"The 10 Best Memoirs of the Vietnam War" Topic

I hardly call any of those Best memoirs.

Interesting list, but I wasn't expecting so many high-level memoirs on it. I would have had "Chickenhawk" at least on it, and "The Lost Battalion of Tet" (think I got that right) could be a contender simply for its anger. Somewhere I have a book that's the diary of a magazine journalist there, filled with little vignettes and attempts to find moments of value in the war.

Mason's Chickenhawk, as mentioned above, is a glaring omission from this list.

I'd add these;

link

link

and this;

link

Thought the ECW was the "war without an enemy" 'til I read Lindsay's list – not a single contribution from the other side of the conflict.

Try "Bare Feet, Iron Will", by James Zumwalt.

oh how long have you got?

Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat: James R. McDonough

Once a Warrior King: Memories of an Officer in Vietnam David Donovan

Blood Trails: The Combat Diary of a Foot Soldier in Vietnam
Christopher Ronnau

Guns Up!: A Firsthand Account of the Vietnam Wae Johnnie Clark

are stories from down in the boonies.

Low Level Hell Hugh Mills

Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam
Randy R. Zahn

Are helicopter pilots stories both of which I found more interesting than Chickenhawk, which iswell worth a read as well.

And of course because the war wasn't just on the ground in the south.

When Thunder Rolled: An F-105 Pilot Over North Vietnam & Palace Cobra: A Fighter Pilot in the Vietnam Air War Ed Rasimus

Thud Ridge: F-105 Thunderchief Missions over Vietnam
Jack Broughton

Fatman

And of course all of the above are biographies/memoirs as mentioned in the OP. There are a number of very good tactical histories available as well.

Two of the books mentioned by Stosstruppen fall into this bracket but I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend Nam by Mark Baker, while it has some good bits I'm afraid its lack of names and sources and the fact that some of it smacks to much of "Sven Hassel does the Nam." Just my opinion mind you. If you want a similar but much better book of this type read Dear America Letters from Vietnam. If I was to recommend one book as a Vietnam primer it would be Dear America.

Fatman

Blood on the risers- Leppelman. Not for everybody

This is a great book from the Vietnam Cong viewpoint
A Vietcong memoir
Book by Trương Như Tảng

If we're looking at Vietnamese memoirs, Le Ly Hayslip's When Heaven and Earth changed places is excellent, albeit depressing as all hell.

Baptism by Larry Gwin. LZ Xray after LTC Moore left.

Fields of Fire by James Webb

Johannes while a good read Fields of Fire is fiction.

Fatman

I'd second ;

"Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason
"A Vietcong memoir" by Trương Như Tảng
"Low Level Hell' by Hugh Mills

and

"Fields Of Fire" by James Webb ..although this is more like a novel, but an excellent read if you can find it. (anyone got a copy to trade/sell?)

and add;

"The Sorrow of War" by Bao Ninh
"Acceptable Loss" by Kregg Jorgensen
"A Bright Shining Lie" ..David Hackworth
"The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam." by John Plaster
"Tiger Men" by Barry Petersen
"Republic of Vietnam Army Ranger"; which are chapter-length accounts of various engagements from various ARVN Ranger Company Commanders,(not one sole author)

and include here ;

"We were soldiers once.." by Moore and Galloway
"A bright shining lie" by Sheehan (…both more like personal histories/accounts than 'histories' per se )

…right now I'm reading "Mekong Mud Dogs" by Ed Eaton, haven't finished yet, but am enjoying much.