Vietnam, Now: A Reporter Returns

by David Lamb

Book 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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586481835
• ISBN13: 9781586481834
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A tad more "Then" than "Now"

For anyone trying to ford the quagmire of myth and fact that surrounds the Vietnam conflict, this book is a necessary buoy. Mr. Lamb-whose current coverage of Vietnam for the Los Angeles Times is superb, though it is often soft-gives a voice and character to post-1975 Vietnam that has been significantly lacking in American literature. He discusses the war, Vietnam-American politics and the ruling Communist party with Vietnamese veterans and the younger generation as well. These conversations reveal a view of the war that contrasts entirely with the American view; as Mr. Lamb writes, the Vietnamese do not mourn the war as Americans do. Instead, they see it as proof of their national pride and perseverance. Nevertheless, Mr. Lamb provides disturbing detail of how the war tore apart the physical and social fabric of Vietnam, and how politics and old weapons still wreak their havoc today. Though brilliant, this book deals a lot with the war, both as a history of past days and the lingering effects. Mr. Lamb does go into detail about Vietnam's growing presence on the world market, burgening political reform and the somewhat restless and idealistic views of the country's youth. Yet, these themes, much like the whole of Mr. Lamb's book, always revert back to the war, as it was then and is today, so that nary a chapter is free from its mention. Thus, Mr. Lamb shows that even Americans who try to get over that bloody period can't.

It's a country, not a war...

Vietnam is a country of 78 million living in an area a bit larger than the size of Italy. The people and the landscapes of this nation are both extremely diverse. But to many, Vietnam is simply a war, a chapter of history, a place of terrible memories.Lamb does an excellent job of showing, through his words, Vietnam's beauty and diversity. During his travels from Hanoi to Saigon (HCMC), he interviews Vietnamese people from all walks of life. Some remember the war vividly, some were not born yet, some could care less. For most Vietnamese, the American War is something that has long passed. Lamb illustrates what Vietnam really is, an amazing country with some of the FRIENDLIEST people on Earth. If you can not go to Vietnam (but by all means, GO! I just returned and I found it to be most amazing!), please read this book. I think you will quickly learn that there is a LOT more to Vietnam than the American War.

Moving, informative, and timely

The author spent four years, 1996 to 2000, in Vietnam and his book is filled with information and is not fiction like Nelson deMille's Up Country, which is also an account of present-day Vietnam. I think the points that Lamb makes about the men who fought in Vietnam are informative and little known--drug use in Vietnam was about the same as in the U.S at the time, the suicide rate was similar, the honorable discharge rate the same as before the war, etc. The account of men who returned to Vietnam to visit is full of poignancy. I thought this was a moving and thoughtful and poignant book, and much more attention-holding than I expected. No bibliography, though.

The realities of Vietnam as it is today

I don't think there's any American who can hear the word "Vietnam" and not have feelings about the awful conflict that divided a nation and ushered in a new way of looking at war. However, most of these recollections go back thirty years. It's different now. And that is the theme of this book by journalist David Lamb, who covered the Vietnam War as a young reporter in the late 1960s. Then, in 1997, the Los Angeles Times sent him to Hanoi for four years. This book is a result of his observations. One of his remarkable discoveries is that in spite of the war, the Vietnamese people like Americans and he was treated well wherever he went. Vietnam is now Communist, but it is not the same communism that was typical of the cold war and the Soviet Union. Through the years, the hard line has softened, small businesses are thriving and the standard of living has improved. And the younger generation finds it is not necessary to join the Communist party in order to get into school or get a job, which was formerly the case.The history of Vietnam is long and sad. Mostly, they were conquered by one country after another. When the French moved out, the Americans moved in to South Vietnam. They were trying to protect it from Communism but the people in the North really loved their leader and wanted to unify the country. The war was bitter and more than one out of every ten Vietnamese died. Then, after the War, the South Vietnamese were treated badly. They were sent to re-education camps for years and even when they came out, they could no longer get jobs. There are interviews with South Vietnamese in the book and they have somehow reconciled themselves to this. It is the younger generation who have the opportunities.In the North, the people who fought are treated better. The cemeteries are well kept and widows and mothers get a pension. This is not true in the South. Former North Vietnamese soldiers talked to the author about the will of the people to endure in order to win. They are proud of the fact that they won and unified their country.The younger generation of Vietnamese who fled after the war are coming back. They have been educated in Australia or America, are taller and heavier their Vietnamese relatives, and speak English better than they do Vietnamese. Life is hard for them in Vietnam and they have to adjust to constantly changing laws and a communist government, but they are starting new businesses and beginning to flourish. This is an easy book to read. The interviews are short and connected in a way that illustrates the realities of what Vietnam is today. It is also Mr. Lamb's own story. And that of some American Vietnam veterans who are now traveling back to this place which holds so many memories. I've read several books about Vietnam. Mostly, they were about the War. But this one brought me right up to date. Definitely recommended.

Excellent look at present day Viet Nam

I visited Vietnam with my wife in 1999 to adopt a daughter, and my wife visited there again last year to adopt our second daughter. Lamb's book accurately reflects most of what I have learned about Vietnam, including the amazing Vietnamese people, and the seeming disconnect between their daily lives and their government. I can't guarantee that every word is accurate; it is a complex country that is changing is many ways. But I do think you will learn more about Viet Nam from this book than from any other I have read. And it will prepare you well for the visit I hope you make someday.