Ho Chi Minh

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Ho Chi Minh: A Biography
Pierre Brocheux
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521850622

Book Description

Ho Chi Minh is one of the towering figures of the twentieth century, considered an icon and father of the nation by many Vietnamese. Pierre Brocheux's biography of Ho Chi Minh is a brilliant feat of historical engineering. In a concise and highly readable account, he negotiates the many twists and turns of Ho Chi Minh's life and his multiple identities, from impoverished beginnings as a communist revolutionary to his founding of the Indochina Communist Party and the League for Independence of Vietnam, and ultimately to his leadership of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and his death in 1969. Biographical events are adroitly placed within the broader historical canvas of colonization, decolonization, communism, war, and nation building. Brocheux's vivid and convincing portrait of Ho Chi Minh goes further than any previous biography in explaining both the myth and the man, as well as the times in which he was situated.

Average customer rating:

Should have been fiction
Do Not Read If You are Interested in Cultural Facts
Not as good as the competition
Educational and useful for planning a trip.
Excellent help in planning a visit to Vietnam

Sparring with Charlie
Christopher Hunt
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Vietnam: A Traveler's Literary Companion (Traveler's Literary Companions)
Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966

ASIN: 0385481284
Release Date: 1996-04-01

Amazon.com

With a Russian motorcycle as his means of travel and the Ho Chi Minh Trail his itinerary, Christopher Hunt, whose father, Richard P. Hunt, was a television reporter in Vietnam during the war, traveled through postwar Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In Sparring with Charlie, he describes a country in which water buffalo cool themselves in bomb craters and he encounters "every permutation of amputee." He was amazed that no one pointed an accusatory finger at him--in fact the younger generation seemed obsessed by all that is American. At a museum in Ho Chi Minh City, with exhibits showing the horrors of war, four schoolgirls asked his name and told him, "Chris, America No. 1."

Book Description

When Christopher Hunt set off in search of Vietnam's notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail, he hardly expected to end up on a rickety, Russian-made motorcycle navigating 5,000 kilometers of paths rarely traveled by tourists and on roads missing from maps.

Hunt left the United States expecting to explore the 1,700-kilometer highway that was once the supply route for the North Vietnamese Army. He soon found himself roaming the Vietnamese countryside in need of help and direction. In the process, he found that being an American in Vietnam conjured constant reminders of the past and encountered a country and a people poised precariously between the ancient and the modern.

With adventure, wit, and an eye for the absurd, Christopher Hunt goes beyond the newspaper headlines and myths about Vietnam to capture the color and complexity of Vietnam today.

Customer Reviews:

Should have been fiction.......2006-03-20

I traveled to Vietnam as well and I don't think that Hunt's book is a very accurate depiction of the people or the country. Good thing he's not a good writer or else he would have been the first "Jayson Blair."

Do Not Read If You are Interested in Cultural Facts.......2005-12-30

Hunt provides a highly suspect "non-fiction" account of his trip to Vietnam. Some of his stories referred to Vietnamese people who did not speak English/French...Hunt can't speak Vietnamese, so how can he explain their actions/thoughts? Very arrogant of him.

I have spent an extensive time in Vietnam and I think that Hunt's inaccurate account of Vietnam to be an insult to the people. Then again, he probably made up some of the stories just to make things more interesting for his book. If he knew how to speak Vietnamese, he would have learned more about the Vietnamese culture and at least he would be able to make up consistent stories that are more believable.

For those of you interested in riding through Vietnam...Hunt's woes on his motorcylcle will come true if you choose to be ignorant and unprepared as he was. Hunt is correct that the Minsk is more popular in the North. If you fly into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) most people there ride on scooters. You will also find old Honda CB 77s and Vespas. I would definitely recommend bringing a leatherman, and a basic metric tool kit (most of the bikes that you try to buy will be missing their stock tool kits). Play it safe, swap out the spark plugs, brake/choke/clutch/throttle cables before your trip. Check your tires, it will be a rough ride and most tires in Vietnam are in poor shape. Roads through the country are very, very dusty too so be prepared for that. WD40 to lubricate your cables will extend the life of your cables too. Good luck if you're heading there...you'll have a great time!

Not as good as the competition.......2004-01-16

If you want a book about two-wheel adventure in communist countries, far more enjoyable is "Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba," a fascinating and sometimes hilarious, sometimes hair-raising story of a 7,000-mile journey and justifiably the winner of both the 2002 "Travel Book of the Year" and the North American Travel Journalist Association's Awards of Excellence "Grand Prize."

Educational and useful for planning a trip........2000-07-25

As both a motorcyclist and a traveller, I found this book both an interesting read and useful for planning a trip to Vietnam.

Excellent help in planning a visit to Vietnam.......2000-07-22

As someone who enjoys motorcycle travel overseas, I found this book invaluable for planning my own motorcycle tour in Vietnam. Some reviews have said the writer is 'shallow' etc, but I think his comments are dead on.

Average customer rating:

Excellent! Very Well Written
evocative
A wanted reading
Sad and triumphant
An honest, straightforward account of a difficult childhood

The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood
Kien Nguyen
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Tapestries: A Novel
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ASIN: 0316284610

Book Description

Kien Nguyen grew up an outsider in his native land. His once prosperous family, thrust into poverty at the dawn of a new political regime, lived among neighbors who treated them as an unwelcome remnant of the colonialist past. Kien himself, a child of mixed race (his father was American), was among the most unwanted.Told with a stark, poetic brilliance, Kiens account of his early yearsfrom the fall of Saigon, when at age eight he watched the last U.S. Army helicopter leave without him and his family, to his eventual escapeis a work of profound emotional resonance, at once harrowing and inspiring. The Unwanted unforgettably records a universal human experience played out in extreme circumstances: the forging of an identity, a life.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent! Very Well Written.......2007-06-25

I could not put this book down. It was that good! Every chapter was so vivid and intense.

evocative.......2007-06-09

This book is a distressing and fascinating story and also one of courage. In clear language devoid of bitterness the author tells of the years following the Vietnam War. Both insightful and inspiring.

A wanted reading.......2007-04-04

It's amazing that one person can go through such repeated tragedies in one lifetime. I hope Kien writes a follow up book to document his new life in the United States.

Sad and triumphant.......2006-09-14

This memoir tells the story of Kien Nguyen and his family after Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. Kien, with a Vietnamese mother and an American father (who provided well for his son before leaving Vietnam), was eight at the time, and his cushy life collapsed around him. Nguyen writes in a style that is both straightforward and emotional, capturing the cruelty and the compassion of those around him and the chaos that reigned in that time. What that young boy and his family went through, no one should have to experience. And yet I reflected as I read that in many ways, they were lucky. So many more suffered worse, if that can be imagined. What else struck me was how cruel people could be, even (or especially) Kien's extended family, in those times of the downtrodden suddenly becoming powerful. No matter how you felt about the war, this book will show you what it meant to ordinary folks on both sides of the conflict, and it's not a pretty picture.

But despite all the cruelty and indigity Kien and his family suffered, they used all the material, intellectual, and emotional resources they could muster to extract themselves from their misery. What they suffered was eye-opening to me. How they survived and triumphed was incredibly inspirational.

An honest, straightforward account of a difficult childhood.......2006-05-05

Kien, the product of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier, recounts his childhood during the tumultuous post-war years. Despite the best efforts of his loving mother and grandparents, they could not shield him from the discrimination and hatred of other Asians -- which included neighbors and extended family members. From adolescence on, Kien struggles to get himself and his family to America, and is thwarted numerous times, nearly dying in the process. Even though his existence is close to horrific at times, Nguyen maintains a good sense of distance, so that he doesn't get overly emotional or whiny. Since most of what I've read concerning the Vietnam War is through the eyes of Americans, I found this pretty interesting.

Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail

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Pretty good read
Bury Us Upside Down
Bury Us Upside Down
Well written and exiting
A Must Read

Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Rick Newman , and Don Shepperd
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345465385
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Book Description

They had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the Vietnam War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit–an all-volunteer unit composed of truly extraordinary men who flew missions from which heroes are made.

In today’s wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and precision-guided bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots identify and destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search for enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough to glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious dust on treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road (indicating a hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished journalist and veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the stunning story of these brave Americans, the men who flew in the covert Operation Commando Sabre–or “Misty”–the most innovative air operation of the war.

In missions that lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew zigzag patterns searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons, without benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy also cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured, and 7 killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and loss, including the experience of the family of a missing Misty flier–Howard K. Williams–as they learn, after twenty-three years, that his remains have been found.

Now that bombs are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the missions that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for some, such dangers simply came with the territory.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good read.......2007-05-16

My favorite war book is "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge. Sledge's book detailed his exploits in World War II. In comparison, "Bury Us Upside Down" details the exploits of a secret fighter pilot squad during the Vietnam War. Bury Us frequently switches focus to different pilots as their tours end or they are lost in combat. You get to read about a few POWs, about the hellish experience the pilots' families back home had to endure and about the war prisons themselves. The book ends with recent investigations into crash sites in Vietnam; so, you get to see Misty's war from start to finish to post-battle events.

I much rather prefer Sledge's style since it was one man's experience versus "Bury Us Upside Down"'s squadron-based approach. Even so, it was a good read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in war books. This was my first time reading about air combat; I'll probably buy a couple more books like this.

Bury Us Upside Down.......2007-05-07

The book arrived on time and well packaged. It appeared as new upon arrival.

Bury Us Upside Down.......2007-01-10

Another hard to put down book. I carried it with me and read it whenever I had a break. Those pilots deserve a great deal of credit - flying because they loved the work, not just because they had to.

Well written and exiting.......2007-01-04

This book was a really good read, well written and the author really managed to keep my interest up. I personally found the mix of factual description and personal views from the people involved really attractive. The photo section was also OK with good wartime shots of most of the people involved. I can recomend this book to anyone who has an interest in aviation and the Vietnam war.

A Must Read.......2007-01-04

I personally know co-author Don Sheperd and many of the individuals mentioned in the book. A "must read" for any student of the history of the VN conflict. The authors take you right along in their real-life missons. Extremely well-written.

Average customer rating:

Save your money
rayjoy@ipa.net
I was there and Tom tells it like it was.
Written from the heart , factual and detailed. Well written.
Powerfull!

Price of Exit
Tom Marshall
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Chickenhawk

ASIN: 0804117152
Release Date: 1998-04-29

Book Description

"The risk of a fatal catastrophe was constant. The NVA was the enemy, but the ultimate opponent was, quite simply, death. . . ."

For assault helicopter crews flying in and around the NVA-infested DMZ, the U.S. pullout from Vietnam in 1970-71 was a desperate time of selfless courage. Now former army warrant officer Tom Marshall of the Phoenix, C Company, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne, captures the deadly mountain terrain, the long hours flown under enormous stress, the grim determination of hardened pilots combat-assaulting through walls of antiaircraft fire, the pickups amid exploding mortar shells and hails of AK fire, the nerve-racking string extractions of SOG teams from North Vietnam. . . . And, through it all, the rising tension as helicopter pilots and crews are lost at an accelerating pace.

It is no coincidence that the Phoenix was one of the most highly decorated assault helicopter units in I Corps. For as the American departure accelerated and the enemy added new, more powerful antiaircraft weapons, the helicopter pilots, crew chiefs, and gunners paid the heavy price of withdrawal in blood. For more than 30 Percent of Tom Marshall's 130 helicopter-school classmates, the price of exit was their lives. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Save your money.......2006-08-10

This is the worst book on Viet Nam I have read. I didn't even finish it I was so tired of the whinning and crying along with the all for me and to hell with you attitude. Reminded me of a very spoiled baby. I will give him a point for showing up at the party. If you want to read excellant books about helicopters in Viet Nam read the following. All are great. Chicken Hawk by Robert Mason, Sea Wolves and U.S. Navy Seawolves by Daniel Kelly. Taking Fire by Ron Kelly, and Low Level Hell by Mills. I stuck with the helicopters rather than all aircraft types because the list would be too long, but there are many exciting aviation books out there to read without wasting time on a bad one. There is one on the Kingsman Helicopters in action but I can't remember the title but well worth reading. I have over 47 books on Viet Nam and have read many more,so am familiar with most of the styles of writing offered in war books. This one just don't cut it.

rayjoy@ipa.net.......2000-09-08

Tom writes it as it was. No holds barred. I had many an experience of the supposedly allies(the arvn) running and leaving the Americans to fight alone. To all the helicopter pilots I take my hat off.If it hadn't been for them many more of our young men would have died over there. Roadrunner6 out

I was there and Tom tells it like it was........1999-10-25

One of the battles will forever be a part of me. I was there and flew a huey into Laos many times. This book is most accurate! Black Widow 25

Written from the heart , factual and detailed. Well written........1998-10-09

Tom Marshall has written about his experiences as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam with close attention to detail. His thoughts and feelings are very real about his fallen comrades. This book is an awesome tribute to them and their families. As a Vietnam Veteran, he has professionally told his story, and their stories need to be told and read. They are our best resource to the factual history of the VN war. Thank you Tom Marshall.

Powerfull!.......1998-10-08

To most Americans, and in most history books, the American effor in the unpopular war in Viet Nam ended in 1970. However, many nineteen and twenty somthing year-old helicopter crews; pilots, crew chiefs, gunners and medics, continued to fly dangerous missions in support of ARVN soldiers and a dwindling number of US troops, well into 1973. In fact, the last US helicopter pilot killed in Southeast Asia gave his life in 1975.

In "The Price of Exit", Tom Marshall gives voice to those of us helicopter pilots and our crew members, living and dead, who served with honor and distinction during a period of time when few Americans knew of, and even fewer cared less, of our efforts. Marshall writes of his own participtation during this difficult time. Even though he could have written a complete book of his own valor, Marshall has elected not to do so. Rather, he writes of the valor of others.

In the spring of 1971, the Army of South Viet Nam (ARVN) embarked upon an ambitious helicopter borne invasion, called Lam Son 719, into the NVA sanctuaries of Laos. Very few Americans knew then or will recall now that the helicopters that undertook this invasion were flown by American crews.

Marshall puts a human face on young men who will never grow beyond the ages of 19, 20 and 21 they had reached that terrible spring of 1971. "The Price of Exit", in part tells of 45 days in March and April 1971 when American helicopter crew flew sortie after sortie into Laos. We are allowed to view incredible valor as these American pilots take off, time and again, only to face huge volumes of anti-aircraft fire.

But it is not just pilots Marshall pays tribute to in this wonderful work. As we are remined many of the aircraft were vrewed by equally young enlisted crew members. In many ways Marshall shows us an even higher livel of valor that was demonstrated by these crew chiefs, gunners, flight engineers, and medics. "The Price of Exit" tells us how, without questioning, these unsung heroes climbed willingly in the rear of helicopters they had no control over and made the harrowing trips into an airborne hell.

We are instructed by Marshall that the US emplowyed 659 helicopters in Lam Son 719. Of these 659 helicopters, 444 were shot down or otherwise damged by hostile fire. We are also instructed that it was the best of American youth in those 659 helicopters. Without these American helicotpers and crews Lam Son 719 could never have been undertaken.

What Marshall has accomplished in "The Price of Exit" is to tell the story of the uncommon valor shown by young helicopter crews at places with names like Ripcord, Khe Sanh, Lolo, Sophia, and Brown. The reader may not be as familiar with these places as one might be with those visted by the World War II generation of airman. However, thanks to Marshall's efforts histroy will now recall a time when young men willingly paid "The Price of Exit" from an unpopular war, not for their country, but for each other.

Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG
Average customer rating:

I couldn't put it down

Hmmm...

Great Book!

I had no idea

Extraordinary bravery wasted in Washington

Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG
John L. Plaster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Hill 488

ASIN: 0684856735

Book Description

The leading historian of SOG, the elite commando unit in Vietnam, tells the astonishing story of the SOG warriors who penetrated enemy lines in operations directed at the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The warriors of SOG -- code-named the Studies and Observations Group -- were a secret operations force in Vietnam, the forerunner of today's Delta Force and SEALs. Highly skilled Green Berets, they were the bravest of the brave, the most highly decorated unit in the war. Chief among their activities was observing the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the main North Vietnamese supply route into South Vietnam, and disrupting its operations. SOG warriors secretly penetrated deep into Laos and Cambodia to identify bombing targets, destroy troops, ambush trucks, mine roads, and, in their most difficult assignment, capture North Vietnamese soldiers for intelligence purposes.

Operating in the most dangerous conditions imaginable -- always outnumbered, often by as much as 100 to 1 -- SOG commandos matched wits with an un-relenting foe that hunted them with trackers and dogs. They suffered an extraordinarily high casualty rate. Ten entire teams disappeared and another fourteen were overrun and annihilated. Many of the missions run by SOG fighters were rescues and attempted rescues of fellow soldiers and downed helicopter pilots who supported SOG missions.

In Secret Commandos, a riveting account of his years in SOG from 1969 to 1971, John Plaster describes his own remarkable covert missions as well as those of dozens of his comrades. He takes readers from his grueling training for SOG to his heart-stopping first assignments to his experiences as a SOG veteran and team leader. Even as SOG's field of operations became more limited late in the war, these accomplished warriors continued to give their all, fighting for each other.

Customer Reviews:

I couldn't put it down.......2007-05-18

I had chills after reading the first three pages. The action is incredible. I was on pins and needles, like it was all happening for the first time right in front of me. Plaster also conveyed his love for his friends through these pages. There were several places that I cried just for feeling the sacrifice of these incredible, selfless warriors. I love this book.

Hmmm..........2007-04-24

I have the deepest respect for Mr. Plaster. He has written three masterpieces, which I own and love. This one is not. I'm not sure why, other than I expected more. This book falls flat on its face. Sorry.

Great Book!.......2007-02-19

I loved this book- couldn't put it down. I liked it even better than Maj. Plaster's other book, 'SOG-The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam', which was itself a doggone fine book. Based on what I've read to this point, this is the difinitive book on SOG in Vietnam. But I did come away with a question after reading it: How did those guys move through the jungle so quietly with cannonballs for gonads?

I had no idea.......2007-01-12

I am not old enough to remember the tail end of Vietnam. Most of what I know came from history class or the movies. But this book allowed me to read about a part of the Vietnam war, I did not know existed. In fact, I believe a lot of people had no idea what was taking place in Cambodia and in Laos during this time period. Special forces, secret missions, thousands of North Vietnamese in "de-militarized" areas and only the Green Berets to keep them in check. Experience the first hand accounts of american special forces units as they are dropped deep behind enemy territory only to be hunted and attacked by forces who outnumber them significantly. Overall, the book is extemly interesting and a different kind of read. Real soldiers in real situtations, where any mistep means death.

Extraordinary bravery wasted in Washington.......2006-08-26

Having spent more than enough time in SEA before Plaster got there, I could relate to his willingness to fight the good fight to fight Communist aggression since I've been there and done that.
What was truly remarkable about this book is that despite the fact that his efforts to win the battles on the field of battle were really for naught, he does not spend much time dealing with the "cut and run" crowd in Washington who made any victory impossible. The willingness of his teams to insert into the forbidden zones of Cambodia and Laos in order to protect the boots on the ground further down the Ho Chi Minh trail, at a time when Congress shaking in its shoes seems remarkable even to this day. The personal stories to confront the enemy in the face of almost certain death will leave you shaking your head. But this is the military that one former president "loathed" as he visited Moscow and committed a felony in lying to his draft board in order to maintain his "political viability."

The bravery and dedication of men like Plaster was not only undermined, but desecrated as the draft dodgers and phony heroes with four months of service in the theater went back to testify in front of Congressional committees who did more to assist the Viet Cong than anything that the Soviets or Chinese did at the time. What a waste of brave men who gave their all while those who gave nothing rose to elected office on the bodies of their fellow Americans. Plaster names all the brave men who died during his tour of duty as he sings "Hey Blue" to acknowledge their deaths, and it is a list far too long. His detailed accounts of his many missions would make a great movie, but Hollywood has no taste for true bravery when it has important issues to deal with, like orcas in a tank.

This is a well written book, but it is too kind to those who stabbed men like Plaster and his fellow SOG teammates in the back and dishonored their patriotism and sacrifice. But nothing has changed. The same kind of heroism is being undermined today as politicians in Washington demand a similar end in Iraq, without a single minute of thought to their last "victory" in ending the war in Vietnam, costing millions of lives as they ran away. But their grandfathers did the same when they carried Chamberlain on their shoulders as he delivered "Peace in our time" and sent 80,000,000 humans to their deaths in the process.

Average customer rating:

FATHER OF THE VIETNAMESE NATIONAL LIBERATION STRUGGLE
Best Book on the Life of Uncle Ho.
An Engaging Read
Superb, outstanding research!
Details, Details, Where's the Story?

Ho Chi Minh: A Life
William J Duiker
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Understanding Vietnam

ASIN: 078688701X

Amazon.com

Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) fought for half a century to free Vietnam from foreign domination, and the story of his life illuminates the ongoing struggle between colonialism and nationalism that still shapes world history. William J. Duiker, who served in Saigon's U.S. embassy during the Vietnam War, spent 30 years delving into Vietnamese and European archives, as well as interviewing Minh's surviving colleagues, in order to write this definitive biography. The son of a civil servant from a traditionally rebellious province, the future president of North Vietnam was known for more than 20 years as Nguyen That Thanh. It was under this name that he founded the Vietnamese Communist Party, having concluded after reading Lenin's analysis of imperialism that revolutionary Marxism was the most effective tool to achieve Vietnam's independence. He spent 30 years in exile, cementing his communist ties in Moscow and working with Vietnamese rebels from a base in China, before assuming the name Ho Chi Minh in 1942, when the forces unleashed by World War II seemed to be clearing the way for Vietnamese liberation. French intransigence and American anti-communism would delay the emergence of an independent, united Vietnam for another 30 years, but Ho became an icon who inspired the communist North and the Southern Vietcong to keep fighting. Focusing almost exclusively on political events and ideological debates, Duiker depicts Ho as a nationalist first and foremost, but also as a convinced (though pragmatic) Marxist who believed socialism would help his country modernize and correct ancient inequities. This long, very detailed biography is not for the casual reader, but anyone with a serious interest in modern history will relish a dense narrative that fully conveys the complexities of the man and the issues with which he grappled. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Ho Chi Minhs epic life helped shape the twentieth century. But never before has he been the subject of a major biography. Now William Duiker has compiled an astonishing work of history that fills this immense void. A New York Times Notable Book of 2000.

Customer Reviews:

FATHER OF THE VIETNAMESE NATIONAL LIBERATION STRUGGLE .......2006-12-01

By way of an introduction I note that while I was writing a draft of this book review President George W. Bush had just completed participation in an international conference held in Vietnam. In one of the small ironies of history a photograph of the meeting between American and Vietnamese leaders displayed a huge bust of the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh hovering over the room. There was a time in the 1950's and 1960's when Ho was more than a mere historical reminder in the room. To many youth, particularly in the West, `Uncle' Ho represented the most intransigent opposition to Western imperialism. Today, at a time when heroes for leftists are few and far between and Vietnam's leadership has taken a distinctly different direction toward the shoals of "market socialism" and away from Ho Chi Minh's ideas a look at his politically flawed but fascinating life seems in order.

The Russian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky on more than one occasion noted that the Western labor movement had not produced the kind of hardened, resilient and committed revolutionaries produced in Russian and Eastern Europe. While there were definite historical reasons for that divergence centered on different political conditions it nevertheless remained an abiding different (and does to this day). The life of Ho Chi Minh as presented in the biography under review is yet another example that highlights that difference, this time in early 20th Asia, in revolutionary commitment and intensity. While the fates and the political directions of both Trotsky and the Stalinist Ho diverted shapely the commitment to communism, as they understood it, remained a lifelong commitment, even under inhumanly trying circumstances. Ho's biographer has done an excellent job of gathering the materials, some only recently accessible from Soviet and other archives, which enable a knowledgeable reader to follow the ups and downs of his political career. That, said, the author does not and cannot really understand the nature of communist commitment and in the end can not draw any serious political conclusions about the life of his subject. His book nevertheless will be a definitive of study of Ho's life and influence.

Forty or so years ago the name Ho Chi Minh brought forth either anger or admiration. Anger, from the former colonialist power France for having been forced to abandon Vietnam after its military defeat and from a neo-colonialist American imperialist military force about to get its comeuppance from guerilla and regularly armed forces led by the wily Ho. Admiration, from the youth of the world, particularly the West, that a `new' strategy might be aborning to defeat the various imperialisms of the world and create another road to socialism not based on the Soviet or Chinese-style models.

Ho essentially built up his organization from scratch under very loose Communist International supervision from Moscow. From an American Communist's point of view the Communist International always seemed to be intervening, for good or evil, in the internal life of its party to insure implementation of the party line. Sometimes it was merely the lastest telegram from Moscow that changed the party line, for example, around the Hitler-Stalin Pact. Such was apparently not the case in remote Vietnam. While Ho was a committed Stalinist he was clearly no self-serving bureaucrat of the Soviet-type. Rather it is his virtually unchanging lifelong political perspective of a variation of the `bloc of four classes' strategy handed down from the Comintern in the lead up to the Chinese Revolution of the mid-1920's that places him in the Stalinist camp. Previously I have called such a strategy as applied to places like China and Vietnam as Stalinism under the gun. Apparently the vicissitudes of Vietnamese mountain life and geographical proximity led to more contact with the Chinese revolutionaries. Seemingly Ho was more influenced by them than the Soviets on some aspects of revolutionary rural warfare. However, a look at Ho's political actions, especially in the post World War II period, shows a pronounced bias toward Soviet leadership in the showdown of between the Soviet Union and China for leadership of the international communist movement. That tilt was not reciprocated by the Soviets as they generally saw the Vietnamese struggle as marginal to their global interests.

One of the most contradictory phenomenons that enveloped the revolutionary movement in the 20th century was the fact that unlike Karl Marx's projections the socialist revolution did not start in the Western industrialized society. I t started in economically backward Russia and moved eastward. It started in Russia with a small although very politicized industrial working class dependent on the good will of a vast peasantry and preceded to areas like Vietnam where the industrial working class was either virtually non-existent or had been militarily or politically decimated. Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam under French colonialism represented just such a development. Hence, from the beginning of the revolutionary struggle in Vietnam it was an alliance between the revolutionary intellectuals and the peasantry that formed the basis for the national liberation front not the traditionally Bolshevik intellectual/worker combination prescribed by Lenin. This is important, because the program which will animated the peasantry, land to the tiller, is very different from the program of workers democracy. And that in a nutshell is the difference between Stalinism and Trotskyism in Vietnam. The difference between `socialism in one country' and permanent revolution' Ho won, in the short term but can anyone today argue that Vietnam is on the road to socialism as either Stalinists or Trotskyists would understand the phenomena.

Best Book on the Life of Uncle Ho. .......2006-11-13

When i was in high school history class,we read very little about the Vietnam conflict.The teacher just did not have the time to give the topic justice.So it was glossed over ,as were many other political topics.Tempus Fugit.The Vietnam topic did make me ask one important question,'Was the involvment of Americans ,in the Vietnam civil war ,really worth it?'.The answer was an absolute, 'No'.After so many years of reading history books and researching accounts of the Vietnam war,i have come to the conclusion that democracy was not the main goal ,being offered by the American government.America was simply being used by Western European Nato interests to 'break the communist hold on South-east Asia'.Why? The OSS-CIA wanted to continue heroin dealing from Afgahnistan and China,yet Korea and Vietnam would be 'stumbling blocks'.Ho Chin Mihn was a Northern Vietnamese socialist,from a rural farming area.He would have become a 'Viet-Nazi',had he ignored furthering his personal education.When he labored,in France,he saw the abuses of other colonial servants. He was a Leninist,who was thrust into the Stalinist role,when the foreign polemic militaries became involved.Ho Chi Mihn said,'When the elephant provokes the docile tiger,the tiger will fight and wear-down the elephant,and the elephant will fall'. It seems history has proven Ho Chi Mihn right.

An Engaging Read.......2006-02-13

There were once places and people like South Vietnam, the "Hanoi Hilton" and the Vietcong. Names like Generals Westmoreland and Gaip, and LBJ were heard every night on the evening news, along other words like "DMZ", and "body count". These words and names still stir memories of a time and a place now fading into the distance. But perhaps none of these names shake the imagination like Ho Chi Minh, or simply "Uncle Ho".

Ho Chi Minh was at once both liberator and conqueror. He was one of the founders of the Vietnamese Communist Party, and he was a nationalist trying to force occupying powers from his homeland like the Japanese; the French; and finally the Americans and their South Vietnamese backed government in Hanoi. He was both betrayed and a betrayer. He was a visionary who understood how to manipulate world opinion. He matched wills with the most powerful nations on earth, and prevailed. Yet, until recently, we knew very little about this enigma of a man, including his real name.

Author William J. Duiker's book, "Ho Chi Minh: A Life" is masterful piece of research into a world few in the West ever knew existed. Born Nguyen Sinh Cung on May 19, 1880, Duiker follows Ho through his youth and education, his trip to New York City where he worked as a chief's assistant at the famed Carlton Hotel, his failed attempts to obtain recognition for his county at Versailles following the end of World War I, and finally, his emersion in revolutionary politics in Stalinist Russia, out which would come the man destined to be a player on the world stage.

Mr. Duiker provides engrossing insights into the people and places which shaped not only the man, but ultimately the whole of Southeast Asia, with its murky world of conspiratorial politics, and larger than life personalities pitted against each other. His passion for the man and his times is evident on each and every page, making this 577 page book highly readable and entertaining.

Superb, outstanding research!.......2005-09-15

This book is a must read for anyone who's interested in Vietnam studies. The author's objectivity in writting this text is outstanding. I have to say that being a Vietnamese I couldn't find any authoritative biography of Uncle Ho until I found this book. Duiker's style is very readable and engaging with numerous references for readers to separate facts from myths. With this book, Ho Chi Minh is presumaly no longer a mythical figure to the general public and academia. His life was truly extraodinary who accomplished exactly what he wanted for his beloved country (i.e., "independence" and national unification). I concur with Duiker that his book is indeed the "definite" source on President Ho. I recommend wholeheartedly.

Details, Details, Where's the Story?.......2005-02-22

I came to this book very interested in knowing more about Ho and to see this period of history told from the perspective of a figure not normally viewed as a major player. Having previously read Paul Preston's biography of Franco (a long book), I was hoping this would be of similar quality (see my review of Preston's book). It's not.

This book is very detailed. As one of the other reviewers notes, there are specifics about all sorts of travels and meetings with all sorts of names, places, and times. But, nothing really ties these things together to make a story. It's so bad that I haven't finished the book and probably never will. So, why 2 stars instead of a total blast of 0 or 1 star? Because I do believe the author has been thorough and so this deserves some respect. I just wish there had been an editor or someone to help turn this into a story.

And the final plug: Preston's book about Franco is really good.

The Blood Road: The Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Vietnam War

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A must for Vietnam Vets
A must for Vietnam Vets
A Good Synthesis, but Weak Conclusion
A Good Synthesis, but Weak Conclusion
Blood Road

The Blood Road: The Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Vietnam War
John Prados
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471254657

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"The Trail undeniably lay at the heart of the war," writes John Prados in the introduction to The Blood Road. The Vietnam War cannot be understood properly without considering this elusive path from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, which helped the Viet Cong defeat the armed forces of a much more powerful country. "Building the Trail or hiking it became the central experience for a generation of Vietnamese from the North," says Prados. The Trail--known as the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route to the Communists and as the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the Americans--was composed of more than 12,000 miles of roads and paths, and it remained open throughout the course of the conflict despite American efforts to close it. When the Nixon administration ordered attacks on Cambodia and Laos, the goal was to destroy the Trail and its supply depots. Prados suggests that the result of the Vietnam War might have been different if the United States had somehow managed to shut down the Trail, even though he also acknowledges the extreme difficulty of succeeding at this task. The Blood Road offers a fresh look at an old debate, and marks a welcome contribution to the literature on the Vietnam War. --John J. Miller

Book Description

"Enormously illuminating. . . . John Prados can lead a reader, from the 'battle buff' to the expert, through the series of campaigns near the DMZ and along Route 9 better than any other author I have read. . . . His understanding of the decision-making process in Hanoi is nuanced and sophisticated

. . . . A first-rate book from a first-rate scholar."âRobert K. Brigham, Vassar College

"The Blood Road records all sides of the story, from the trials of Vietnamese soldiers in the wild, to the heroism of Americans trying to save their buddies against impossible odds, to the desperation of antiwar activists who feared that a conflict out of control spelled doom for a great nation, to the machinations of diplomats and generals scheming to get their way. This book is the tale of a fulcrum that turned the balance in the Vietnam War." âJohn Prados, from his Introduction

Could the United States have won the Vietnam war if it had been able to cut off the Viet Cong from their North Vietnamese support by severing the Ho Chi Minh Trail? Acclaimed historian John Prados tackles this crucial question in an elegant, unprecedented, and exciting work of historical scholarship.

Built as a vital gateway inside a divided nation, the Ho Chi Minh Trail embodied the dreams and aspirations of an entire people. As the North Vietnamese struggled to open and sustain The Trail, the American and South Vietnamese forces struggled to close itâa life-and-death contest that tells the intricate and dramatic story of the Vietnam War in microcosm.

The Blood Road recounts this complex story with unprecedented depth and clarity. The Ho Chi Minh Trailâwhose flow of troops, civilians, and armaments became the lifeblood of a long campaign toward violent victoryâwas Hanoi's only connection by land to South Vietnam. Ultimately comprising more than twelve thousand miles of roads and paths through some of the world's harshest geography, The Trail and the epic struggle behind building and crossing it became the central experience for an entire generation. Graves filling 72 military cemeteries in Vietnam stand as silent, grisly testimony to the notorious road's devastating toll.

Aided by formerly secret government documents, and previously unavailable oral histories, memoirs, and interviews, Prados explores all sides of the conflict, providing details of the action in Hanoi and North Vietnam and avoiding the narrowly focused battle histories, atomized individual accounts, and overly general visions dominating previous histories. Prados considers each of the multiple perspectives that shaped the conflict: the struggle of the Vietnamese soldiers in the jungles, the heroism of American troops, the highly influential antiwar protests of the period, the intricate machinations of the generals and diplomats, and the lingering impact on the people and governments of neighboring Laos and Cambodia.

Customer Reviews:

A must for Vietnam Vets.......2002-10-17

This is a must-read for all Vietnam veterans and students of the Vietnam War. Author Prados outlines why we were never able to interdict the flow of troops and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos into South Vietnam. As a veteran of C-130 flare missions searching for trucks over the Trail, I now understand why our task was often so fruitless

A must for Vietnam Vets.......2002-10-17

Sam McGowan
Vietnam Veteran, author of "The Cave", a novel of the Vietnam War.

A Good Synthesis, but Weak Conclusion.......2001-06-08

John Prados, a veteran writer of military history, has attempted to write the first detailed scholarly examination of the role of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the Vietnam War. The Trail, dubbed the "Blood Road," was a vital pathway through the jungles of Laos and Cambodia that enabled the North Vietnamese regime to conduct a protracted guerrilla struggle in South Vietnam. Without the Trail, the indigenous Viet Cong in South Vietnam would have been virtually on their own. Nor is Prados content just to examine the history of the Trail; rather, he poses the critical question: could the United States have severed the Trail and thereby achieved a military victory in Vietnam?

There is no doubt that The Blood Trail has historical value. Prados has pulled together high and low-level accounts from both sides to produce the first real synthesis on this subject. Unfortunately, far more is promised than is delivered by this book. One major problem is the over-focus on Washington strategy sessions by Bundy, McNamara, LBJ, et al. It seems that every book written on the Vietnam War has to detour into the Oval Office, no matter how much this ground has been trampled before. The only germane aspect of these familiar policy debates is the issue of whether the insurgency in Vietnam would be handled with diplomatic or military means. Prados shows that severing the canal by a variety of military means was the preferred option.

Although the Americans tried everything from ground attacks, bombing, mining and raiding, they could not sever the Trail. Thus Prados concludes that, "the truth is that the war fighters lost their gambit". Well, that's rather obvious Dr. Prados, given that we lost the war. Unfortunately, by asserting that we couldn't sever the Trail by military means (which actually is not proven, only that the means employed did not work), the author leaves the reader high and dry. What then should the United States have done about the Trail? Abandon South Vietnam in 1964? Negotiate surrender? How could we have known that interdicting the Trail would fail if we did not try it? There is nothing worthy of being called a conclusion here. I also believe that Dr. Prados overstates the effect of severing the Trail in any case. Even if the US military had successfully interdicted the Trail for say 6-12 months, thereby disrupting the enemy build-up, Hanoi would merely have asked for a temporary cease-fire. They could then use the period of cease-fire to repair any damage to the Trail.

I think Prados misses the boat on this one. The Vietnam War was not an exercise in military logistics, whereby if we had severed the enemy lines of communication their war effort would have collapsed. Prados has been influenced too heavily by Jomini and Clausewitz, instead of Mao. First, the enemy would always find a way to get some troops and supplies into South Vietnam, no matter how painful we made this to them. Even if we stopped 80-90% of the troops and supplies - a real success - the remaining 10-20% would probably be enough to keep a low-level insurgency burning in South Vietnam. The war was not about logistics, it was about motivation and protracted struggle. The fact is that as long as Hanoi's leaders remained committed to victory, they could outlast any temporary US military successes. The United States never intended to adopt a large-scale, open-ended defense of South Vietnam for decades on end. Thus, the Trail was probably not as critical to victory or defeat as Prados makes out.

A Good Synthesis, but Weak Conclusion.......2001-05-31

There is no doubt that The Blood Trail has historical value. Prados has pulled together high and low-level accounts from both sides to produce the first real synthesis on this subject. Unfortunately, far more is promised than is delivered by this book. One major problem is the over-focus on Washington strategy sessions by Bundy, McNamara, LBJ, et al. It seems that every book written on the Vietnam War has to detour into the Oval Office, no matter how much this ground has been trampled before. The only germane aspect of these familiar policy debates is the issue of whether the insurgency in Vietnam would be handled with diplomatic or military means. Prados shows that severing the Trail by a variety of military means was the preferred option.

Blood Road.......1999-12-02

As a participant in the air activity over the trail in 67&68,I was hopeing for more information regarding the ground activites during this period. In actuallity, there is little information about either. Onr glareing error is the authors continuing referance to all FAC aircraft as Ravens. The Ravens came into being in 1967 and were working days, flying from within Laos itself. In most cases when the author is calling the FACs Ravens, they were actually Nail or Covey FACs, flying from Thailand. Still waiting for a book that covers the construction crews, maintainers, truck drivers and GUNNERS that were a brave and awesome group.

Following Ho Chi Minh: The Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Colonel

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Following Ho Chi Minh: The Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Co
Worth Reading If Youre a Serious STudent of the War
An insider's revelations.
A seemingly highly credible report by the ultimate insider.
An indepth look at Vietnamese Government after 1975

Following Ho Chi Minh: The Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Colonel
Bui Tin
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0824822331

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Following Ho Chi Minh: The Memoirs of a North Vietnamese Co.......2004-02-24

This has been an amazing read for me. My fellow helicopter pilot buddy (from our tour in Vietnam) sent it over from Vermont. We were both New England college grads when we flew
D-model Hueys out of Vinh Long, in the Mekong Delta during 1966-67. Since that time, we have devoured many books commenting on our mutual Army experience, especially when the Vietnamese side of things often illustrates our time well. Fred Stetson continues to remain close to Vietnamese immigrants in the Burlington, VT area, and knows I have represented our experience well in my book, OUTLAWS IN VIETNAM. We both delight in finding out information from and about the Hanoi leadership, and were absolutely surprised to find their intrigue with the Chinese communists that is so fervently exposed in Bui Tin's masterful work. He was always in the significant place at the right time, and reveals behind-the-scenes politics with the North Vietnamese from 1945 on. What a journalist, and I am glad he has connected with leaders like Senator John McCain, to flesh out the reality of the VC and NVA we were fighting against. Apparently our suspicions that the Chinese were very involved in this war were very correct, indeed! I had thought the two nation-states too opposed to each other (culturally) to have ever played such a strong hand. Makes you wonder what we could have done militarily otherwise; maybe ole chicken LBJ might have been right to worry about escalating events after all....

Worth Reading If Youre a Serious STudent of the War.......2002-12-04

As a former Marine Sniper who served two tours in Nam and who is still trying to understand what I went through this is an okay read. Not as good as some and a bit over blown at times but worth understanding the other side. It does make you want to better understand the other side of our current crisis in terrorism and see what makes them tick. Our leaders in Nam were a little lazy and self serving when it came to history. That is the leaders in Washington. Makes you wonder what might have been?

An insider's revelations........2002-01-20

As a North Vietnamese colonel and high ranking Party member, the author accepted the surrender of Saigon on April 1975. He continued to work for Hanoi until 1990, when disillusioned with the communists he moved to Paris and hoped to see a free and democratic Vietnam.

In his memoir, he talked about communism being elevated to the rank of a "blind faith", the purges within the Party, the errors, greed, and corruption of communist leaders, the "arrogance of the Party" and so on.

This book is recommended to those who are interested in the inner world of the Vietnamese communist Party and the causes of its failure. It is not the ideal world painted by the communists, not the people's rule but the rule of five or six men who imposed their dictatorship on the people.

A seemingly highly credible report by the ultimate insider........2000-03-30

The rarest of gifts -- a credible account from a Vietnamese communist cadre! Bui Tin has done a great service to all of his countrymen, regardless political faction or religion. His assessments of legendary Vietnamese cadres, including Ho Chi Minh, Le Duan and Le Duc Anh are stunningly frank. Those interested in Vietnam or Cambodia should place this title on the top of their reading lists. There is simply no other work of its kind, although we can always hope that another courageous figure will follow in the author's footsteps.

An indepth look at Vietnamese Government after 1975.......1999-06-18

Bui Tin has written a remarkable story about the Vietnamese government and the social chaos that went on which no one outside of Viet Nam ever knew about it after 1975. Thanks to him we now know that life was easier during the time of war than peace time.

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Ho Chi Minh City Map (Vietnam)
International Travel Maps
Manufacturer: Itmb Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Map

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ASIN: 1553416449

Book Description

Street map of the city.

Legend locates major institutions and facilities; tourist offices; museums; theaters and cinemas; stadiums; embassies; airline agencies; hotels and guest houses; district head offices; churches; pagodas; restaurants; banks; hospitals; post offices; universities; markets; gas stations; bus stations; points of interest. Legend includes Vietnamese equivalents of these terms.

Index of place names.

Scale 1:15,000. Printed on one side.

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Rulers and Royalty

Rulers and Royalty