May I suggest a book to collectors of the stamps and covers of North and South Vietnam? It’s Saigon — An Epic Novel of Vietnam, by Anthony Grey. Amazon is currently selling the ebook version for just CAN $1.99 (probably less in the U.S.) To my mind, the novel stands out as historical fiction, and accurately covers modern Vietnam’s history from the last days of French colonialism through the fall of Saigon to communist forces in 1975. It filled in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge of the Vietnam War. Go the following link to buy the book: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00F9H59VY?_bbid=17206079&tag=bookbubemailca-20
Among the scenes in the book is the 1963 Battle of An Bac, which was one of the first major battles involving American advisors and American helicopters. The communists decisively won the battle. From Wikipedia: "The South Vietnamese units that participated in the battle took heavy losses in their failed attempt to destroy the VC forces. South Vietnamese casualties included 83 killed in action and at least 100 wounded. The American participants, who included advisors and aircrews, counted three dead and eight wounded. Of the 15 American helicopters sent to support the operation, only one escaped undamaged, and five were downed or destroyed."
Bob