‘Magnificent and moving … Although Hastings deals with the high politics brilliantly, it is his account of the war on the ground that lifts this book above its competitors … Even by Hastings’s own standards, this is a masterful performance, deftly balanced, immaculately researched and written with immense flair’ Sunday Times
‘Magnificent … one by one, the sacred cannons of right and left are obliterated. The war is laid bare with all its uncomfortable truths exposed’ The Times
‘Engaging, provocative and insightful …Neophytes and experts alike will find Hastings’s book stimulating, informative – and above all, riveting’ New Statesman
‘It will surely be the last word on the tactical and military chronicle of the war, the main reference book for schools and universities for future generations’ Evening Standard
‘Max Hastings’ epic new history will surely set the benchmark for years to come … He has written many excellent histories, but this maybe his best … Exhaustively researched and superbly written, it is both a balanced account of how and why the war unfolded as it did, and a gripping narrative on what it was like to take part …This is history as it should be; objective, immersive and compelling’ 5 stars
Daily Telegraph
‘This fabulous work offers up a gut wrenching glimpse of the reality of war’ 5 stars
The Sun
‘Max Hastings’s big, bold, brilliant account of ‘Nam … is crammed with detail, cameo and insight … a stellar stand-out book’
Sunday Express
‘A brilliant, brutal and unflinching history of Vietnam … Powerful and chilling … Hastings is masterful at describing the conditions faced by young American soldiers … though he does not spare the brutal realities, he also possesses a novelist’s eye for the bizarre detail that somehow illuminates the random chaos of the world beyond … Hastings is second to none in his ability to describe military strategy with a clarity that makes things entirely understandable to the layman’ 5 stars
Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
‘A work of considerable quality, marked by a possibly unique combination of military expertise, historical grasp and journalistic skill’
The Observer
‘Impressive … vivid descriptions and moving prose … Hastings shines in his ability to let those who experienced the war tell their stories … makes for a fast-paced, poignant and often eye-opening read’
Literary Review
‘Magnificent, his best work … full of extraordinary and compelling detail and thoroughly informed by his own personal experience of so much of the war. It’s written in unputdownable style, with a dispassionate, liberal-minded understanding of the detail of the war, which draws on testimony from every side and doesn’t favour anyone. I’ve never read a better history of the wars in Vietnam, and it’s hard to see how anyone will be able to improve on this’
John Simpson
‘Max Hastings’s fast-paced and often compelling narrative will surely rank as one of the best … where the book excels is in telling the stories of countless people from numerous countries who got caught up in the 30-year struggle … At its best Hastings’s book deftly integrates decision-making with its impact on policy and people … remarkably comprehensive … immensely readable … Hastings’s book admirably captures the experiences of many different people at different times in a long and complex war’
The Spectator
‘A product of Hastings’s prodigious research and his aptitude for pungent judgements … Almost every … page contains riveting facts … Hastings’s detailed reports of battles … are as successful as printed words can be in achieving his aim of answering the question “What was the war like?”’
Washington Post
‘Max Hastings’s VIETNAM is, far and away, the best I’ve read on the topic — and I’ve finished 75 or more. Great telling of 30 years of Vietnam history from 30,000 feet — then diving down frequently to tell the personal and small unit stories. All done with a very even hand. I continue to recommend it to all my fellow Vietnam veterans.’
Richard Lennon, Capt USMC, Vietnam 1968, retired Corporate Executive
‘As a young Navy lieutenant I served two tours in Vietnam in the 1960’s. I was XO of one the first river patrol boat units on the Bassac River, part of the Mekong, in 1966, XO of another unit on the Saigon ship channel in 1967, and Navigator of a frigate on NSAR station in the Tonkin Gulf later in 1967 … Your book is the best I have read by far. The anecdotes are insightful and often exciting. The conclusions your draw from them, and from the overall war, are irrefutable. Your book should be read by every senior officer and every politician in the US’
Vietnam veteran
