Sandra C. Taylor. Vietnamese Women at War: Fighting for and the Revolution. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999. xii + 188 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-7006-0927-7.

Reviewed by Donna Crail-Rugotzke

Published on H-Minerva (July, 2000)

Taylor describes the quickly disappearing his‐ French rule. Communists appealed to them by ad‐ tory of Vietnamese women's participation in the vocating independence from foreign dominance War. Using Taylor's own oral interviews, and supporting women's rights. Still, women were Rand Corporation interviews and a variety of bound by traditional gender roles and feared ac‐ archival sources, the author explores women's cusations of immorality if they "consorted freely contributions to and sacrifces for an independent with men" (p. 23). Vietnam. While Taylor focuses mainly on armed Surprisingly, Vietnam has a long history of women, she does not ignore women's other con‐ women fghters. Taylor briefy describes the his‐ tributions nor does she sugarcoat the dangers torical and symbolic importance of the Trung sis‐ faced by these women. Despite the pain this war ters, who defeated the Chinese army in 40 C.E. caused many women, Taylor views Vietnamese During the twentieth century, Vietnamese women women as active participants in their own history fought the Japanese, French,and later, Americans. and not as victims. According to Taylor, women played an increasing‐ Taylor provides the reader with a brief histo‐ ly important role in defeating the Japanese during ry of Vietnam from the dynasties to the French World War II and seizing power from the French. period. Traditionally, women enjoyed few rights Yet, the bulk of this work focuses on women who in Vietnam. They were bound by Confucius' teach‐ fought against the United States and South Viet‐ ings which demanded women's obedience to their nam. She explains who these women were and is fathers, husbands, and sons. The French colonial careful to identify regional variations in the tasks government did not challenge women's subordi‐ women performed. Taylor notes that many of nation to male relatives. Instead, the French these women were young women or . They added to their misery by mistreating and sexually were a valuable asset because they were easy to exploiting women laborers. Like Vietnamese men, train and were not as likely to be burdened with women would have many reasons to oppose family responsibilities. The fact that American sol‐ H-Net Reviews diers did not regard women and girls as threats in new technologies. Taylor leaves the reader with increased their value as guerrilla fghters. an image of women helping women in Vietnam. Not all female supporters of Vietnamese inde‐ When analyzing her sources, Taylor is her pendence fought. Women made excellent porters own biggest critic. Throughout this work, Taylor because they could carry heavy loads over long questions the accuracy of statistics provided by distances. In addition, they freed men to fght by Communist sources. She also identifes some of taking men's places in the felds. In South Viet‐ the problems presented by her interviews with nam, urban elites, Buddhists, and other Non-Com‐ surviving "long-haired warriors" from Dinh Thuy. munist women contributed to the "third force." Some of these women were quite old and did not These women advocated peace, participated in remember certain events. Other interviewees demonstrations, and in a few cases, immolated may have remembered their deeds as particularly themselves. Although Americans had once advo‐ heroic because of "their sense of selves," Viet‐ cated the third force as the best alternative to namese gender roles, and women's position in the colonialism or , Taylor blames the history of their country (p. 18). Taylor also makes U.S. entry into the war for eliminating this alter‐ no claims that her interviews are representative native (p. 92). of the entire Vietnamese population. She states After examining the lives of today's Viet‐ that her interviews did not "cover the entire coun‐ namese women, the reader may wonder if the re‐ try" and that she was unable to "interview people sult was worth women's sacrifces and sufering. at random on the streets" (p. 7). After reading this From the beginning, women risked capture, tor‐ book, it is easy for the reader to assume that most ture, and death. This war also took a personal toll of Taylor's interviews were from Dinh Thuy. If on female participants. Many women were torn this is not the case, Taylor should have included a between their duties to their families and their table or footnote with the number and locations duties to their nation. The Communist Party en‐ of her interviews. couraged women to hold of on love and marriage This work does sufer from some minor orga‐ until after the war ended, which proved too late nizational errors. For example, readers may fnd for many. Although the war is over, the Viet‐ Taylor's use of the term "long-haired warriors" namese are still struggling with malnutrition, dis‐ confusing because diferent defnitions appear ease, and environmental destruction. Women face throughout the text. Taylor initially uses "the ap‐ additional burdens such as limited educational pellation given to women who had fought for opportunities and . Moreover, their country during the war with the United Vietnam's ofcial histories ignore women's contri‐ States" as a defnition (p. 2). Yet, this reviewer got butions to independence. the distinct impression later in this work that Although many women paid a hefty price for long-haired warriors were women from the their involvement in this war, Taylor cautions Mekong Delta (p. 72). Fortunately, she eventually readers against viewing these women as victims. explains the diferent defnitions and uses of this Throughout the book, Taylor depicts women's cre‐ term (p. 79). For future editions, Taylor may want ativity. For example, women compensated for the to move this information into one of the frst scarcity of weapons by making their own (p. 89). chapters of the book. Vietnamese women also are actively preserving Despite these minor criticisms, this book is their past and aiding other women. For example, defnitely worth reading. While the oral histories the Vietnam Women's Union encourages reunions may not be 100 percent accurate, they provide in‐ for "long haired" warriors and has trained women sight into Vietnamese women's lives. Readers will

2 H-Net Reviews gain a greater understanding of women's struggle against their nation's enemies and the cultural constraints placed on their lives. Indeed, this work will make a valuable contribution to wom‐ en's and military history. Copyright (c) 2000 by H-Net and Minerva: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military. All rights reserved. This work may be copied for non- proft educational use if proper credit is given. For other permission, contact [email protected].

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Citation: Donna Crail-Rugotzke. Review of Taylor, Sandra C. Vietnamese Women at War: Fighting for Ho Chi Minh and the Revolution. H-Minerva, H-Net Reviews. July, 2000.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=4339

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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