Ninh recounted that American bombing raids during the Vietnam War, beginning in 1965 when he was 12-13, destroyed ordinary people's homes and upended their lives. Ninh stated that his own school in Hanoi was relocated as a result of the bombing, which inspired him to anger rather than fear.[2][3] Ninh stated that Americans entering Vietnam were viewed as no different from earlier French colonizers, and that he inherited this view himself from his parents.[2]
During the war Ninh served in the Glorious 27th Youth Brigade, joining when he was 17 years old.[2] He stated that the Vietnamese people who fought against the Americans were not specifically fighting for Marxism, but rather fighting to bring peace for their country.[2] Hunger was a frequent problem for Ninh and his fellow soldiers, who often moved back and forth from their homes to the battlefields. Of the five hundred who went to war with the brigade in 1969, Ninh is one of ten who survived.
Ninh described the fear caused among Vietnamese soldiers by American airpower while in combat during the war:
"While the bombs were falling, only a stone wouldn't be terrified. If the Americans noticed movement in the forest, they would eliminate the forest. Who knows how much money was spent? American taxpayers' money. If a cluster of napalm bombs were dropped, the jungle would turn into a sea of fire. Can you imagine a sea of fire?"
— Bảo Ninh[2]
Ninh later called the war "fratricide" fueled by American firepower. "In war, no one wins or loses. There is only destruction."[3]
