Vietnamese Civil War Literature

Contributor :

Michele Beauchamp

Action Plan

I’ll continue my research and try to organize my visits to the Hanoi prison and the tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City. I will also research the locations of Catholic churches and Buddhist temples in the areas we are visiting.

Pre-Departure Preparation

As an IB English teacher I get to bring texts from many different cultures into the classroom. I plan to use excerpts from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places as a companion to The Things They Carried. As we travel, I will study and photograph areas and artifacts of the French colonial and civil war era in order to enhance my teaching of the literary works. I’m also interested in Buddhism and how Vietnamese Buddhism is distinct from Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to visiting Buddhist temples, I’d like to visit any Catholic churches I can get to.

Preparation During Travel

I’m currently reading about the Vietnam civil war period to continue to deepen my understanding of the internal struggles that characterized the country prior to the US involvement.