"Vietnam" was the most controversial and diverse war in 20th-century American History. Its legacy of confusion and contention continues to mar our understanding of what happened and why - and what Vietnam means for future generations. This volume sets out to shed light on the people, events and actions involved in the war. It contains three types of articles: brief, dictionary-like entries (50 to 1000 words) for easy reference to personalities, military units, and battles; longer articles (1000 to 2500 words) on major figures such as John F. Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and Henry Kissinger; and extended essays (5000 to 10,000 words) that describe and interpret major themes including "The Land and the People of Vietnam", "Diplomacy", "The Search for Peace" "The War at Home" and "The Media". The encyclopaedia is well illustrated with more than 200 maps, photographs and drawings that add important visual information to this text. For ease of use, the encyclopaedia is in alphabetical order with extensive cross-references, blind entries, and bibliographies.