History of Southeast Asia

Today the podcast is four years old. Listen for a special message on where the podcast is going from here.

Today we look at the first half of the Cambodian Civil War, the phase of the Second Indochina War in Cambodia, from 1970 to 1972. Also, if you like educational podcasts besides this one, you won't want to miss a conference coming up on June 27, 2020! Details about that are given at the end of this episode. The North Vietnamese-backed invasion of Cambodia began in late March 1970, and was halted in...

After thirteen episodes about the Second Indochina War in Vietnam, and four episodes about the same war in Laos, it is time to shift our attention to Cambodia. This episode covers Cambodian history from 1953, when independence from France was achieved, to 1970, when the Indochina War spilled across its borders. The first reign of Norodom Sihanouk is covered, and we meet the Khmer Rouge. Do you thi...

Here is the second episode for May 2020, and this one is a hair-raiser for sure! Today we cover one of the Vietnam War's most notorious events, the My Lai Massacre. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast!...

This episode covers events in the Second Indochina War, also called the Vietnam War, in 1969. In the United States there is a new president, Richard M. Nixon, and he starts the process of removing the Americans from the war, while on the streets of American cities, antiwar protests reach their peak. And over in North Vietnam, we say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh, who has been an important character in th...

In the previous episode, we came to the Tet Offensive, which many consider the climax of the Second Indochina War. However, we still have a long way to go before the Vietnam story is finished. Today's episode covers events in the rest of 1968, in Vietnam and the United States. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code,...

Today is April Fool's Day and a new episode is available for your listening pleasure. That's no joke! This episode covers what many people consider the climax of the Second Indochina War -- the Tet Offensive. Here the Americans won all the battles, but they may have lost the war here as well. Also covered are the battle of Khe Sanh, and the beginning of the end of Lyndon Johnson's presidency. Do y...

With the previous episode of the podcast, we took a break from the narrative and had a question and answer session. Now with Episode 86, we resume our ongoing narrative about the Second Indochina War, also known as the Vietnam War. Today we finish looking at the events of 1967, and that will get us ready for the Tet Offensive next time. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry?...

Today we have a special episode, where I answer the questions which you the listeners sent in last January. As with the previous Q&A show, listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here...

This episode is a day late, sorry to keep you waiting! Episode 84 continues our ongoing narrative of the Second Indochina War, better known as the Vietnam War in the United States, and the American War in Vietnam. Here the battles of early 1967 are covered, and then we look at the growing protest movement against the war, from late 1965 to 1967. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on...

Today marks the beginning of a new month, and you know what that means: a new episode of the History of Southeast Asia Podcast is online for your listening pleasure! This time we cover events in Vietnam during 1966. Besides the battles from the Second Indochina War (also known as the Vietnam War), we will look at a Buddhist revolt that has largely been forgotten in the years since then. During the...

Today we continue the ongoing narrative about the Second Indochina War in Vietnam, covering events for the rest of 1965, and culminating with the battle of Ia Drang. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast!...

Happy New Year, and here is the first episode for 2020! In Episode 81 the first American combat troops come to Vietnam, only to find that their visit will not be a short one, and that a lot more Americans will have to join them. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you wil...

Episode 80 is now available, and as promised, we are going back to follow the Second Indochina War in Vietnam. Today we look at events in 1964, with special attention on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and learn what caused the United States to get totally involved in the war. This is the last episode of the podcast scheduled for 2019, so Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year and all that!...

This episode covers the part of the Second Indochina War in Laos, the Laotian Civil War, from 1968 to 1974. Now all we have left to do with Laos is talk about how the Civil War ended, which I plan to do when we wrap up the Vietnam War as well. Here is the map I posted with Episode 74, shared again to help with the geography. Tchepone, the objective of the 1971 South Vietnamese invasion, is near th...

After a two-episode break, we are going back to the narrative about the Second Indochina War in Laos, this time covering events from 1964 to 1968, with special emphasis on the battles for Nam Bac Valley and Lima Site 85. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get th...

This is another special episode, prompted because a donor to the podcast asked three questions that I should have answered two or three years ago. May you find the answers enlightening (pun intended). You may want to go back and re-listen to the early episodes that discussed Buddhism's impact on Southeast Asia, especially Episodes 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, after hearing this. https://www.youtube.com/watc...

Today we are taking a break from the ongoing narrative. Several podcasts tell spooky stories for their late October episodes, so this episode will look at myths and legends from Southeast Asia, especially those about monsters. You may not want to listen to this alone! Among the monsters Southeast Asians believe in, one of the most hideous appears as a woman's head with an assortment of internal or...

This episode continues the narrative we started last time, on the Second Indochina War's phase in Laos, also called the Laotian Civil War. Unfortunately, the cease-fire and the coalition government set up at the end of the previous episode couldn't last. Today we look at events in 1963 and 1964, and learn the overall trends that will characterize the war until the next cease-fire is signed, in 197...

Because the previous three episodes were focused on just Vietnam, it is now time to go west and catch up on the Second Indochina War in Laos. This episode covers the history of Laos from 1954 to 1962. The communists in Laos, the Pathet Lao, would have gotten nowhere without lots of help from the communists in Vietnam. As a result, the front man for the Pathet Lao, Prince Souphanouvong, spent much...

For today's episode, the narrative on the war in Vietnam continues, covering events in 1962 and 1963. We will see the Americans increase their commitment, because they are no closer to winning than they were before. Nevertheless, the Viet Cong will win the first big battle of the war, at Ap Bac. And then we will see the downfall of the South Vietnamese government, after President Ngo Dinh Diem mak...

Today's episode covers Vietnam during the early years of the Second Indochina War, from 1957 to the end of 1961. We will see communist guerrillas and their partners stage attacks, with guns and bombs, mostly against South Vietnamese officials, but sometimes even Americans become targets. At the end of 1960, they will be organized to form the Viet Cong, a major player in the conflict from now on. W...

Happy New Month, if you are listening on the day this episode was uploaded! Here the podcast narrative will begin covering the Second Indochina War, or as Americans call it, the Vietnam War. This is the table-setting episode for the conflict, describing Vietnam in the mid-1950s, the events that caused the war to begin, and the motivations for the United States to get involved. The main character i...

Today is the first day of a new month, Canada's 152nd birthday, and the third anniversary of the podcast! So naturally we have a special episode for today. This time, instead of the usual historical narrative, we will meet the hill tribes of Vietnam and Laos, also called the Degar or Montagnards. There are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, and 160 in Laos, but most of the time we only hear from the dom...

Happy Father's Day, if you are in the United States! And on this day 71 years ago, the communist revolt called "The Malayan Emergency" began. Now with today's podcast episode, we finish our coverage of the early Cold War years by looking at the Malayan Emergency, and we will follow the path the Malay peninsula took to become independent. Hint: it was different from the rest of Southeast Asia, wher...