Includes bibliographical references (p. 391-415) and index.

Le Duan's rise to power and the road to war -- Policing the state in a time of war -- The battle in Hanoi for the Tet Offensive -- To Paris and beyond -- Sideshows and main arenas -- Talking while fighting -- War against détente -- War for peace.

"While most historians of the Vietnam War focus on the origins of U.S. involvement and the Americanization of the conflict, Lien-Hang T. Nguyen examines the international context in which North Vietnamese leaders pursued the war and American intervention ended. This riveting narrative takes the reader from the marshy swamps of the Mekong Delta to the bomb-saturated Red River Delta, from the corridors of power in Hanoi and Saigon to the Nixon White House, and from the peace negotiations in Paris to high-level meetings in Beijing and Moscow, all to reveal that peace never had a chance in Vietnam."--Publisher's description.