Adrian Cronauer goes to Vietnam as a DJ to help boost morale of American Soldiers

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2013)

In the movie, Adrian explores Vietnam. visits a local English school, bars and markets to fully immerse himself in the Vietnamese lifestyle. During his travels, he made several friends and he eventually got to know a man called Tuan incredibly well. Tuan taught him many local Vietnamese traditions and even introduced him to his sister. As Adrian continued to interact with the local Vietnamese people, he started to enjoy his lifestyle. Unfortunately, the sergeant and lieutenant were constantly at his back and demanded that he change the content of his broadcasts, as they weren't appropriate for the soldiers. This and the fact that the military censored so many things really made Adrian upset. In his opinion, he strongly believes the soldiers have the right to know everything, something that the higher ups do not support. As he continued to broadcast in that manner, he was eventually suspended for a period of time but he was later brought back due to the soldier's demand. Towards the end of the segment, Adrian discovers Tuan's true identity, a terrorist wanted by the South Vietnamese police. This results in the loss of a close friend and his job and after five months of working in Vietnam, he departs the country.
This movie really portrays life in Vietnam. It doesn't focus on the battlefield but more on the way that American soldiers and civilians alike adapted to the Vietnamese lifestyle. In one of the bar scenes, Americans are shown to be racist to the South Vietnamese, in the bar, which is similar to the way white Americans used to treat African Americans. An American soldier insults Tuan and Adrian takes offense to the treatment that his close friend is receiving and it results in a fight between him and the soldier. In Vietnam, Adrian also spent lots of time in Vietnamese cinemas and astonishingly, films had English subtitles, showing how great American influence is. Streets in Vietnam are filled with Americans doing their thing and it seems like they're back in America. In the school scene, a soldier taught simple English to the Vietnamese, just like a normal class back in the states. This is an example of pacification in Vietnam. Instead of young kids being taught English, the class consisted of Vietnamese people ranged from teens to the elderly, showing that America is willing to educate the Vietnamese about American Culture.
In the story, it is evident that many Vietnamese blame America for the havoc and damage done to the country. Terrorists bombed the bar where Americans wen to and protests were staged against the presence of Americans. The protests became so violent that even the police had to get involved. They discretely killed the traitors/terrorists that threatened the lives of Americans and when it was revealed that Tuan was one of theses traitors, he explain to Adrian, "Enemy? What is an enemy? You killing my own people so many miles from your home. We're not the enemy. You're the enemy. Big deal! My mother's dead. And my older brother, he's dead. Shot by Americans. My neighbor, dead. His wife, dead. Why? Because we're not human to them. We're only little Vietnamese." That scene when Tuan angrily spat out those words to Adrian strongly signified the hatred that the Vietnamese had towards the Americans. Tuan and Adrian were close friends but his hatred of Americans overcame their friendship and eventually, Tuan was caught as a traitor.
Lastly, the movie heavily portrays the influence of media and soldier's morale. Over the span of the Vietnam War, many soldiers were homesick, missed their families and on top of that, they had to deal with the many hardships of war such as losing their close friends and comrades. Having to experience such pain affected their morale and many soldiers just wanted to get out of Vietnam. As a DJ, Adrian helped to boost the morale and when he visited the soldiers in the battlefield, his jokes and humor helped to provide happiness and made them feel appreciated, like they had something to live for. Boosting morale was one of the major factors in helping with the war. Unfortunately, soldiers were often never given the whole truth about information. For example, news headlines such as "US military leaders in Saigon urge secretary of Defense, McNamara to approve a force level of 350,000 to 400,000 US soldiers" were censored and nobody knew what it truly said. The higher ups such as the second lieutenant and the generals never told the whole truth, as they didn't want to lower the morale of the troops by talking about the harsh realities of the war. Adrian disagreed with such methods and even though he expressed his disapproval of it, there was nothing he could to change it. In the end, Adrian was able to take away with him friendships with many of the soldiers and local Vietnamese and he was able t truly experience Vietnamese life. This comedy film is entertaining and it is different from many other Vietnam War films as it shows life in South Vietnam, not on the battlefield but how Americans merged with the Vietnamese society.