This study examines the way the Vietnamese mainstream and unpublished media used the Vietnam War experiences to discuss the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in America. Examination of 30 issues of The People newspaper showed that the mainstream media did not directly use the Vietnam War experiences to discuss the September terrorist attacks. Few articles directly mentioned or referred to the Vietnam War experiences. Examination of 80 threads of discussion from two Vietnamese websites showed that the Vietnamese unpublished media used the Vietnam War experiences more directly to discuss the September attacks. Three specific ways were recognized: (1) to compare the attacks and the new war of America with the Vietnam War and justify the new war using experiences about the involvement of the U.S. in the Vietnam War (2) to make fun of America using experiences of the Vietnam War and the American culture, and (3) to implicitly refer to the Vietnam War while discussing the attacks and the new war
