Studying the people involved and the events that transpired throughout the war in Vietnam can go far beyond a history class unit. Below I have suggested ideas for incorporating this unit into other disciplines. You can see how this topic has touched so many avenues of academia...

Interdisciplinary Unit Objectives  At the end of a subject-integrated unit, the students will be able to…

       Business

…explain the major implications involved during the Vietnam War and describe how they effect the present economy. In addition, students will be able to recognize and explain why the United States needs Vietnam today. They will also focus on why the U.S. war effort helped Asian growth. Furthermore, students will be able to describe how the Vietnamese government effects foreign investors. As a result of this integrated unit effort, the students will be able to make valuable economic decisions in the future.

English

…write a five to seven page paper in which they choose a topic that has been explored throughout the unit. The given format of the paper will be an open option for the students. For example, written work can be completed via reader response, in a persuasive or informative format, or in another appropriate format approved by the teacher. The topics include implications of the Vietnam War revealed in The Heart of Darkness, poetry relating to the Vietnam War, and issues explored in Platoon, Miss Saigon, and Forrest Gump. Details such as how the war was portrayed in the particular piece, whether or not the work gave an accurate depiction of the war, and thoughts on how the war has changed morals and values of today’s society should be included in the students’ papers. By completing their papers, the students will have an informed knowledge base in relation to the characteristics and implications of the Vietnam War. The students will be able to critically analyze texts, develop research skills, and formulate writing techniques.

Foreign Language

…discuss the circumstances and events that led up to the French colonization of Vietnam, citing various factors and their significance. The students will also be able to describe some of the French-Vietnamese customs, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the French language’s influence on Vietnam’s society by using songs and pieces of literature pertaining to French-colonized Vietnam. From a linguistic perspective, the students will examine the words and concepts of both languages by comparing and contrasting them to their knowledge of the English language. This will serve as just one way of increasing their understanding of how language works. From a political perspective, the students will be able to recognize and describe the dimension of power the French had over the country of Vietnam and the clashing styles of national and local governing the French and traditional Vietnamese exhibited. From a geographical perspective, the students will utilize maps to locate and identify the sites and regions where the French exploited and cultivated indigenous resources.

Unit Descriptions

Business

Thailand became America’s principal ally in mainland Southeast Asia, serving as a key staging post for U.S. troops and military hardware going into Vietnam. Thailand and the Philippines believed the U.S. war in Vietnam would buy them time to fight their domestic communist insurgencies. In the end it was economic development which defeated the communists in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. That economic development was spurred by the conflict. The U.S. war effort poured cash into local businesses and drove up commodity prices, fueling Asian growth. Today progress in Vietnam is uneven. Televisions made in Hanoi are sold in Denmark with a “Made in Korea” label. “Who would buy them if the box said ‘Made in Vietnam?’” asks Hoang Viet Dung. “We’ll change it when we establish a name for ourselves.” Many Vietnamese entrepreneurs wish there were more American companies to sign deals with.  Americans are also trying to take advantage of the lifting of the trade embargo against Vietnam. For American corporations the next few years in Vietnam may bring a bonanza. For the Vietnamese, their share in this bonanza is not at all certain.

English

Students will discuss major themes in relation to literature that reflect on myths, beliefs, morals, and emotions, regarding the Vietnam War. In a five to seven page paper, these ideologies will be personally explored in further detail.  In addition to the lesson, the students will be given a chance to invite guest speakers (relatives who were directly involved in the war), to discuss with students the realities of the war. Throughout the unit, the students will gather their work, such as their five to seven page paper, notes, poetry, handouts, daily journals, maps, and programs. All of these items will be submitted as a scrapbook that will be evaluated for their final grade.

Foreign Language

The students will explore the reasons why France first colonized this geographical area, as well as their political, cultural, and social influences on the Vietnamese. As students with little to no previous exposure to French are introduced to the language, we will demonstrate its linguistic effect not only on the Southeast Asian region, but also in the education of the young Vietnamese. The students will learn about the contrasting daily lives of the French upper class and the Vietnamese peasants, in part, by examining the French plantations that used the Vietnamese for hard labor.