Miniseries · PBS
The Vietnam War
There is no single truth in war.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Peter Coyote
Self - Narrator (voice)
10 eps
Karl Marlantes
Self - Marines (1969)
1 eps
Bao Ninh
Self - N. Vietnamese Army
1 eps
Tran Ngoc Toan
Self - S. Vietnamese Marines
1 eps
Lam Quang Thi
Self - S. Vietnamese Army
1 eps
John Musgrave
Self - Marines (1967)
1 eps
Duong Van Mai
Self - Hanoi
1 eps
Mike Heaney
Self - Army (1966)
1 eps
Donald Gregg
Self - CIA
1 eps
Bui Diem
Self - S. Vietnamese Diplomat
1 eps
Dong Si Nguyen
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
Nguyen Van Tong
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
George Wickes
Self - OSS
1 eps
Nguyen Thoi Bung
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
Rufus Phillips
Self - CIA
1 eps
Vincent Okamoto
Self - Army (1968)
1 eps
Le Quan Cong
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
Leslie H. Gelb
Self - Pentagon
1 eps
Huy Duc
Self - North Vietnam
1 eps
Nguyen Ngoc
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
Tim O'Brien
Self - Army (1969)
1 eps
Le Cong Huan
Self - Viet Minh
1 eps
Henry Kissinger
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Tran Ngoc 'Harry' Hue
Self - S. Vietnamese Army
1 eps
Richard Nixon
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Roger Harris
Self - Marines (1967)
1 eps
Lyndon B. Johnson
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Robert McNamara
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Hal Kushner
Self - Danville, VA
1 eps
Sam Wilson
Self - Army
1 eps
John F. Kennedy
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Ron Ferrizzi
Self - Army (1968)
1 eps
Harry S. Truman
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Charles de Gaulle
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Woodrow Wilson
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Adolf Hitler
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
Douglas Gracey
Self - British Military (archive footage)
1 eps
Hồ Chí Minh
Self (archive footage)
2 eps
Joseph Stalin
Self - Politician (archive footage)
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Vietnam War actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Vietnam War reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Emotional Weight.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The story
What it's about
An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E01
Déjà Vu (1858-1961)
After a century of French occupation, Vietnam emerges independent but divided into North and South.
- Directed by Lynn Novick, Ken Burns
- Written by Geoffrey C. Ward
S01E02
Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)
As a communist insurgency gains strength, JFK wrestles with American involvement in South Vietnam.
S01E06
Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
Shaken by the Tet Offensive, assassinations and unrest, America seems to be coming apart.
S01E09
A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973)
South Vietnam fights on its own as Nixon and Kissinger find a way out for America. The POWs return.
S01E05
This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967)
President Johnson escalates the war while promising the public that victory is in sight.
S01E03
The River Styx (January 1964-December 1965)
With South Vietnam near collapse, LBJ begins bombing the North and sends US troops to the South.
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S00E02
Reflections on the Vietnam War
S01E10
The Weight of Memory (March 1973-Onward)
S01E09
A Disrespectful Loyalty (May 1970-March 1973)
S01E08
The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)
S01E07
The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)
S01E06
Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Lynn NovickProducer
- Ken BurnsExecutive Producer
- Ken BurnsProducer
- Sarah BotsteinProducer
Writing
- Geoffrey C. WardWriter
Direction
- Lynn NovickDirector
- Ken BurnsDirector
Cinematography
- Buddy SquiresDirector of Photography
Music
- Atticus RossOriginal Music Composer
- Trent ReznorOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- PBS Documentaries Amazon ChannelStreaming
- ThirteenStreaming
- WETA+Streaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Turning Point: The Vietnam War
2025
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
Elvis, the Colonel and the Mob
2026
Non-fiction storytelling · Similar storytelling style
Apocalypse: World War I
2014
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
Amend: The Fight for America
2021
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
Fear City: New York vs The Mafia
2020
Non-fiction storytelling · Similar storytelling style
The Zelensky Story
2024
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
The Queen's Gambit
2020
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Apocalypse: The Second World War
2009
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
2022
Non-fiction storytelling · Similar storytelling style
Surviving Black Hawk Down
2025
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
1975-1995 : le choix des armes
2025
Power and consequence · Non-fiction storytelling
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Tour of Duty
1987
Stay with stories about power, and what it costs the people holding it.
The Pacific
2010
Another study of who holds the room — and who pays for it.
Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre
2025
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Zero Day
2025
Another study of who holds the room — and who pays for it.
Generation War
2013
Stay with stories about power, and what it costs the people holding it.
Violet Evergarden
2018
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation