Foreword

Why do Americans know about Vietnam? Why do the peoples know it? That's a small, poor country that's quite common on the Earth. Yet, why does the word 'Vietnam' evoke some kind of emotion, feeling? 50 years before, an ordinary man didn't even know that Vietnam exists, or if he happen to know, the only thing he would know that where it is and is lived by Chinese-like people.

Vietnam was made widely known by the war. The war gave her reputation, made her well-known. The war that's known to be the longest and the most unpopular war of the USA. Many people think that was the wrong war at a wrong place. Not only did the outsiders, but also the Americans think so. That was the long fight that divided the country in an economic boom, took her in despair, made her politics instable and shocked her public opinion. That was the first war that could be watched every night on TV channels, like a soup opera. Everyone listened to the news at dinner, where it was always announced that how many battles were taken place that day, what's the number of the wounded, the casualties and the loss of weapons. Little wonder if there weren't great demonstrations as long as these kinds of information weren't reported. However, when everyone knew nearly everything, the dark side of the war had to be shown and that brought some outrages about.

One should also take in consideration that the final desparated struggles for equality, for the rights of the Black, simply for the civil rights happened in the US. The winner of the World War II, the Great Power had to cope with many unsolved problems in her foreign policy (Cold War) as well as in her internal politics. The program for aiding the poor initiated by J. F. Kennedy in the 60s, the curb of racism and the emancipation of the Black had to be implemented. In these years, the students started asserting their view. That was the time of the rebellious generation, the time of the long hair, LSD and the torn outlook. Many student organisations were founded that wanted to change the policy, the mentality of people. The energetic as every young. They seemed to be ready to redeem the world, their purpose was first published at small meetings, later at the demonstrations.