The second episode concentrates on the JFK era and his advisers trying to get to grips of the mess in Vietnam and the program highlights just what a sticky situation they found themselves in.
When you hear the Americans involved at the time in this documentary you get the sense they knew the situation was bad and getting worse.
The US backed South Vietnam and the autocratic regime of Dien and his younger brother Nhu. Dien had little time for the western view of liberal democracy and worse his policies favoured the Catholics in this vastly Buddhist country.
In contrast Ho Chi Minh visibly looking older with his long grey beard defined himself as the nation's favourite uncle, visiting villagers and talking them in simple terms. Ho Chi Minh engaged the North Vietnamese to fight for their future even if took 20 years or more.
However I cannot get over that uneasy feeling that Uncle Ho Chi Minh was an image that might have been inspired by another communist leader, Uncle Joe Stalin, the benevolent dictator who was far from that.
In Saigon the Buddhist demonstrations impacted the world stage with images of Buddhist monks setting themselves alight shocking television around the world.
In a further series of errors the JFK green lit Dien's removal from power but JFK would not live to see the consequences of that decision.