The art of the Vietnam War

Vietnamese American author Monique Truong presents an examination of the female perspective of the Vietnam War, through the prism of art. Featuring American artists who were at the vanguard of the opposition to the war, along with women who shared the same experiences as Monique - born in Vietnam during the conflict, who experienced the war first hand and whose lives were changed forever - this programme explores five decades of protest art, offering a female perspective on the fallout of a conflict that virtually defined the 60s. In America, it was called the Vietnam War; in South East Asia, it was referred to as the American War. It was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States - intensified by the ongoing Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the war, and more than half of the dead were Vietnamese civilians. The war and its human toll had a profound impact on artists addressing the turbulent times. In this edition of The Cultural Frontline, female artists explain how their lives were changed by the war, and the importance of their work being seen by new generations. Produced by Des Shaw. A Zinc Media Production for BBC World Service. Image: A piece by Tiffany Chung (Credit: Tiffany Chung)