Disunion: Anticommunist Nationalism and the Making of the Republic of Vietnam.

"Disunion: Anticommunist Nationalism and the Making of the Republic of Vietnam" by Nu-Anh Tran is a comprehensive and well-researched book that explores the political history of South Vietnam from the 1920s to the end of the first Republic of Vietnam in 1963. The author challenges the prevailing narrative that focuses solely on Communist movements and American intervention, instead highlighting the political diversity and heterogeneity of non-Communist actors in South Vietnam. Tran argues that non-Communist political parties had differing visions for an anti-French, democratic, and ethnically unified Vietnam, which often clashed with the illiberal governance of the America-backed Diemist faction. The book provides valuable insights into the internal dissensions and rivalries among non-Communist factions, shedding light on the complex dynamics that shaped the history of nation-building in Vietnam. [Extracted from the article]