Season 1: The Vietnam War | Broadcast Version
The Vietnam War is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will air on PBS this Fall – Sunday, September 17, 2017. In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The Vietnam War features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses.
After a century of French occupation, Vietnam emerges independent but divided.
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Déjà Vu (1858-1961)
As a communist insurgency gains strength, JFK wrestles with US involvement in Vietnam.
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Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)
The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965)
With South Vietnam near collapse, LBJ bombs the North and sends US troops to the South.
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The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965)
Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)
US soldiers discover Vietnam is unlike their fathers’ war, as the antiwar movement grows.
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Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)
This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967)
President Johnson escalates the war while promising the public that victory is in sight.
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This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967)
Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
Shaken by the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, America seems to be coming apart.
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Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)
After chaos roils the Democratic Convention, Nixon, promising peace, wins the presidency.
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The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)
The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)
Nixon withdraws troops but upon sending forces to Cambodia the antiwar movement reignites.
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The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)
A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973)
South Vietnam fights alone as Nixon and Kissinger find a way out for America. POWs return.
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A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973)
The Weight of Memory (March 1973-Onward)
Saigon falls and the war ends. Americans & Vietnamese from all sides seek reconciliation.
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