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Vietnam, Now : A Reporter Returns

Name: Vietnam, Now : A Reporter Returns
Author: David Lamb
ISBN: 9781586481834

by David Lamb

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Overview

When he left war-ravaged Vietnam some thirty years ago, journalist David Lamb averred "I didn't care if I ever saw the wretched country again." But in 1997, he found himself living in Hanoi, in charge of the Los Angeles Times's first peacetime bureau and in the midst of a country on the move, as it progresses toward a free-market economy and divorces itself from the restrictive, isolationist policies established at the end of the war. This was a new country; in Vietnam, Now, David Lamb brings it--and us--forward from its dark, distant past.

From the myriad personalities entwined in the dark, distant history of the war to those focused toward the future, Lamb reveals a rich and culturally diverse people as they share their memories of the country's past, and their hopes for a peacetime future. A portrait of a beautiful country and a remarkable, determined people, Vietnam, Now is a personal journey that will change the way we think of Vietnam, and perhaps the war as well.

About the Author, David Lamb

David Lamb is a distinguished Los Angeles Times journalist and five-time author. He has been Nieman fellow, a Pew Fellow, and a writer-in-residence at the University of Southern California's School of Journalism.

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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)