The Best We Could Do

by

Thi Bui

During the Vietnam War, a guerilla army of South Vietnamese communists that fought alongside North Việt Nam, and against the South Vietnamese army and the United States. It is best remembered for launching the Tết Offensive.
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Việt Cộng Term Timeline in The Best We Could Do

The timeline below shows where the term Việt Cộng appears in The Best We Could Do. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Preface
Memory and Perspective Theme Icon
In the late 1950s, the Việt Cộng began military activities in the South. Starting in 1955, the United States gradually escalated its... (full context)
Chapter 6: The Chessboard
Repression and Freedom Theme Icon
Memory and Perspective Theme Icon
...this photo was misinterpreted—not because the South Vietnamese were not brutally violent, but because the Việt Cộng man shot in the photo had just massacred “an entire family.” (full context)