"George Dutton has written the first detailed Western-language study of the Tây So’n movement, which permanently altered Vietnam’s political trajectory. But in so doing, he also provides a sensitive social and cultural analysis of the pre-1800 Vietnamese-speaking world as a whole, and indeed one of the most detailed descriptions of any late 18th-century society in Southeast Asia." —Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan "It is difficult to overstate the significance of George Dutton’s terrific new book. The Tây So’n Uprising represents the first serious western-language account of the intricate sequence of political developments that define the Tây So’n era and that arguably mark the onset of modernity in Vietnam. In addition to providing a vividly evocative narrative of the complex political history of the period, Dutton offers lucid and judicious interpretations of the origins, evolution and downfall of the uprising and of its consequences for a wide range of social groups, political forces and ethnic communities. The level of research and historical craftsmanship is superb, and Dutton’s frequent reflections on relevant theoretical and historiographical issues make for fascinating reading. In short, this is a stunning accomplishment and a major contribution to the study of Vietnamese history and historiography." —Peter Zinoman, University of California, Berkeley The Tây So’n uprising (1771–1802) was a cataclysmic event that profoundly altered the eighteenth-century Vietnamese political and social landscape. This groundbreaking book offers a new look at an important and controversial era. George Dutton follows three brothers from the hamlet of Tây So’n as they led a heterogeneous military force that ousted ruling families in both halves of the divided Vietnamese territories and eventually toppled the 350-year-old Lè dynasty. Supplementing Vietnamese primary sources with extensive use of archival European missionary accounts, he explores the dynamics of an event that affected every region of the country and every level of society. Tracing the manner in which the Tây So’n leaders transformed an inchoate uprising into a new political regime, Dutton challenges common depictions of the Tây So’n brothers as visionaries or revolutionaries. Instead, he reveals them as political opportunists whose worldview remained constrained by their provincial origins and the exigencies of ongoing warfare and political struggles.

The Tay Son Rebellion covers a major civil war in Vietnam. The country had been divided into north and south for 150 years: the Trinh dynasty in the north, and the Nguyen dynasty in the South. Both dynasties allowed corruption to grow, and their people suffered. The three Ho brothers started a peasant uprising in the center, in Tay Son, and eventually defeated both warlords. They let a young Nguyen prince escape, and he is helped by a French Catholic Bishop, who raises a small French Navy in India to help the young Prince Nguyen Anh attack the Ho brothers. The outcome helps determine important parameters of modern Vietnam. More at www.TheTaysonRebellion.com

This new edition masterfully explains the origins and outcome of America's war in Vietnam by focusing on its local dimensions.

The Republic of (South) Vietnam is commonly viewed as a unified entity throughout the two decades (1955–75) during which the United States was its main ally. However, domestic politics during that time followed a dynamic trajectory from authoritarianism to chaos to a relatively stable experiment in parliamentary democracy. The stereotype of South Vietnam that appears in most writings, both academic and popular, focuses on the first two periods to portray a caricature of a corrupt, unstable dictatorship and ignores what was achieved during the last eight years. The essays in Voices from the Second Republic of South Vietnam (1967–1975) come from those who strove to build a constitutional structure of representative government during a war for survival with a totalitarian state. Those committed to realizing a noncommunist Vietnamese future placed their hopes in the Second Republic, fought for it, and worked for its success. This book is a step in making their stories known.

In this historical reassessment of southern Vietnam and its distinct culture, Li Tana illuminates the resourceful qualities of the Dong Trong pioneers, develops a meticulous analysis of the Nguyen trade and taxation systems, and, in the process, redefines the chief cause of the Tay Son rebellion. Li Tana's study focuses on the socio-economics of Nguyen Cochinchina, such as: the role of foreign merchants, the region's trading economy, demographic influences, religious and cultural values, how Nguyen rule affected Vietnamese settlers, relationships with uplanders, and processes of localization and identity formation.

This comparative study of piracy and maritime violence provides a fresh understanding of European overseas expansion and colonisation in Asia. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This work describes riverine combat during the Vietnam War, emphasizing the operations of the U.S. Navy’s River Patrol Force, which conducted Operation Game Warden; the U.S. Army-Navy Mobile Riverine Force, the formation that General William Westmoreland said “saved the Mekong Delta” during the Tet Offensive of 1968; and the Vietnam Navy. An important section details the SEALORDS combined campaign, a determined effort by U.S. Navy, South Vietnamese Navy, and allied ground forces to cut enemy supply lines from Cambodia and disrupt operations at base areas deep in the delta. The author also covers details on the combat vessels, helicopters, weapons, and equipment employed in the Mekong Delta as well as the Vietnamese combatants (on both sides) and American troops who fought to secure Vietnam’s waterways. Special features focus on the ubiquitous river patrol boats (PBRs) and the Swift boats (PCFs), river warfare training, Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., the Black Ponies aircraft squadron, and Navy SEALs. This publication may be of interest to history scholars, veterans, students in advanced placement history classes, and military enthusiasts given the continuing impact of riverine warfare on U.S. naval and military operations in the 21st century. Special Publicity Tie-In: Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War (Commemoration dates: 28 May 2012 - 11 November 2025). This is the fifth book in the series, "The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War." TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction The First Indochina War The Vietnam Navy River Force and American Advisors The U.S. Navy and the Rivers of Vietnam SEALORDS The End of the Line for U.S. and Vietnamese River Forces Sidebars: The PBR Riverine Warfare Training Battle Fleet of the Mekong Delta High Drama in the Delta Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. Black Ponies The Swift Boat Warriors with Green Faces Suggested Reading