Written in journals and notebooks by ordinary soldiers who fought against American forces in Vietnam, the poems collected in this volume fill a longstanding void in the literature of that war. In addition to offering a revealing window into another culture – a culture that prizes poetry as an integral part of social life – the pieces provide a rare look at the conflict from the perspective of those who served in the National Liberation Front, the People’s Armed Forces, and the People’s Army of Vietnam. 
The format of this edition is bilingual, to enable both Vietnamese and American readers to share and appreciate these poignant and deeply personal documents, which were often written under fire and always in the face of death.