reading suggestions for Vietnam and Lao
Mar 3rd, 2005, 01:05 PM
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reading suggestions for Vietnam and Lao
we are looking for reading recommendations
for Vietnam and lao. last year we went to
Thailand and Cambodia and the suggestions from fodorites were fantastic. ( bangkok 8, first they killed my father, the gate, when heaven and earth changed places )
thanks in advance
for Vietnam and lao. last year we went to
Thailand and Cambodia and the suggestions from fodorites were fantastic. ( bangkok 8, first they killed my father, the gate, when heaven and earth changed places )
thanks in advance
Mar 4th, 2005, 03:47 AM
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Vietnam - Three Moons in Vietnam Maria Coffey - An English woman & her Canadian husband spend 3 months travelling the length of the country by local transport (before it was allowed!). Great true story!
One Foot in Laos - by Dervla Murphy an Irishwoman in her 60s and prolific travel writer travels around Laos injures her foot (hence the title!)but carries on with the aid of a bicycle.
One Foot in Laos - by Dervla Murphy an Irishwoman in her 60s and prolific travel writer travels around Laos injures her foot (hence the title!)but carries on with the aid of a bicycle.
Mar 4th, 2005, 12:00 PM
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There are lots of wonderful books about Vietnam. Here are a few off the top of my head.
"Fire in the Lake" is the best and most readable account of the Vietnam War. It also gives the Vietnamese perspective as well as the American.
"Understanding Vietnam" by Jamiesen is essential for anyone who wants to understand Vietnamese history and culture. It's fabulous.
"Sacred Willow" is non-fiction but reads like a novel. It traces a family from the early 1900s to the present, Great read and lots of information.
Any novel by Duong Thu Huong.
Flashback by Morley Safer
Down Highway One by Sue Downie
Ho Chi Minh-- by Duiker -- a long but excellent biography.
There are also lots of "junk" novels that take place in Vietnam that can be fun to read. Have read many of them, enjoyed them and can't remember anything about them including their names.
"Fire in the Lake" is the best and most readable account of the Vietnam War. It also gives the Vietnamese perspective as well as the American.
"Understanding Vietnam" by Jamiesen is essential for anyone who wants to understand Vietnamese history and culture. It's fabulous.
"Sacred Willow" is non-fiction but reads like a novel. It traces a family from the early 1900s to the present, Great read and lots of information.
Any novel by Duong Thu Huong.
Flashback by Morley Safer
Down Highway One by Sue Downie
Ho Chi Minh-- by Duiker -- a long but excellent biography.
There are also lots of "junk" novels that take place in Vietnam that can be fun to read. Have read many of them, enjoyed them and can't remember anything about them including their names.
Mar 4th, 2005, 12:49 PM
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thanks kathie, gloria and crellston...
our borders in maui is rather limited
and so many great books are out of print. i was able to get Fire in the lake...and am going to do an amazon search for the others.
thanks again, keep the suggestions coming...i'm a readaholic
our borders in maui is rather limited
and so many great books are out of print. i was able to get Fire in the lake...and am going to do an amazon search for the others.
thanks again, keep the suggestions coming...i'm a readaholic
Mar 9th, 2005, 10:49 AM
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Thanks for the recommendations. I ordered three of the books mentioned from Amazon, after being unable to find them locally. A very long, but good book on the war is the Cat from Hue by John Laurence. Rough Guide to Vietnam lists pages and pages of books. Always good to hear a recommendation though.
Mar 9th, 2005, 03:53 PM
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The "original" travel books on the area were written by Norman Lewis in the fifties: "A Dragon Apparent" on Viet Nam and "Golden Earth" on Burma.
"The Quiet American" by Graham Greene is stunning.
I've read a zillion books on the Viet Nam war. My favorites are:
"A Rumor of War" Philip Caputo
"Dispatches" Michael Herr
"The Pharoah's Army" Tobias Wolfe
"The Things They Carried" Tim O'Brien
O'Brien's book is fiction. I especially recommend the title story. The others are reminisences.
"The Quiet American" by Graham Greene is stunning.
I've read a zillion books on the Viet Nam war. My favorites are:
"A Rumor of War" Philip Caputo
"Dispatches" Michael Herr
"The Pharoah's Army" Tobias Wolfe
"The Things They Carried" Tim O'Brien
O'Brien's book is fiction. I especially recommend the title story. The others are reminisences.
Mar 9th, 2005, 04:20 PM
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Also try Catfish and Mandala, about a Vietnamese-American who left Saigon in 1975 and returned as an adult to ride his bike the length of the country. Another good read is Good Scent on a Strange Mountain, a book of poignant short stories about Vietnamese in the US.
