Vietnam 360

In Vietnam, danger could come from an ambush, a minefield, the jungle itself, or a stranger whose loyalties were impossible to read.

When author and historian Jeff Steel approached Australia’s Vietnam veterans, he didn’t know whether they would want to talk. Eventually over forty veterans responded, entrusting him with stories they wanted recorded.

Built from extensive interviews, Vietnam 360 follows them from conscription and training to rubber plantations, dense jungles and the uneasy environment in and around the base at Nui Dat. They describe a war in which danger could come without warning – from an ambush, a minefield, the jungle itself or the man who had sold them a can of Coke the day before.

But this was not only an infantryman’s war. Behind every patrol and combat operation was a complex support network of cooks, signallers, drivers and logistics personnel who kept the Australian force supplied, connected and moving.

With striking candour, the veterans recall fear and uncertainty, split-second decisions and moral ambiguity. They remember, too, the dark humour that broke the tension and the experiences that followed them home.

Their stories extend beyond the battlefield to withdrawal, homecoming and the fate of those left behind.

Vietnam 360 records the war these men experienced, remembered – and wanted their grandchildren to understand.