Short Synopsis
Journalist Bernard B. Fall describes the brutality and frustrations of the Indochina War, the savage eight-year conflict in which French forces suffered a staggering defeat at the hands of Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists.

Full Synopsis
In this classic account of the French war in Indochina, Bernard B. Fall vividly captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the savage eight-year conflict in the jungles and mountains of Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1954. The French fought well to the last, but even with the lethal advantages of airpower, they could not stave off the Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists, who countered with a hit-and-run campaign of ambushes, booby traps, and nighttime raids. Defeat came at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, setting the stage for American involvement and opening another tragic chapter in Vietnam's history.

"British narrator Derek Perkins . . . . provides an admirable reading of a remarkable story and an important piece of history." ---AudioFile

"A dramatic treatment of a historic event . . . the vast panorama of the Indochina struggle emerges with graphic impact." ---The New York Times Book Review

"A poignant, angry, articulate book." ---Newsweek