dan Smith, revisiting the battlefields of his youth, may have encountered the elusive McKinley, alive. So began a journey into the heart of darkness.
- DirectorEric DowStarsLandis BargatzeTom CartyPeter DeRitaThe story of A-Company 1/8 4th Infantry Division, US Army during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1967. In the men's own words, through the stories they narrate, the film gives us insight into the time these men spent together and the bond they formed that remains unbroken to this day. The 4th Infantry Division is one of the only divisions that trained and retained its troops during the Vietnam War. The men of A-Company trained together for eleven months and served together for one year. Their story begins with basic training at Ft. Lewis Washington in 1965 and continues 40 years later at their last reunion in September 2007. Filming began September 27, 2007 in Houston, Texas during a reunion to honor First Sergeant David H. McNerney, who is the only living member of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was celebrated by the men he trained and served with and who's lives he saved on March 22, 1967. Conceived by executive producer John A. Ponsoll, whose father served with A-Company and had documented his tour of duty with a Kodak slide camera, the film honors the memory of A-Company 1/8 and documents their incredible courage and dedication to one another.
- DirectorPete PepperStarsPete PepperCan the memories of killing and dying ever be forgotten? 'Killing Memories', is a story of five men who served together in Vietnam, returning to meet their enemies and confronting their past, trying to kill the memories still haunting them. A picture taken off a dead man carries his spirit back to his daughter. The killer becomes her spiritual father. Surviving a massacre marks a teenager for life. He connects with the dead and his guilt. A veteran honors a lost hero and feels at home in the land where his hero died. Killing with pride and pleasure a veteran discovers the enemy was human too. The 'old man' took them back because they saved his life after his wife's suicide.
- DirectorThomas MarshallThe PRICE OF EXIT : ANTHOLOGY summarizes the Vietnam War in I Corps, the northernmost Military Region, from 1967 through the end of U.S. involvement in December, 1972. It emphasizes the U.S. and South Vietnamese Invasion of Laos, and the Ho Chi Minh Trail, in February and March, 1971. Actual audio tapes of aerial combat over Firebase Ripcord on July 23, 1970 and over Laos in 1971 are presented with documentary footage, including audio and film footage by aircrews. Extensive Archive footage is also presented, much of which has not been seen before. The script presents stories told in THE PRICE OF EXIT, by Tom Marshall. The book was published by Random House in 1998. The film presents History in a personal, intimate telling.
- DirectorRodney RayContrary to the hero's welcome received by other veterans, the majority of men returning from Vietnam were barely given a handshake of appreciation...much less parades and accolades. Their training did not prepare them to gracefully blend back into civilian life afterward, especially if some cruelly perceive you to be a 'baby killer.' This documentary takes a closer look at their service and family life. As each man recounts his story and contemplates the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, we get a glimpse into the lives of these unheralded heroes.
- DirectorTammy NguyenStarsAdria BallardBert BallardKyla Ballard"Operation Babylift" was a $2 million dollar US initiative that airlifted over 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country to protect them from the impending threat of the Communist Regime. Coined by some as "one of the most humanitarian efforts in history," it was also plagued by lawsuits and political turmoil. Even with the best intentions, these adoptees grew up facing a unique set of challenges in America, including prejudice overshadowed by a controversial war and cultural identity crisis. Nearly 35 years later, this documentary takes a candid look at a significant yet untold event as seen through the eyes of the volunteers, parents, and organizations directly involved, as well as uncovers the "lost" stories of the the adoptees and who they have become as adults. This documentary is not just a a historical piece, but gives a contemporary voice and perspective on international adoption today through the eyes of the adoptees themselves.
- DirectorScott BassTy PonderStarsJerry AndersonPat FarleyHoward FisherBETWEEN THE LINES explores the Vietnam War through the prism of the surfing sub-culture. The film looks at the dramatic effect that the Vietnam War and draft had on young American men who rode waves. Narrated by John Milius, Between the Lines explores the choice that most draft age surfers faced during the Vietnam War era: either go to war or evade the draft. It was one or the other. Between the Lines delves into the lives of two surfers who choose opposite paths. Pat Farley and Brant Page. While following the lives of these two surfers the film chronicles the impact of the Vietnam War on the surfing lifestyle. From the peaceful shores of Hawaii to the canopy jungles of Vietnam, Between the Lines excavates the surfing cultures response to an extraordinary circumstance.
- DirectorWalt HefnerStarsWalt HefnerHenry KissingerRichard NixonA young combat cinematographer films grunts in Vietnam. He is seriously wounded at the battle of Khe Sanh.
- DirectorSusan Morgan CooperStarsEddie AdamsMarc AnthonyPeter ArnettIn 1968, in 1/500th of a second Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerrilla point blank. Some say that photograph ended the Vietnam war. The photo brought Eddie fame and a Pulitzer, but Eddie was haunted by the man he had vilified. He would say, "Two lives were destroyed that day, the victim's and the general." Other's would say three lives were destroyed. Eddie Adams, like most artists, was tortured by his need for perfection. Nothing he did ever satisfied him. He carved out many careers shooting covers for Life, Time, and even Penthouse. Yet, somehow, he was always pulled back into documenting wars, 13 all together. Finally he hit the wall and couldn't take it anymore. He began shooting celebrities because "It doesn't take anything from you." Eddie was comfortable with kings and coal miners. During his time with Parade magazines he photographed Clint Eastwood, Louis Armstrong, Mother Teresa, and Pope John Paul.
- DirectorClay ClaiborneStarsMartin SheenVIETNAM: AMERICAN HOLOCAUST exposes one of the worst cases of sustained mass slaughter in history, carefully planned and executed by presidents of both parties. Our dedicated generals and foot soldiers, knowingly or unknowingly, killed nearly 5 million people, on an almost unimaginable scale, mostly using incendiary bombs. Vietnam has never left our national consciousness, and now, in this time, it has more relevance than ever. Claiborne documents the Whitehouse fabrication of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and further, raises the question of whether JFK was assassinated to promote the Vietnam War. Martin Sheen, who played the leading role in Apocalypse Now almost 30 years ago, has generously lent his powerful voice to this actual history of the War in Vietnam.
- DirectorAnthony GiacchinoThe Camden 28 explores how and why 28 individuals intentionally placed themselves at risk of arrest and imprisonment while protesting the war in Vietnam. Featuring a treasure of archival materials and current interviews with former FBI agents involved in the case and scholars such as Howard Zinn, The Camden 28 is a story about a potent form of dissent that has special relevance to our current political climate.
- DirectorDoan HoangStarsNam HoangVan TranAnne HoangAccompanied by gripping images from the war, 'Oh, Saigon' is an in-depth, compelling documentary about one refugee family's attempts to face its divided past and heal the physical and emotional wounds of the Vietnam War.
- DirectorDavid ZeigerStarsMichael AlaimoEdward AsnerJoe BangertNO! SIR! tells an almost entirely forgotten story of the military men and women who forced the U.S. government to end the Vietnam War
- DirectorAlfredo E. RivasStarsRafi MatosA Puerto-Rican Vietnam veteran returns to the site where he was injured in combat 36 years prior.
- DirectorGeorge ButlerStarsJohn KerryDavid AlstonDan BarbieroA documentary on Senator John Kerry's Navy tour of duty in Vietnam, his contributions to the peace movement that followed, and the ultimate shape of his future political career.
- DirectorCarlton SherwoodStarsCarlton SherwoodKenneth W. CordierGeorge DayIn the mid 1960's thousands of young American men left their families, homes and jobs and went to fight for their country in Southeast Asia. Many of them never returned. Others were shot down and captured behind enemy lines. They were forced to suffer years of brutal treatment at the hands of the Communist captors. In the opinions of this political affiliation, their horrifying days of darkness, starvation and torture were made worse by the actions of a young American Officer named John Kerry.
- DirectorCraig LindvahlFive stories of service and sacrifice, all from a small area of rural Illinois. A marine survives the siege at Khe Sahn, a young man receives the Medal of Honor for his actions in the delta, an army nurse deals with the casualties of war, a young soldier is caught in one of the worst ambushes of the war, and a local woman corresponds with thousands of G.I.s.
- DirectorBeth BThe generation gap is difficult enough to bridge on its own-add a father's service in Vietnam and the gap gets even wider. Following three veterans and their grown children back to the land where they witnessed incredible carnage as soldiers, director Beth B investigates "what we pass on from one generation to the next" in the hope that the experience will help both fathers and children come to grips with the war and each other. In doing so, she provides proof that the trauma of war does not end when peace begins.
- DirectorCoco SchrijberStarsEddie AdamsMichael HerrVeterans of the Vietnam War tell about their experiences. The disasters but also the glorious moments of war. The central figure in the documentary is the scenario writer of Full Metal Jacket, Michael Herr. The veterans describe how it felt to kill for the first time and how those feelings still hunt them.
- DirectorBestor CramMike MajorosAn emotional, poetic, and lyrical journey back in time to reflect on the highly contested Vietnam War.
- StarsGavin MacFadyenA detailed history of key Vietnam War battles, from 1954 to 1975.
- StarsMartin SheenDaniel EllsbergEdward G. LansdaleHow and why America became involved in the Vietnam War.
- DirectorBarbara SonnebornStarsXuan Ngoc NguyenBarbara SonnebornIn this film made over ten years, filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn goes on a pilgrimage to the Vietnamese countryside where her husband was killed. She and translator (and fellow war widow) Xuan Ngoc Nguyen explore the meaning of war and loss on a human level. The film weaves interviews with Vietnamese and American widows into a vivid testament to the legacy of war.
- DirectorFreida Lee MockTerry SandersStarsEverett Alvarez Jr.Ron BlissFred CherryThe story of U.S. fighter pilots shot down over North Vietnam who became POWs for up to 8 and a half years.
- DirectorJerry BlumenthalPeter GilbertGordon QuinnStarsJoe MantegnaThe last American officials were airlifted out of Vietnam from the embassy roof in Saigon in 1975. Most have never returned. In 1998, World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports organized a 16-day, 1100 mile bicycle expedition through once war-torn Northern and Southern Vietnam. A non-profit organization that focuses on events for the disabled, World T.E.A.M. Sports drew an array of veterans from the U.S. and Vietnam, as well as celebrity riders like Greg La Monde and Senator John Kerry. Those without use of their legs used special hand-powered bikes, while blind riders pedaled from the back of tandem bikes. What is immediately apparent on the veterans' arrival in Vietnam is that their biggest handicaps are the ghosts of their pasts. Past enemies ride as one team in peace across a landscape they once killed to stay alive on. Much more than a race, the ride is an exorcism; the real finish line is the painful emotional confrontation each must make alone along the way.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsDieter DenglerWerner HerzogEugene DeatrickGerman-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Viet Cong, recreating many events for the camera.
- StarsLouis Gossett Jr.
- DirectorAlan SapersteinStarsScott CamilJack CarrouthJohn BriggsIn 1973 in Gainesville Florida, seven former Viet Nam vets and one non-veteran were all accused of planning to attack the 1972 Republican National Convention with automatic weapons, explosives, cross-bows, and slingshots. The accusation was part of the FBI's attempt to disrupt the efforts of the Vietnam Veterans against The War.
- DirectorBill CouturiéStarsTom BerengerEllen BurstynJ. Kenneth CampbellFeature-length documentary film featuring real-life letters written by American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines during the Vietnam War to their families and friends back home.
- DirectorMalcolm ClarkeStarsBob GuntonA grim portrait of Vietnam War Veterans, living out their lonely lives in the American wilderness, unable to cope with the lasting effects of their traumatic war experiences.
- DirectorPeter C. RollinsStarsCharlton HestonReed IrvineJohn McCainTelevision's Vietnam, narrated by Charlton Heston, is a two-part documentary in which military experts, scholars, journalists and Vietnamese exiles contrast what actually happened in Vietnam with widespread myths and misunderstandings. It was produced by U.S. press watchdog group Accuracy in Media in response to angry protests from Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese exiles about Public Broadcasting's $5.6 million series, "Vietnam: A Television History." In addition to Heston, it features interviews with Accuracy in Media chairman Reed Irvine and Vietnam veterans including a young John McCain.
- StarsWill LymanHenry KissingerWilliam C. WestmorelandAn in-depth look at the Vietnam War.
- StarsJoseph B. AndersonPeter BraestrupAnthony AstuccioA comprehensive history of the American stage of the Vietnam War.
- DirectorBarry Alexander BrownGlenn SilberStarsKarleton ArmstrongBetty BoardmanAllen GinsbergInterviews with people involved with and leading the Madison, Wisconsin area resistance to the Vietnam war.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorFrancine ParkerStarsJane FondaDonald SutherlandPamela DoneganAvailable for the first time since it mysteriously disappeared in 1972 after only one week in theaters, this raucous film is a riveting slice of the Vietnam anti-war movement.
- DirectorFrank CavestaniCatherine LeroyStarsScott GrahamRon KovicThis documentary film follows the exploits of Ron Kovic and the Vietnam Veterans against the War on an epic journey to the Republican Convention in Miami Florida, in 1972 to protest the USA involvement in the war and Richard Nixon's Presidency.
- DirectorMichael RubboStarsMichael RubboRichard HughesPresents the people of Saigon as seen through the eyes of 3 young American journalists exploring the consequences of the Vietnam war, and the American presence in Saigon.
- DirectorWinterfilm CollectiveStarsRusty SachsJoe BangertScott ShimabukuroFor three days in 1971, former US soldiers who were in Vietnam testify in Detroit about their war experiences. Nearly 30 speak, describing atrocities personally committed or witnessed, telling of inaccurate body counts, and recounting the process of destroying a village. The atrocities are casual, seem routine, and are sanctioned or committed by officers. Images from the war illustrate the testimony; there's a side discussion among veterans about racism and a couple of interviews about the soldiers' self-realization. The testimony appears in the US Congressional Record on April 6 and 7, 1971. A "winter soldier" contrasts with Paine's "summer soldier and sunshine patriot."
- DirectorSherman BeckStarsCharlton HestonInspired by a series of articles by Thomas Duggan Goss. Part One - Vietnam:The People and the War - The Vietnamese in their normal daily routine. Their lives when having been affected by insurgents. Wives of prisoners of war in Vietnam talking about their incessant activities on behalf of their husband's plights. (36:28) and Part Two - Vietnam:The Debate Students, Wounded U.S. Soldiers, Demonstrators, and a number of elected officials, foreign dignitaries, and lawyers air their personal and/or political feelings about the Vietnam War in the 1960's and in the early 1970's. (21:21)
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsVerna BloomJay CocksHarvey KeitelIn the late Spring of 1970, nationwide protests against the war in Vietnam focused in the Wall Street area of New York City and ultimately in a major anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C. A group of New York University film students documented the demonstrations as they happened in both cities. Later, in New York, the massive amount of black and white and color 16mm footage was edited into this important record of the day by day events. The extended final scene, shot by Edward Summer in a hotel room in Washington, D.C., is a spontaneous conversation among Martin Scorsese, Harvey Keitel, Jay Cocks and Verna Bloom who, along with a large group of NYU students, found themselves frustrated and perplexed by the events and hopeful that the protests would result in change.
- DirectorEugene S. JonesStarsMichael MilehamMost powerful Vietnam war doco not available except on Facebook page
- DirectorEmile de AntonioStarsHarry S. AshmoreDaniel BerriganJoseph ButtingerA documentary chronicling the background to, and history of, the Vietnam War.
- DirectorBeryl FoxExamines the war in Vietnam through the first-hand experiences of Bernard Fall, journalist, war correspondent, and scholar.
- DirectorDavid Loeb WeissFilmed at an anti-war march from Harlem to the United Nations in 1967 on the occasion of Martin Luther King's speech at the U.N in which he questioned the disproportionate percentage of black soldiers in combat in Vietnam. (The title paraphrases one of boxer Muhammad Ali's stated reasons for refusing to serve in the war.) Four hundred thousand people participated in demonstrations ion New York on that day. On-street interviews with black residents of Harlem are interlaced with the comments of three black soldiers who had recently returned from the war.
- DirectorJoris IvensMarceline Loridan IvensDuring some months, the Dutch movie director Ivens and some North Vietnamese colleagues filmed the life of North Vietnamese peasants under the menace of heavy American bombardments. The result is an indictment of all forms of war.
- DirectorPierre SchoendoerfferStarsJoseph B. AndersonStuart WhitmanThe director, a French veteran of the Indochina war (La 317e Section), returned to follow a platoon of American soldiers for six weeks at the height of fighting in Vietnam in 1966. The documentary discusses the background and fate of the soldiers and emphasizes how much American culture pervades the soldiers' behaviors in the midst of jungle life and fighting.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardJoris IvensWilliam KleinStarsAnne BellecKaren BlanguernonFidel CastroIn seven different segments, Godard, Klein, Lelouch, Marker, Resnais, and Varda show their sympathy and support for the North Vietnamese army during the Vietnam War.
- DirectorBeryl FoxStarsBernard FallThai NguyenA documentary on the war in South Vietnam shot entirely on location. There is no narration and no use of archive footage. The participants speak for themselves. The filmmakers spend time with units from many services: army, tanks, marines, ARVN, air cavalry. They accompany an air force napalm and strafing attack on a Viet Cong bunker complex. There are many scenes both of Saigon streets and of peasant village life. Soldiers speak of their experiences and their mission to fight Communism in Vietnam. One American informant says that the Vietnamese peasant is not interested in ideology, but in social justice, a piece of land, fair taxation, and to be left alone. Some interviews are used as voice-over. Participants, American and Vietnamese, are very natural, with little or no posturing for the camera. There are scenes of dead Viet Cong, and one showing a VC suspect being drowned to aid interrogation.