Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [390]
Tim Page Derailed in Uncle Ho’s Victory Garden. The war photographer with a legendary ability to defy death, returns to Vietnam in the 1980s. Buried among the flashbacks and meandering discourse, Page’s eye for detail and his delight in the bizarre give a flavour of postwar Vietnam.
Neil Sheehan Two Cities: Hanoi and Saigon. Sheehan returned to Vietnam in 1989 to witness firsthand the legacy of the war. Down south, the memories really begin to flow as encounters and travels trigger wartime flashbacks, interspersed with commentary on re-education camps and other deprivations of the dark, pre-doi moi years.
Robert Templer Shadows and Wind. This hard-hitting book casts a critical eye over Vietnam’s decades of reform, from corruption and censorship to the emergence of a consumer-oriented youth culture. Though written in the late 1980s, the informative and balanced analysis still holds true today.
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Culture and society
James Goodman Uniquely Vietnamese. Asia-based author Goodman has produced an informative catalogue of Vietnamese ingenuity, ranging from conical hats to Cheo theatre, from local festivals to water-puppets and the haunting, one-stringed dan bau.
Gerald Cannon Hickey Shattered World. Detailed but readable account of ethnic minorities living in Vietnam’s central highlands by one of the region’s leading ethnologists. A fascinating analysis of the minorities’ tragic struggle to survive both war and peace.
Henry Kamm Dragon Ascending. Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Kamm lets the Vietnamese – art dealers, ex-colonels, academics, doctors, authors – speak for themselves. This they do eloquently, resulting in a convincing portrait of contemporary Vietnam.
Norma J. Livo and Dia Cha Folk Stories of the Hmong. The Hmong’s fading oral tradition is captured in this unique collection, gleaned from US immigrants, while its scene-setting introduction offers a valuable overview of Hmong culture, accompanied by illustrations of traditional costume and embroidered “storycloths”.
William S. Logan Hanoi: Biography of a City. A heritage adviser, Logan peels back the layers of history revealed in Hanoi’s architecture and streetscapes to provide an academic but engaging account of the city. In doing so, he also examines the challenges facing Hanoi at the start of the new millennium as it strives to preserve its unique heritage while also meeting the needs of its citizens.
Robert S. McKelvey The Dust of Life. Moving oral histories by Vietnamese Amerasians abandoned by their American fathers and discriminated against by the Vietnamese.
Mai Pham Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Saigon-born chef and restaurateur rediscovers her Vietnamese culinary roots and puts together one of the best Vietnamese cookbooks.
Nguyen Van Huy and Laurel Kendall (eds.) Vietnam: Journeys of Mind, Body and Spirit. A broad range of contemporary commentators present an evocative snapshot of Vietnamese society and culture at the start of the new millennium.
Christina Noble Bridge Across My Sorrows. Life-affirming autobiography by a Dublin woman spurred by a dream to channel her considerable strengths into helping Ho Chi Minh City’s bui doi, or street children. In her sequel, Mama Tina, Noble continues the story of her work in Vietnam, and describes her more recent campaign for children’s rights in Mongolia.
Vietnam’s Culture: Frequently Asked Questions Booklets on various cultural themes available in local bookshops. Subjects covered include Cheo theatre, martial arts, traditional medicine and Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
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Vietnam on film
Gilbert Adair Hollywood’s Vietnam: From the Green Berets to Full Metal Jacket. Adair’s excitable prose guides you past the fire-fights, f-words and R&R hijinks, to a real appreciation of how Hollywood reflected shifting American attitudes to the war.
Jeremy Devine Vietnam at 24 Frames a Second. The most wide-ranging analysis of Vietnam movies, covering more than four hundred films.
Linda Dittmar and