"ARVN Resources? " Topic

Does anyone have good recommendations for books that focus on the ARVN? I am looking for wargame related history, but it is a bonus if ARVN history is placed within good context for the war.

Size of the literature does not scare me, price is the biggest limiting factor. Language as well (English).

The Easter Offensive is something that I would like to read about as well. I have seen Dale Andrade's "America's Last Vietnam Battle: Halting Hanoi's 1972 Easter Offensive" but it looks like it is focused more on US advisers than the ARVN specifically. However, it may still provide the information I am looking for.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

You might take a look at Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75 by George Veith. It's been awhile but I remember it being pretty readable

Our interests are similar crazycaptain. What we seek is similar to the holy grail.

Festerfest's recommendation is quite good. Books on the tactical level with combat detail are only marginally existent to my knowledge.

I have several, none of which are totally satisfactory. The problem is that nearly all written in English by participants are by U.S. advisors who were usually directing airstrikes and therefore in a command bunker.

I have particularly been searching for books on the tactical level by Vietnamese authors. I have three.

Steel and Blood: South Vietnamese Armor and the War for Southeast Asia by Ha Mai Viet, former Colonel, ARVN. It has been several years since I read any of these, but I think this went into the most combat detail.

Republic of Vietnam Army Ranger by Hieu Vu.

Republic of Vietnam Commandos by Hieu Vu.

You may find reviews on Amazon and of course they should still be available for purchase from that site.

Many more buying choices can usually be found on bookfinder.com
which scours thousands and thousands of online book sellers.

I must say that none of these books were as satisfying as what is available about U.S. units on the tactical level. I have only read each of them once. Many of my books from predominantly the U.S. experience I have read 2-4 times.

Tom

Just remembered another that I have.

Hell in An Loc:The 1972 Easter Invasion and the Battle that Saved South Vietnam by Lam Quang Thi.

It is probably the best of all those that I have. I don't know how I overlooked it when I went to my Vietnam books earlier.

The same author wrote an earlier book I do not have, The Twenty-five Year Century: A South Vietnamese General Remembers the Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon.

Tom

You will get tired of hearing from me.

Another book that may interest you is The Battle of An Loc by James WIllbanks. I do not have it, but have read the Amazon reviews.

Any of these books by Americans will have a heavy emphasis on U. S air support. To some degree this is so because of the relative quantity of source material available to an author. ARVN sources are hard to come by. But some of the reviews seem to indicate there may be good coverage of the ARVN too.

Another one I no longer have is Into Laos by Keith William Nolan. I recall that it dealt fairly well with the ARVN. It was somewhat depressing, however.

Tom

I have a couple of the same that Tom does (hey Tom!!!). I've heard rumor of a book by an ARVN Major called "Tigers of the Republic" but have never seen it. It supposedly covers the author's career in the Rangers as well as the regular army and his brother's career in armor. Supposed to have a lot of tactical detail as well as army politics. Wish I knew the writer's name!

Another place to look is Australian small press companies, I know a couple have put out memoirs by former ARVN commanders that were province chiefs and the like.

Thanks guys

Especially you Garryowen!!!

Thanks to our wonderful university databases many of my books this semester were available via eBook, so I have some extra funds for personal purchases (even if not related to my period).

So, next time I hear a Vietnamese speaking individual on my campus I will make him/her interested in the ARVN. This is incredible that there is so little research. Especially, it seems, on the academic end which thrives in unspoken topics.

"Republic of Vietnam Army Ranger" by Hieu Vu is an awesome collection of personal accounts of ARVN rangers , from earliest days to the last days. More of the centre-of-gravity of the stories are from the latter period. The personal accounts are remarkably honest, and the simple english expression adds to the rawness of the accounts. Cannot recommend this one highly enough.

"Republic of Vietnam Commandos" is a slightly different format being somewhat of a unit history of Vietnamese Special Forces formation, units and training. The second half of the book is mostly personal accounts all of them relatively tragic. The last half of the personal accounts last half are SVN POW and 'reeducation camp' stories. Amazing stories of personal hardships , but perhaps not so valuable as a wargaming reference unless you are looking to be (unsuccessfully) infiltrating teams into Nth Vietnam .
There is a book on the history of the ARVN Paras, I can't remember the title (and couldn't find it after a short search just now … something like 'angels in red berets'), which is big and expensive , but has amazing photos in it. .. worth a library loan if you can find it .

This site might be a good place to start too vnafmamn.com/index.html

ps. here it is link… 'Angels in Red Hats" by General Barry R. McCaffrey

Also suggest "Forsaken Warriors by Col Tonsetic. About his time as an advisor to ARVN in 1971. Lots of scenario fodder.

Joe