The Vietnam War was a harrowing fight that lasted for 20 years andleft the American homefront deeply divided, with numerous historians and filmmakers having tackled the subject over the years in gripping documentaries. Originally a civil war between the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese forces and the American-backed Southern front, the conflict quickly evolved into a full-scale proxy war. The Americans faced a disastrously long campaign, and it eventually devolved into an unwinnable conflict.
The war was devastating for Americans and Vietnamese alike, but it can be difficult to recall the extent of the suffering 50 years after it ended. That’s why documentaries about the war are so crucial, and many ofthe best Vietnam War documentariesserve to remind viewers about these tragedies. While the war is now a distant memory that still leaves scars on the Vietnamese landscape today, these movies and shows serve as a reminder of the true effect of the war.
11Turning Point: The Vietnam War (2025)
Produced By Brian Knappenberger
Netflix’s documentaryTurning Point: The Vietnam Waris a five-part miniseries that details the entire course of the war. It follows the early days, before American troops joined the fighting, and chronicles the storythrough the post-war periodand its enduring legacy. It proved to be a critically acclaimed documentary, earninga100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
TheTurning Pointdocumentary series previously focused on 9/11 and the Cold War.
Like otherTurning Pointdocumentaries, itfocuses on the entire history rather than targeting one specific aspect of the war. In doing so, it serves as an effective tool to learn the gist of this conflict before delving into more specific documentaries.
The Vietnam War is generally considered thefirst true televised war, as the media was allowed an unprecedented glimpse into the horror of battles. News channels broadcast some of the bloodiest and most brutal moments in extreme detail, leading to widespread backlash as the American people were shocked at the horrifying scale of the war.
Vietnam in HDwas narrated by Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and originally aired on the History Channel.
Just as the title promises, the 2011 documentaryVietnam in HDonly makes the war more devastating. The ability toeffectively capture the horrors of warmakes this six-part miniseries a must-watch for anyone looking to learn more about the conflict. With a detailed look at 13 American stories, it doesn’t capture the full extent of the fighting, but it doesexplore everything from the draft to life in different branches.
9Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam (1987)
Directed By Bill Couturié
Released in 1987,Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnamdebuted a decade after the war ended. Using existing war footage alongside narrated letters written by real-life soldiers, the documentarydepicts the events of the war through an extremely personal lens. In doing so, it creates a deeply emotional and effective story to follow.
It also featureda truly renowned cast of voice actors, including Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams, andPlatoon’s Willem Dafoe. That incredible cast helped to seed a compelling narrative into a documentary that is only loosely strung together by the letters. Still, the structure of the documentary is its most impressive detail, as it must have taken months in the editing room to perfect.
8Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War (1980)
Produced By Michael Maclear
Many documentaries restrain themselves to the length of a feature film or a TV time slot. In its effort to truly depict the reality of the Vietnam War, however,Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day Warignored those expectations. This Canadian documentary hoped to tell the entire story of the war witha 13-hour portrayal, stretched across 26 episodes. While it is an extremely long collection of stories, it’s stilla documentary worth watching without delay.
The documentary takes a fairly objective perspective, favoring neither the Vietnamese nor American forces.
Executive producer Michael Maclear had an unprecedented opportunity to capture the reality of the war, as he was granted privileges that no other Western journalist was allowed. The Vietnamese government trusted him to gather footage and survey the land without too many procedural barriers. Because of that, the documentary takes a fairly objective perspective, favoring neither the Vietnamese nor American forces.
7The War At Home (1979)
Directed By Glenn Silber & Barry Alexander Brown
Shortly after the Vietnam War ended,The War at Homeportrayed a different side of the fighting from other documentaries. While most focused on the deadly fighting overseas, it turned its attention to the American homefront. The anti-war protesters became the most crucial element of this work, asthe filmmakers focused on protests in a college town.
The War at Homefocuses partly on the Sterling Hall car bombing of 1970, which killed a researcher and devastated the town of Madison, Wisconsin.
This documentary managed to receive a100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it certainly earned that mark. By focusing on a single town, itcompellingly depicts the escalations in tensionand fear over a decade-long period that eventually led to literal explosions. The documentary received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, but lost to 1979’sBest Boy.
In the Year of the Pigwas released during the Vietnam War itself, and proved to be extremely influential. After all, it offered a sharp critique of America’s foreign policy strategy, alienating many viewers and bringing others into the fight against the war. Whilemany Vietnam War movieswere anti-war after it ended,Year of the Pigshocked audiences with its profound stance.
It exuded an air of hopelessness that perfectly matched the era.
Because the war was still ongoing when it was produced,it exuded an air of hopelessness that perfectly matched the era. It would earn an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, ultimately losing toArthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life.Rubinsteinmight have impressed the Academy, butYear of the Pighad an impressive real-world impact bygalvanizing a new generation of protesters.
While the protesters at home drew attention,Sir, No Sir!took a different route to portraying the anti-war stance. Released long after the war, this documentary was able to gather more unclassified information about the military’s response to Vietnam. Because of that,Sir, No Sir!could tell the story of individual military protests.
It was an especially important feature, and not only because it portrayed a new side to the war that was often overlooked. Unfortunately, many drafted Vietnam veterans faced vilification upon returning home, as they wereviewed as active agents of an unjust war.Sir, No Sir!helped fight that narrative, proving that many soldiers were fighting against the Vietnam War just like the civilians back home.
4Winter Soldier (1972)
Directed By Rusty Sachs & Michaël Weill
The year 1971 was incredibly important in the fight to end the Vietnam War. After 15 years of constant fighting, the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War led an event to bring more attention to their cause. The Winter Soldier Investigation would allow them to share details of war crimes and other horrors taking place overseas.
Decades after it first premiered,Winter Soldierwas re-released in theaters in 2005.
Winter Soldierattempted to bring that event to an even wider audience. Dozens of veterans shared their experiences, pleading for an end to the war in a documentary released amid the conflict. Upon debut, it failed to garner much attention, but it remains a critical piece of data about the reality of the war. Over time, the documentary even earned a100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 94% audience rating.
3Last Days In Vietnam (2014)
Directed By Rory Kennedy
In many ways,the fall of Saigonrepresented the end of an era for Americans. The war would end after a North Vietnamese victory, President Nixon would face an unceremonious defeat, and the last American troops would leave the country after two years of limbo. The documentaryLast Days in Vietnamtells the story ofthe desperate escape by American citizensand the ethical struggles that the soldiers faced.
Operation Frequent Wind is a fascinating historical event that deserves more attention.
The documentary received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature, due to its shocking portrayal of an event that was two decades in the making. It strikes a balance between individual reporting and objective footage, making for an in-depth look at an underappreciated moment in American and Vietnamese history. Operation Frequent Wind is a fascinating historical event that deserves more attention, and Rory Kennedy depicted it perfectly.
As its title suggests,Hearts and Minds(1974) was a genuine attempt to win the hearts and minds of the public. Released shortly before the war’s end, it was intended to prove to the American people that the war was pointless. Even without any narration, it communicated its message with surprising ease, and it was rewarded for its efforts.
The Vietnam War began in 1955 and only ended in 1975, one year afterHearts and Mindswas released.
Though it earned criticism for failing to portray pro-war messaging,Hearts and Mindswon the Oscar for Best Documentary, and would eventually earn recognition from the government it criticized. It is now housed in the National Film Registry, due to its historical and cultural significance. While it isa dark and disturbing documentary, it left an impact on a divided nation and contributed to greater outcry against the war.
