First published 1967
Jonathan Schell documents the complete destruction of Ben Suc, a farming village thirty miles from Saigon that served as a Vietcong stronghold. On January 8, 1967, American forces launched a surprise attack, keeping the operation secret even from South Vietnamese allies. The military plan was total: surround the village, evacuate all inhabitants, destroy every building, and level the surrounding jungle. Schell accompanied the operation from start to finish, witnessing the bewildering challenge of identifying Vietcong among ordinary villagers. The 3,500 residents were relocated to Phu Loi refugee camp, a barren area where they could bring only what they carried. Bulldozers flattened their homes while the displaced farmers, with no work available, sank into despair. Schell presents individual portraits of women, children, and elderly men caught in this upheaval. His account reveals how American military skill and good intentions failed due to cultural misunderstandings and the gap between villagers and the Saigon government.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-clash, displacement
Setting: Ben Suc, Saigon, Phu Loi
Period: 1967
189 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf
Content warnings: violence, war