Suggested Reading List
A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Author: Norman Lewis
Description: A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. First published in 1951.
A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia
Author: J.M. Barwise, Nicholas J. White
Description: A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and the various ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels.
Arts of Southeast Asia
Author: Fiona Kerlogue
Description: A handsome guide to the art, architecture, textiles and crafts of Southeast Asia.
Birds of Southeast Asia
Author: Craig Robson
Description: This authoritative, masterfully illustrated guide, featuring 140 color plates covering 1,270 species throughout the region, also includes Malaysia, Burma, Borneo and Indonesia.
Cambodia's Curse, The Modern History of a Troubled Land
Author: Joel Brinkley
Description: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joel Brinkley returns to Cambodia a generation after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime to report on the country's continuing struggle to recover from its past.
Communion, A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam
Author: Kim Fay
Description: Fay recounts in savory detail a five-week journey with two friends from Hanoi to Saigon in search of the traditions, rituals and pleasures of food from local markets and street foods to haute cuisine.
Eyewitness Guide Vietnam and Angkor Wat
Author: Eyewitness Guides
Description: Featuring innovative site diagrams, local maps and hundreds of color photographs, this handy companion introduces the culture, history and attractions of Vietnam.
Fire in the Lake
Author: Frances FitzGerald
Description: A classic historical, political and cultural portrait of the Vietnam War, seen through the eyes of the Vietnamese. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, FitzGerald, a staff writer at the New Yorker and a reporter in Vietnam, presents a vivid image of a revolution and a clear-sighted case for why the U.S offensive was doomed from the start.
Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong
Author: Nick Ray
Description: This compact practical guide covers the entire Mekong from the heights of Yunnan to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Temples of Cambodia, The Heart of Angkor
Author: Helen Ibbitson Jessup, Barry Brukoff (Photographer)
Description: Jessup (Art and Architecture of Cambodia) provides the accompanying essays to this oversized portfolio of dazzling color images by Barry Brukoff, who has been photographing the monuments of Cambodia since 1963.
The Eaves of Heaven, A Life in Three Wars
Author: Andrew X. Pham
Description: Pham recounts the story of his father's life during the French occupation, Japanese invasion and the American War, weaving such momentous events with anecdotes from his childhood and details of family, friends, food and daily life.
The Gods Drink Whiskey
Author: Stephen T. Asma
Description: Asma writes with verve and wit in this eye-opening account of his yearlong stint teaching at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh. His account is both an overview of Theravada Buddhism and a down-to-earth portrait of contemporary Cambodia.
The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future
Author: Milton Osborne
Description: A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia.
The Quiet American
Author: Graham Greene
Description: A classic, this is the most famous Western work of fiction on Vietnam. Greene writes of a love triangle between a war correspondent, his Vietnamese consort and an optimistic young American during the last days of French rule.
The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong
Author: Edward Gargan
Description: A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
The Road of Lost Innocence
Author: Somaly Mam
Description: Sold into servitude by her grandfather, Mam recounts the experiences of her early life, her awakening as an activist -- and work to rescue thousands of women and children in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
Author: Charles Fields
Description: Photographer and traveler Charles Fields portrays the cultures and landscapes of Vietnam from the World Heritage Site of Hue and the Phung Hiep floating market to its forests and coastline in stunning color photographs.
Vietnam, A Traveler's Literary Companion
Author: John Balaban, Nguyen Qui Duc
Description: From rain forest and rural countryside to the cities, these 17 stories from Vietnam's finest writers explore its landscapes, myths and changing traditions.
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map
Description: A convenient, double-sided map of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with city maps of Hanoi, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang, and Phnom Penh. Includes the eastern portion of Thailand and Bangkok.
Vietnam, Rising Dragon
Author: Bill Hayton
Description: The veteran BBC newsman covers the tangled politics, rapidly changing economy, culture, history and people of Vietnam with great insight in this timely portrait of a nation in transition.