Home > The Vietnam War > Miniseries « TV Series Page The Vietnam War: Miniseries (2017) Want to see Episode List Miniseries The Vietnam War Critics Consensus The Vietnam War revisits a dark chapter in American history with patience, grace, and a refreshing -- and sobering -- perspective informed by those who fought. 98% TOMATOMETER Critic Ratings: 47 96% Audience Score User Ratings: 577 More Info × Close Submit review Want to see Submit review Super Reviewer Super Reviewer Tap to review this movie Review this tv season Edit Review Super Reviewer Rate this season Oof, that was Rotten. Meh, it passed the time. It’s good – I’d recommend it. Awesome! So Fresh: Absolute Must See! What did you think of this tv season? (optional) Submit Continue Super Reviewer Step 2 of 2 How did you get your ticket? Submit By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket. Super Reviewer Rate this season Oof, that was Rotten. Meh, it passed the time. It’s good – I’d recommend it. Awesome! So Fresh: Absolute Must See! What did you think of this tv season? (optional) Submit How did you get your ticket? Submit By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Episodes 1 Déjà Vu (1858-1961) Air date: Sep 17, 2017 The first installment of a 10-part, 18-hour history of the Vietnam War. After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south. More 2 Riding the Tiger (1961-63) Air date: Sep 18, 2017 President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds. More 3 The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965) Air date: Sep 19, 2017 With South Vietnam in chaos, hardliners in Hanoi seize the initiative and send combat troops to the south, accelerating the insurgency. Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Johnson escalates America's military commitment, authorizing sustained bombing of the north and deploying ground troops in the south. More 4 Resolve (January 1966-June 1967) Air date: Sep 20, 2017 Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the south, while Saigon struggles to "pacify the countryside." As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers' war. More 5 This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967) Air date: Sep 21, 2017 American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the central highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson Administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight. More 6 Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968) Air date: Sep 24, 2017 On the eve of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on Johnson's promise that there is "light at the end of the tunnel." The president decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest. More 7 The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969) Air date: Sep 25, 2017 Public support for the war declines, and American men of draft age face difficult decisions and wrenching moral choices. After police battle with demonstrators in the streets of Chicago, Richard Nixon wins the presidency, promising law and order at home and peace overseas. In Vietnam, the war goes on and soldiers on all sides witness terrible savagery and unflinching courage. More 8 The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970) Air date: Sep 26, 2017 With morale plummeting in Vietnam, President Nixon begins withdrawing American troops. As news breaks of an unthinkable massacre committed by American soldiers, the public debates the rectitude of the war, while an incursion into Cambodia reignites antiwar protests with tragic consequences. More 9 A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973) Air date: Sep 27, 2017 South Vietnamese forces fighting on their own in Laos suffer a terrible defeat. Massive U.S. airpower makes the difference in halting an unprecedented North Vietnamese offensive. After being re-elected in a landslide, Nixon announces Hanoi has agreed to a peace deal. American prisoners of war will finally come home?to a bitterly divided country. More 10 The Weight of Memory (March 1973-Onward) Air date: Sep 28, 2017 In the finale, the Watergate scandal rivets Americans' attention and forces President Nixon to resign; and the Vietnamese continue to savage one another in a brutal civil war. When hundreds of thousands of North Vietnamese troops pour into the south, Saigon descends rapidly into chaos and collapses. For the next 40 years, Americans and Vietnamese from all sides search for healing and reconciliation. More The Vietnam War: Miniseries Videos 0:30 The Vietnam War: Trailer - No Single Truth 0:30 The Vietnam War: First Look - Profound Sense of Humanity 0:30 The Vietnam War: Trailer - Fought 0:30 The Vietnam War: Trailer - Remember 0:30 The Vietnam War: First Look - Combat Is An Enormous High 1:59 The Vietnam War: First Look - Christmas Bombings 0:30 The Vietnam War: First Look - Everybody's Special View All Videos (7) The Vietnam War: Miniseries Photos View All Photos (24) Tv Season Info Genre: Documentary Network: PBS Premiere Date: Sep 17, 2017 Cast Peter Coyote News & Interviews for The Vietnam War: Miniseries Best Movies and TV 2017 Best TV Shows by Genre 2017 New On DVD This Week: Wonder Woman, The Big Sick, and More View All The Vietnam War: Miniseries News Episodes 1 Déjà Vu (1858-1961) Air date: Sep 17, 2017 The first installment of a 10-part, 18-hour history of the Vietnam War. After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south. More 2 Riding the Tiger (1961-63) Air date: Sep 18, 2017 President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds. More 3 The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965) Air date: Sep 19, 2017 With South Vietnam in chaos, hardliners in Hanoi seize the initiative and send combat troops to the south, accelerating the insurgency. Fearing Saigon's collapse, President Johnson escalates America's military commitment, authorizing sustained bombing of the north and deploying ground troops in the south. More 4 Resolve (January 1966-June 1967) Air date: Sep 20, 2017 Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the south, while Saigon struggles to "pacify the countryside." As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers' war. More 5 This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967) Air date: Sep 21, 2017 American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the central highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson Administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight. More 6 Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968) Air date: Sep 24, 2017 On the eve of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks throughout the south, suffering devastating losses but casting grave doubt on Johnson's promise that there is "light at the end of the tunnel." The president decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest. More 7 The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969) Air date: Sep 25, 2017 Public support for the war declines, and American men of draft age face difficult decisions and wrenching moral choices. After police battle with demonstrators in the streets of Chicago, Richard Nixon wins the presidency, promising law and order at home and peace overseas. In Vietnam, the war goes on and soldiers on all sides witness terrible savagery and unflinching courage. More 8 The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970) Air date: Sep 26, 2017 With morale plummeting in Vietnam, President Nixon begins withdrawing American troops. As news breaks of an unthinkable massacre committed by American soldiers, the public debates the rectitude of the war, while an incursion into Cambodia reignites antiwar protests with tragic consequences. More 9 A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973) Air date: Sep 27, 2017 South Vietnamese forces fighting on their own in Laos suffer a terrible defeat. Massive U.S. airpower makes the difference in halting an unprecedented North Vietnamese offensive. After being re-elected in a landslide, Nixon announces Hanoi has agreed to a peace deal. American prisoners of war will finally come home?to a bitterly divided country. More 10 The Weight of Memory (March 1973-Onward) Air date: Sep 28, 2017 In the finale, the Watergate scandal rivets Americans' attention and forces President Nixon to resign; and the Vietnamese continue to savage one another in a brutal civil war. When hundreds of thousands of North Vietnamese troops pour into the south, Saigon descends rapidly into chaos and collapses. For the next 40 years, Americans and Vietnamese from all sides search for healing and reconciliation. More Critic Reviews for The Vietnam War Miniseries All Critics (47) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (1) An excellent 10-part documentary series about the Vietnam War. Dec 26, 2017 | Full Review… Justin Burke The Australian Top Critic I ended up crying during Kushner's retelling, and also about a half-dozen other times while watching The Vietnam War. Sep 18, 2017 | Full Review… David Bianculli NPR Top Critic ... The Vietnam War boldly and bravely stands its ground and almost assuredly will stand the test of time. Sep 18, 2017 | Full Review… Ed Bark Uncle Barky Top Critic PBS's The Vietnam War is another masterpiece by Burns and Novick. It's powerful proof of something Burns once said -- history doesn't repeat itself, but human nature never changes. Sep 17, 2017 | Full Review… Eric Deggans NPR Top Critic A must-watch: The most important TV program of the year. Sep 17, 2017 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review… Verne Gay Newsday Top Critic As the world once again faces uncertain times, The Vietnam War challenges an entire nation to examine the sources of its enmity and not repeat catastrophes so recent that those directly affected by it can still lend their voices to the warning. Sep 18, 2017 | Rating: A | Full Review… Steve Greene indieWire Top Critic Rewatchable itchingly often. Mar 13, 2018 | Full Review… Euan Ferguson Observer (UK) The Vietnam War covers a lot, but never forgets the human element. [Full review in Spanish] Oct 5, 2018 | Full Review… Daniel Krauze El Financiero Hollywood should approach the reason of Vietnam with a comprehensive overproduction of the political, economic, social and ideological aspects collected in the magnificent documentary by Burns and Novick. [Full Review in Spanish] Sep 23, 2018 | Full Review… Juan Jesus Aznarez El Pais (Spain) There have been vivid Vietnam movies, but don't kid yourself: the 'horror' of Apocalypse Now is escapist stuff next to the implacable record of the Burns/Novick movie. Aug 20, 2018 | Full Review… David Thomson London Review of Books Those who fought in the war and those who fought against it will certainly want to watch this series. Apr 16, 2018 | Full Review… Andrew J. Bacevich The Nation Burns and Novick are great researchers, but they've outdone themselves. Jan 16, 2020 | Full Review… Chris McCoy Memphis Flyer View All Critic Reviews (47) Audience Reviews for The Vietnam War: Miniseries Oct 28, 2019 Absorbing and non sensational. Illustrates perfectly how documentaries need to be conducted. Roger J Oct 14, 2019 It's hard to imagine that a more thorough and emotive documentary on war has ever been created. The Vietnam War is made unforgettable by its interviewees and the slow, tense unraveling of their stories. Many of the historical elements of this documentary are well recorded elsewhere, but for many it is a blessing to be given a dedicated chronology of events throughout the series, beginning at French occupation in Indochina up to the present day. History comes alive through the interviewees. Irrespective of what side they fought on, there is a thread of humanity that runs through every person who speaks in the documentary. The viewer becomes intimately connected with these people and their stories because they return in every episode. We don't just hear about the chaos and fear of a jungle firefight, we hear from their families, the Thanksgiving audio recordings and how veterans tried to live with the effects of the war once they returned home. Burns and Novick do not privilege American tragedy and give airtime to North and South Vietnamese alike, as well as civilians, journalists, advisers and families. It is impossible not to share in the therapeutic retelling of these stories, especially the US veterans. We become so intimately connected with many of the interviewees that towards the end of the documentary there's great suspense to see if a happy ending is possible for someone, anyone. It's a credit to the filmmakers that they tie in these stories so well with the larger themes of warcraft, politics and civilian protest. The documentary also does well to place Vietnam in the context of the Cold War, the 1960s and changes in American society, without ever losing focus on Vietnam. This is a documentary about the Vietnam War, but more than that it is a documentary about people and their struggle to survive and do what they think is right. By the end of the series, you will not be able to stop thinking about those who were involved and how their lives would forever be shaped by Vietnam. George D Jun 10, 2019 Harrowing and deeply tragic. A truly emotional depiction of the war. Kate C Mar 29, 2019 A perfect documentary series. The Vietnam War explores the American-Vietnam conflict from a myriad of angles while keeping the viewer involved with some spectacular editing, resulting in an exhaustive narrative with a gripping pace. Brad Y Mar 06, 2019 An absolutely stunning, thorough and unbiased look at the Vietnam War. Ken Burns is a master documentarian who creates magnificent documentaries. The run-time looks daunting when you're deciding whether to invest your time into watching, and imo it goes by really fast due to how engrossing the material is that's presented. This is the brutal truth of what led to the war, what occurred during the war and how awful the end of the war was executed. There were simply too many mistakes upon mistakes which snowballed into inefficiency and a war fought solely due to public perception. Take the time to learn about what happened during this tragic time. This should be required viewing for American History courses. Up next, I'm now looking forward to his documentary re World War 2. Riff J Dec 10, 2018 The most comprehensive documentary produced on Vietnam War. A Must Watch documentary on US politics. Betrayal of US citizens and Vietnamese citizens by their leaders and their governments. Exceptional directing and narration!! Bash N Nov 26, 2018 Inspired and beautifully balanced. It is, after all a Ken Burns documentary. Tim W Oct 07, 2018 An incredibly well told history lesson When people think about war, they should never see with the simplistic eyes of the Second World War, or the American Civil War, or the long gone wars of the past. They should think loud and clear about this one, messy, wrong and meaningless, and how well told that lesson is sent through this documentary's eyes. Sep 19, 2018 Love Ken Burns docs - factual historical information intertwined with varying personal experiences & perspectives. Great footage & music that captures the charged emotions of the time! Julie G Sep 17, 2018 This is the sort of documentary that I wish a teacher would've shown to me back when I was in school. It would have gotten my full attention and curiosity not only for this particular subject but for history in general. There are just things that a boring textbook can't convey like the deeply emotional personal narrative of the survivors, for example. Even weeks after finishing the last episode I still find myself thinking about certain accounts, revelations, or crucial dates. It's an 18-hour experience that captivated me from the very beginning and it set the standard for how such a documentary should be made. The makers did an impeccable job by starting all the way back to the mid-19th Century during the time of French colonialism and showing how America got involved in Vietnam in the first place. They then continue to highlight both sides or parties of the war and give each of them enough screen time to tell the audience their part of the story. That way you get a good understanding of why they fight or, equally as important, why they choose not to fight. The documentary, obviously, dives headfirst into the many mistakes that were made along the way. I could only shake my head in disbelief at the fact that countless lives were lost, because of the stupid decisions of one person or a small group. In most cases, these people had no idea what it's like to be in the shoes of their soldiers or the innocent people who were indifferently seen as casualties of war. It's a harrowing tale told in a brutal, truthful, and visceral manner. Benni B See all Audience reviews News & Features 150 Erotic Movies Ranked worst to best! 2019's Most Anticipated 63 movies coming up this year 200 Essential Movies Chosen by RT staff! 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