Southeast Asian History, Asia - Travel, Asia - Travel Essays & Descriptions, General Asian History
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Overview
"Thirty years after he covered the war as a young combat correspondent, David Lamb returned to Vietnam to cover the peace. He moved into an apartment in downtown Hanoi, the city he once viewed as the "enemy" capital, and began exploring the new Vietnam, a country emerging from years of political and economic isolation." For four years Lamb crisscrossed the country, interviewing personalities from Vietnam's dark days - figures such as the legendary general, Vo Nguyen Giap, and the wartime voice of Hanoi's propaganda machine, Hanoi Hannah - and scores of uncelebrated Vietnamese students, former soldiers, shopkeepers, Communist Party members, and returning boat people. He roamed from Sapa on the Chinese border to Dien Bein Phu, Khe Sanh, and Can Tho in the depths of the Mekong Delta. He met with young engineers on the Ho Chi Minh trail, once the world's deadliest road. He joined a group of former Viet Cong and American GIs seeking reconciliation at the very fire support base where they had fought deadly battles. He explored the charming back alleyways of Hanoi and tasted the giddy excitement of a booming Saigon.Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
When the last American helicopter lifted off from Saigon in April of 1975, it took with it America's interest in Vietnam. Reporter David Lamb, who had covered the conflict for United Press International, returned to the States and normalcy, still knowing little of the country that he had left. In 1997, Lamb traveled to Hanoi, the old-time "enemy capital," to open the Los Angeles Times's first peacetime Vietnam bureau. He stayed four years, "far longer than I had intended," and introduced himself to a nation still coping with the aftermath of "the American war." This probing and timely study explores a painful legacy.People Magazine
An eye-opening look at the other side . . . [Lamb's] eloquently told stories have an emotional resonance.USA Today
This well-paced book offers a provocative perspective on the history of Vietnam.Time
[A] humane and often moving account...[Lamb's book] catch[es] the promise and difficulty of life in Vietnam today.New York Times
Engaging... Puts the American role in Vietnam into a much needed perspective.KLIATT
David Lamb reported from Vietnam during the war, and this memoir is about his return to Vietnam 30 years later, as a Los Angeles Times Correspondent. He tells of conditions in Vietnam now, with memories always of the contrast with the "then." He reports from Hanoi, an interesting location since during the war it was the enemy capital. He tells about people he meets, about shops and restaurants and the young people who run them, about journeys throughout the country. He discusses the return of the many Vietnamese who left after the war, the Viet Kieu, who are still connected to their families in Vietnam, and who come with ideas and money for investment. This is superbly written, perhaps over the head of young people in America. Still, where there are large communities of Vietnamese American students, it should be considered for their libraries. KLIATT Codes: A-Recommended for advanced students and adults. 2002, Public Affairs, 274p. illus. map., Ages 17 to adult.— Claire Rosser
Booknews
Thirty years after he covered the Vietnam War as a young combat correspondent, Lamb returned to live in Vietnam for four years to document the country's recovery from war. Through intimate stories of personal encounters with students, former soldiers, shopkeepers, Communist Party members, and returning boat people, he gives insight into how Vietnam has managed to bury the residue of war and why the Vietnamese now welcome Americans. B&w photos are included. The author has written five previous books on diverse topics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Book Details
Published
April 16, 2002
Publisher
PublicAffairs,U.S.
Pages
288
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781586480899