Perfume River

America's entrance into the wars in Vietnam came as a result of several factors. Among them was the necessity of bolstering French influence in the area in the face of mounting communist expansion. This expansion was intensified by the outbreak of the Korean War, making it necessary for the United States to revamp its Southeast Asian policy. During the French era, control of Vietnam's rivers, streams and canals became necessary. This led various factions to develop specialized military units heavily dependent on new types of river craft that could traverse the myriad waterways in Vietnam. The focal point of this study is a new assessment of the conduct of river warfare. Drawing on little-known French, Vietnamese and American sources and materials, it sheds light on an important aspect of the Vietnam War. Chapters also detail numerous aspects of river warfare not generally covered in other books on the subject.

The Rough Guides series contain full color photos, three maps in one, and arewaterproof and tearproof. They contain thousands of keyed listings and brightnew graphics.

Vietnam opened its doors to tourists in the late 80s and, while at first a destination frequented by backpackers and war veterans, its appeal has grown ever since. Blessed with a long coast sprinkled with casuarina-lined beaches, the country now attracts sun-lovers and surfers, with resorts and spas sprouting all along the coast. Part of the award-winning Eyewitness series, this sumptuously illustrated guide leads readers to it all, from the floating markets of the Mekong Delta in the south to the hill towns inhabited by the Hmong minority in the north, and the best beaches to be found in between. A full chapter is dedicated to Angkor in neighboring Cambodia, with the astounding temples illustrated in glorious detail. Whether zipping around old Hanoi in a pedal-powered cyclo or dining on the exquisite local cuisine, the Eyewitness Guide to Vietnam and Angkor Wat is indispensable.

The Rough Guide to Vietnam is the essential guide to one of Southeast Asia's most enticing destinations. Roam the markets, temples and shops of thousand-year-old Hanoi, and then slow the pace down with a trip to national parks or the remote highlands. From the rugged mountains of Ha Giang in the north to the pancake-flat Mekong Delta in the south, the Rough Guide's honest and up-to-date appraisals will steer you to the best places to stay, eat and party across every price range. Reviews take in hill-tribe homestays, quirky hostels, boutique hotels, sophisticated restaurants and delicious street food, while informed and accessible writing covers everything from Buddhism to battlefields. This fully revised edition is full-colour throughout, helping the country's tremendous food, impressive colonial architecture and colourful ethnic minorities leap from the page, and detailed maps offer clear guidance.

The bloody, month-long battle for the Citadel in Hue during 1968 pitted U.S. Marines against an entrenched, numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force. By official U.S. accounts it was a tactical and moral victory for the Marines and the United States. But a survivor's compulsion to square official accounts with his contrasting experience has produced an entirely different perspective of the battle, the most controversial to emerge from the Vietnam War in decades. In some of the most frank, vivid prose to come out of the war, author Nicholas Warr describes with urgency and outrage the Marines' savage house-to-house fighting, ordered without air, naval, or artillery support by officers with no experience in this type of deadly combat. Sparing few in the telling, including himself, Warr's shocking firsthand narrative of these desperate suicide charges, which devastated whole companies, takes the wraps off an incident that many would prefer to keep hidden. His account is sure to ignite heated debate among historians and military professionals. Despite senseless rules of engagement and unspeakable carnage, there were unforgettable acts of courage and self-sacrifice performed by ordinary men asked to accomplish the impossible, and Warr is at his best relating these stories. For example, there's the grenade-throwing mortarman who in a rage wipes out two machine-gun emplacements that had pinned down an entire company for days, and the fortunate grunt with thick glasses who stumbles blindly—without receiving a scratch—across a street littered with the dead and dying who hadn't made it. In describing the most vicious urban combat since World War II, this account offers an unparalleled view of how a small unit commander copes with the conflicting demands and responsibilities thrust upon him by the enemy, his men, and the chain of command.