Strategic Hamlets in South Vietnam

Book excerpt: The strategic hamlet program in South Vietnam deserves careful consideration in light of the fact that war had been the central fact of many Vietnamese lives for many years. This paper delineates both the development of the program and studies the effect that the seemingly similar Communist insurrection in Malaysia (known as the Malayan Emergency) had upon American dealings with the insurgency in South Vietnam. Osborne, in one fascinating and revealing chapter, presents the commentary of both the Allied and North Vietnamese officials upon the successes and failures, real or perceived, of this program. An illuminating, focused, and important work.