V. Le
8/13/2026
Research Articles
Volume 2, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.67419/jyi.v2i2.16
Abstract
This article examines the erasure of the South Vietnamese perspective in Vietnam War films and documentaries, arguing that this absence distorts public memory and historical understanding of the conflict. While the narratives of American soldiers and North Vietnamese ideologies are frequently centered in cinematic portrayals, the experiences, ideologies, and motivations of the South Vietnamese–those who fought to defend their sovereignty–are often sidelined, stereotyped, or omitted altogether. This line of research begins by defining the three major perspectives of the war–American, North Vietnamese, and South Vietnamese–to contextualize those which are missing. Through an analysis of documentaries like Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War, Lloyd Ellison’s Vietnam: A Television History, and other Hollywood films, this article seeks to identify recurring cinematic patterns that contribute to the marginalization of South Vietnamese characters and negates their agency, which together, produce a myopic cinematic representation of the war itself. It then explores historical factors (i.e., the intellectual climate typifying postwar academia, American reactions to refugees, and cultural stereotypes) that have contributed to this erasure. Finally, the article considers methods for addressing such displacement, including the formation of community-led film festivals and the construction of public memorials, that seek to reclaim and amplify the South Vietnamese perspective. By exposing the absence of a crucial voice of the Vietnam War in film and offering paths toward repair, this article calls for a more complete historical narrative of the war itself.