Making Vietnam Contemporary
925886
When you ask a student to imagine what Vietnam was like, too often the only response they have is what they've seen from Hollywood.  Rambo, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, to name a few, but that's the extent of their knowledge.  In school they read stories about both World Wars, but hardly  anything more than a few Tim O'Brien short stories about Vietnam.  Why?  Is  it because we are ashamed of our past?  Regardless, Vietnam happened  and needs to be made more a part of school curriculum.  Johannessen offers  numerous suggestions as to how to incorporate this war into schools  beginning with an introduction of the era and the nature of the war.  In  his list of appendices, there are activities to use to broaden the  students' minds concerning Vietnam, as well as a list of books and stories  to consider at the end.  Overall i think this book extremely helpful and  makes teaching a difficult topic easier.  After all, if we let Hollywood  shape our students' minds about this war, they'll only get one side.  Teaching is about exposing our students to multiple viewpoints and allowing  them to make up their own minds about a given topic.  This book will help  teachers help students formulate ideas about this war.
599600
The Frangipani Hotel is a collection of short ghost stories by Kupersmith, inspired by her Vietnamese-American heritage.  If the resulting stories depart from Vietnamese folklore, it is surely because Kupersmith is at least as much a product of America as Vietnam (and more individual than either American or Vietnamese).  And America takes a very big role in the stories.  Many take place in America (especially Houston).  Even the stories in Vietnam may feature an American.  The stories, then, are a product of a fusion of culture as well as lore.  They are also, as a well, strongly written.

I received a free copy of The Frangipani Hotel through NetGalley.
4253428
Beginning with a brief but important history of the Korean peninsula, which explains both the insulated yet trade hub characteristics of its geographic position and its many periods of foreign occupation, this very worthy book offers a wide-angle view of music of the Korean people, both North and South Korea. Despite the ideological and political separation, both sections have the same pre-WWII heritage. The author in 2007 entered North Korean as part of a delegation of Korean-Americans, and this completeness, which includes musical samples from North Korea on the enclosed 80-minute CD, enhances the value of this small book. Because the "Music in . . ." series are introductions, this book places emphasis on present-day music and the commonality of its musical heritage. The survey commences with South Korea's preserved court and religious (Buddhist, Confucian) music and its instruments, which are similar to that of China and Japan for reasons of historic diplomatic exchange but which are modified to local sensibilities. The Chinese zheng was modified into the Korean kayagum, for example. Photographs and charts of the various flutes and oboes, chimes and drums are useful and fill a gap left by other texts. The discussion of the rituals Sacrifice to Confucius and Sacrifice to the Royal Ancestors with their unusual percussion is excellent.  While South Korea maintains its heritage of traditional folk and classical instruments, North Korea has radically modifed (different woods, sizes, shapes, introduction of frets, etc.) and integrated them with Western orchestral instruments. The South seeks continuity with classical sanjo, shamanistic ritual forms, folk or farmer dances and rhythm bands (p'ungmul and concert samulnori); the North (as the Soviets) make music a rigid, propagandistic, educational medium.  Also included is a section on regional differences in folk songs, the poetic art songs of sijo-ch'ang, dramatic p'ansori, and the characteristic Korean large-breath, husky vocal warble, where phrasing, inflection, shading, and shaping of sound define the aesthetic. Discussions of the influence of the long Japanese occupation on Korean music and Korean composers of the Western classical forms lead to artists who fuse traditional instruments and Western melody styles.  As  Western rock and pop entered South Korean mainstream entertainment, Korean in turn began exporting its artists and sound. Korean TV, broadcast also to the United States, is filled with young pop stars and older vocalists. Hip-hop and rap are much in vogue in Korea as in America. Thus, author Donna Lee Kwon has provided an excellent, well-written and edifying introduction of Korean music that will help the listener of world music and ethnomusicological student alike. The CD has 38 excerpts of all the described music.
972386
Ho wanted one united Vietnam.  At any cost.  He traveled the world looking for answers and support of an undivided Vietnam, free of the influence of other countries - especially the French.  The French in France were nothing like the French colonizing Vietnam.  The French taught Vietnamese about corruption and lost over 200,000 soldiers over its colonial years fighting in Vietnam.  Ho tried to get help from numerous world leaders to include the United States.  In the end he got the support that ruined Vietnam from China, Russia, and the United States.  Be careful what you ask for.  Another great book from Halberstam; required reading like Karnow's History of Vietnam that serves as a primer to understanding the Vietnam Conflict.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Vietnam-A-History/dp/0140265473/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Vietnam: A History</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Best-and-the-Brightest/dp/0449908704/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Best and the Brightest</a>
3068846
I used this map during my 'History of the Vietnam War' course last year.  It comes in handy when you can pinpoint a town or village on this map after reading about it.
4842036
One often associate Vietnam with endless wars and revolutions. But the truth is it's been nearly 40 years since the last war ended. This book provides a true and real view about Vietnam in the new era with a lot of changes. Strongly recommended for outsiders who wish to learn more about the country today and seek business opportunities.
1928847
This book gives a good picture of the atmosphere in the country: dictatorial power of corrupt party bosses, no free speech, hunger, inflation, collective suspicion, spying.
It is well constructed: a mixture of flashbacks and actual facts.
But I feel that the main characters are not integrated in the country's political and social system. There is a gap between the comments on the political and social environment and the experiences of the protagonists.
To the bargain, the novel is full of family reunions with enumerations of long lists of dishes, what makes the reading sometimes boring.
I prefer by far the work of Truong Nhu Tang 'A Vietcong Memoir'.
4767067
This book was published in 1972 during the middle of US involvement in Vietnam.  It must have been tough for many of the politicians of that time (and many other observers) to see the parallels to the mistakes the US made in pouring money into Chaing Kai Shek (Jiang Jieshi) and what we had done and were doing with the Diem/Thieu regimes in South Vietnam. The books is important today, not only for the perspective it provides into the evolution of American paranoia of Communism in the late 40's, 50's nd 60's, but we still have a propensity for pouring money into questionable regimes that do not have popular support simply because we are afraid of what the popular support might produce. But as Tuchman clearly demonstrates, sooner or later it happens anyway, no matter what we do.
4289270
I read the first edition of this book (published 1979).  This is an excellent introduction into the Vietnam War.  The book does focus on the politics and policies of the United States rather than more palatable  topics such as the human stories of the war. The book gives a firm  background into the years preceding American involvment in Vietnam.  The  first edition needed the perspective of communist sources to make it a more  well rounded work, but of course at the time that was near impossible. A  good book for anyone interested in a general history of the Vietnam war.
578264
This is a contemporary masterpiece that challenges our understanding of traditional economic prosperity and provides food for thought on new directions.
1709075
having just had my first trip to Vietnam not long before reading this book,I felt more in touch with what it was all about. The book was good,although what happened to the Vietnamese people at that time was not good.
2290192
C. L. Ho&agrave;ng was born and raised in South Vietnam during the war and came to the United States in the 1970s. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and earns his living as an electronic engineer, with eleven patents to his name to date. What C.L. Hoang has accomplished in this memorable novel is to reawaken a part of history that so desperately needs to be re-examined. Understanding the Vietnam War -roughly November 1955 with the first American advisors, escalating in 1964 with the Gulf of Tonkin incident, building in 1965 and peaking in 1968 with the Tet Offensive and lasting until the fall of Saigon in April 1975 - is something we all must attempt. For those of us who served in Vietnam in 1968 - 1970 those memories we thought best submerged need to come forth, allowing us to examine them and never repeat them. What Ho&agrave;ng has provided is a table to which he invites us to see that war form both sides and in doing so understand the trauma inflicted on all involved, lasting into the present for many.

In the preface to Ho&agrave;ng's book he offers some of the more poignant insights into the effects of the war and these are such fine pieces of writing that they deserve to be shared: `My early memories of my childhood in S&agrave;i-G&ograve;n during the Vit-Nam War were filled with tales of a different kind: the real-life stories of struggle and survival and, more often than not, of death and destruction. The tentacles of war had touched virtually every family in our homeland. It was a reality from which no one could hide, not even children. When I came to America in the mid-1970s at the end of the war, those memories were buried under the day-to-day demands of a new life and lay dormant for the next three decades. Until, as a nostalgia project for my dad, who was up in years and ailing, I began to scour the Internet for old photographs and writings about our former hometown-- S&agrave;i-G&ograve;n in the 1950s, '60s and early '70s. Before I knew it, a bygone world had reopened its door and pulled me in. Through various websites and published memoirs by American veterans who had served in Vit-Nam and through my conversations with some of them, I caught a revealing glimpse into their experiences. These voices of truth, lost in the political cacophony of the time, all contributed to an oral history that should be heard-- and preserved, for the veterans' families and for those still in search of answers. In my heart, Once upon a Mulberry Field is first and foremost a love story-- an ode to the old and the new homelands, and a celebration of the human spirit and the redemptive power of love. In an attempt to be objective and to view things from a perspective different from the one I had known growing up, I chose to recount the events through the voice of an American soldier.'

The summary of the story as placed on Ho&agrave;ng's website is telling: `As Roger Connors, a widower with no children, ponders whether to pursue aggressive treatment for his cancer, a cryptic note arrives from a long-lost USAF buddy announcing the visit of an acquaintance from Vietnam. The startling news resurrects ghosts of fallen comrades and haunting memories of the great love he once knew. Shocking revelations from his visitor uncover a missing part of Roger's life he never dreamed possible. Peeling back one layer at a time, he delves into a decades-old secret in search of answers and traces of a passion unfulfilled. From the jungles of Vietnam through the minefields of the heart, "Once upon a Mulberry Field" follows one man's journey to self-discovery, fraught with disillusionment and despair but ultimately redeemed by the power of love.'

But this brief summary doesn't begin to convey the depth of reliving the multifaceted ways he explores in his novel. The story is rich and beautifully told, but the impact is like the afterburn: it is more deeply felt with the passage of time. Grady Harp, September 14
4356540
There is more to the Vietnam War than our involvement in the mid to late 60s and early 70s. Our involvement went way back through several administrations, and a must read is: "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers" by Daniel Ellsberg. Our relationship with France and the French involvement must be understood also. Know your history your you will be doomed to repeat it.
2319792
I was recently in Vietnam foot there first time and sought to understand more of this complex and fascinating culture.  This historical novel helped me a great deal to gain a perspective on both the culture of Vietnam, and my own.  Highly recommend.
799831
Many Vietnam veterans today are finally recognizing PTSD as a diagnosable, treatable illness and beginning to tell stories that continue haunting them since leaving Nam for what they call The World  America. Among those telling these stories are a courageous few who are either recounting their personal memoirs or collecting and writing fictionalized tales of others real life experiences. Night Flares, is one such book, which author Robert Pacholik, a still photographer in Vietnam, describes is not about geopolitical movements, or global strategies on the chess boards of superpowers, but rather,  the personal story of an individual American fighting man caught up in the maelstrom of counterinsurgency land warfare in the 1960s. In short, each story is Pacholiks fictionalized account of an eyewitness event, told in the first person by six different men. Written as Pacholik says he intended, to be as real as possible, each story succeeds in providing insight into the lives of enlisted men, thrust into a new kind of war neither they, nor their military leadership was prepared for.

The first three stories take place in Vietnam before, during and after the Tet Offensive in late January and early February of 1968. The last three told by men living in The World, years after the war ended.  Riveting and in all likelihood troubling for those who were there, and poignant and shocking those who werent, Pacholiks stories are a must read for those unfamiliar with the a veterans sacrificeespecially the 60s Flower Children: spoiled brats who burned their draft cards and ran to Canada to avoid being drafted; yet had the arrogance to insult those patriots who proved themselves loyal Americans by going to Vietnam, enduring hell, and by the grace of God returning.

Pacholik completes his work with a comprehensive summary of the Vietnam War; including the following quote, which identifies Americas problem in Vietnam and subsequent wars, Robert  S. McNamara, (the earlier Secretary of Defense), had resigned in November 1967 and his successor, Clark Clifford, was stunned to learn that there was no concrete statement of U.S. goals in Vietnam.

I recommend this book for college students and mature citizens. Vietnam was, in this reviewers opinion, Americas first failed war and maturity is required to grasp the message of each story. It is my hope that Pacholiks short stories will encourage more veterans to write their stories, thereby facing their hidden demons.
4163790
This is quite and entertaining and interesting book it does however have some faults. The main one is that he author has some trouble establishing what Ho's role was in the Government of North Vietnam from the granting of independence onwards. This of course is not a fault of the author but rather it reflects the problems with the documentation of the period. A lot of the minutes and documents of the government of Vietnam have not been made public. Ho was a person who was generally respected in Vietnam because of his long association with the Nationalist cause. He was clearly used as a figurehead for the regime and the author suggests he also played the role of a diplomat. The author suggests that the way Vietnam was run was by a shifting coalition of the leading group. He seems to think that Ho may not have been responsible for the land reform policies that led to bloodshed in the 50's. It is also clear that the move to a wholly state run economy occurred after his death in the 70's. The reality is however that it is not possible at this point to write an accurate biography of Ho as so much of his later political life is a matter of speculation.
Despite this the book is a fascinating picture of the early life of Ho up to the take over of power in what was to become North Vietnam. This period is fairly richly detailed as Ho himself wrote two autobiographical works and there is material available from the places in which Ho lived.
Reading this book one realizes how tough Communists were. Ho was the son of a provincial mandarin. He early was an opponent of French Colonialism and decided to go to France. He worked as an assistant cook on a boat for a year to finance his trip. In France he became active in the Vietnamese Community there and in fact wrote a letter to the allies at Versailles requesting consideration for the cause of Vietnam. This led him to being branded as a dangerous revolutionary. He moved to Moscow and was educated in a revolutionary school run by the Commitern. He then traveled to South China and was responsible for setting up the communist movement in Vietnam. His life from this point resembles a James Bond novel with him using disguises to move around, using false identities and being pursued by most colonial governments. On one occasion he was arrested in Hong Kong. The French sought his extradition and would no doubt have executed him if they had succeeded. British lawyers (probably paid for by Russia) worked to free him. He returned to teach in Russia and then as the second world war closed moved back to Vietnam to run the movement he had set up.
The success of Communism in Vietnam was a close run thing. In China the communists faced a corrupt and fragmented regime. In Vietnam the Communists had to content initially with the Japanese, the Nationalist Chinese and the French. The French put in an army of 200,000 to retain their colony. Their troops were well trained and they were supplied with American weapons. Vietnam was not a big country and there was not the room to move around, that had existed in China. The critical event seems to have been the success of Mao that allowed the Vietnamese to be supplied with modern weapons particularly artillery.
The book does not lead to one having any sympathy with the French as a colonial power. Prior to the French conquest the literacy rate in Vietnam was very high comparable with some western countries. Under the French it collapsed. In much the same way the French were brutal in the actions they took against Vietnamese fighting for their liberation.  The book is a fascinating biography and well worth a read. It will probably not be the definitive biography of Ho Chi Min and that book won't come out until historians can access the records of Vietnam. In the meantime however it is a good examination of the period and what was a remarkable life.
1117463
Twenty-five years after the fall of Saigon, The Center For National Security Law of the University of Virginia Law School hosted a seminar designed to determine the "real" lessons of the Vietnam War.  In doing so they assembled a distinguished team of twenty-one scholars, each an acknowledged expert in his field.  The results were then compiled and published in this work.  The conclusions reached included, but were not limited to the following:
 Vietnam was a small "hot-spot" in a global "cold war" It was important because the great powers of the day chose to contest it, if for no other reason.
 Ho Chi Minh was a dedicated agent of international Communism, not a Vietnamese Nationalist fighting for his people.
While the "Peace Movement" greatly aided the Communist efforts, they did not lose the war.  Our flawed, "no-win" strategy did.
 American forces were not given a free license to rape, kill, pillage and burn at will.  Soldiers and Marines were indicted and vigorously prosecuted for war crimes in Vietnam.
 Our involvement in Vietnam WAS necessary.  Had we meekly capitulated when the Russian bear growled, we could not have remained credible as an ally.
 The war was NOT unwinnable.  In effect we DID win.  Only Congress' refusal to provide the support promised our allies caused South Vietnam's capitulation and the subsequent blood bath that left millions dead.
The authors authenticate their findings with well-researched data.  These facts will be contested by some and ridiculed by others.  However, mere hype cannot refute their research.  Facts are facts.  The carefully prepared and skillfully perpetuated myths by some in government and many in the media cannot change them although they can be fully expected to try.
In the preface, editors Moore and Turner say that, "Obviously, this small volume is not intended to be the final word on the Vietnam War."  Inevitably, more facts will emerge from such diverse places as Hanoi, Washington, Moscow and/or Beijing.  However, until more facts emerge, this work is the most complete review of the conflict available.  It deserves a place on the bookshelf of every serious student of the war for that reason.
Since Vietnam the world situation has changed completely.  State sponsored terrorism has replaced Communism as our major threat.  Knowing when and how to use force are more critical today than ever.  Being too eager and too reluctant to use force when necessary are equal evils.  This work provides valuable insights on the when and how of using force.  It is an invaluable tool for today's national security planners for that reason.
I was privileged to attend the Conference that inspired this work and eagerly awaited publication of this book for two years.  It was well worth the wait.  I am much better informed for having read it.  You will be as well.