Vietnamese teaching about the Vietnam War is in crisis, despite its close proximity and abundance of local sources. This comparative CPD resource for KS3/KS4 history teachers reveals the challenges with teaching the subject.
Vietnamese history students are bored due to the fact-led curriculum and poor standards of teaching, resulting in widespread failure in the subject. According to some academics and politicians, Vietnam's socialist government believes that teaching students about a 'heroic' victory against the Americans makes poor economic sense.
Many of the country's war veterans are outraged by the teachings, with thousands still suffering the effects of chemical weapons used in the fighting. They feel the curriculum whitewashes the civil-war aspect of the conflict, in which north and south Vietnamese fought on opposite sides.
