NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
Vietnam marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon on April 30, and the unification of the country under Communist rule after decades of war. From the ashes, the U.S. and Vietnam now enjoy close relations, due in no small part to American veterans who sought to revive a country they once helped destroy.
View the transcript of this story. News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- When did the Vietnam War end? What else is significant about this date?
- How many bombs did the U.S. drop on Vietnam?
- Who is John Terzano, and why did he return to Vietnam?
- What is the relationship like between the U.S. and Vietnam today?
- What economic moves has the Trump administration made against Vietnam?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why do you think American soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War decided to go back and try to make amends with the people they were trained to fight against? What do you think this says about why the United States decided to go to war and the nature of war in general?
Media literacy: Why do you think the producers of this story decided to include questions about China's role in the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam? (You can use a search engine to help you answer this question.)
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
For more in-depth and interactive learning resources about the Vietnam War, you can visit our Journalism in Action page, Vietnam: Search for the Truth.
To learn more about the Vietnam War through film, watch this PBS Previews video (25 min), which features clips from the documentary The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. You can also visit the American Experience page on the Vietnam War for more films and videos.
Written by Gianfranco Beran, PBS News Hour Classroom's production assistant, and News Hour's Vic Pasquantonio.
Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources.
