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Understanding Vietnam
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List Price:
$25.95
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$23.35
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Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 909
EAN: 9780520201576
ISBN: 0520201574
Label: University of California Press
Manufacturer: University of California Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 428
Publication Date: 1995-03-10
Publisher: University of California Press
Studio: University of California Press
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Editorial Reviews:
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The American experience in Vietnam divided us as a nation and eroded our confidence in both the morality and the effectiveness of our foreign policy. Yet our understanding of this tragic episode remains superficial because, then and now, we have never grasped the passionate commitment with which the Vietnamese clung to and fought over their own competing visions of what Vietnam was and what it might become. To understand the war, we must understand the Vietnamese, their culture, and their ways of looking at the world. Neil L. Jamieson, after many years of living and working in Vietnam, has written the book that provides this understanding.
Jamieson paints a portrait of twentieth-century Vietnam. Against the background of traditional Vietnamese culture, he takes us through the saga of modern Vietnamese history and Western involvement in the country, from the coming of the French in 1858 through the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Throughout his analysis, he allows the Vietnamese--both our friends and foes, and those who wished to be neither--to speak for themselves through poetry, fiction, essays, newspaper editorials and reports of interviews and personal experiences.
By putting our old and partial perceptions into this new and broader context, Jamieson provides positive insights that may perhaps ease the lingering pain and doubt resulting from our involvement in Vietnam. As the United States and Vietnam appear poised to embark on a new phase in their relationship, Jamieson's book is particularly timely.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for serious students
Comment: This is a superb scholarly work which is a must-read for anyone interested in Vietnam -- its past, present and future. Jamieson leads the reader forward from the beginnings of Vietnamese civilisation, illustrating the evolution of the culture with literature and poetry from each period, woven into a structure of competing demands for the loyalty of the people.
Of most impact to many readers will be Jamieson's assessment of the Vietnam War. He conclusively demonstrates that the jarring and overbearing presence of an alien U.S. administration inevitably shook to pieces the fragile and vulnerable society of southern Vietnam, which was then in no position to resist the more traditional and less conflicted society of Hanoi and the north.
Much has happened, both good and bad, in Vietnam in the decade or so since Jamieson published this book and yet his insights are as true today as they were of the war period, or even of the 19th century era of colonialism. Vietnam is changing rapidly on the surface, but the currents in society remain very much as Jamieson has described.
A remarkable and penetrating insight into an ancient culture which may become an important global player in the years to come. -- Maclean J Storer, author of Forward O Peasant.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Comment: I grew up with a lot of second generation Vietnamese and had a relatively significant amount of exposure to the culture. After reading this book I can look back and understand a lot of things better. For example I knew that Viet people are tremendously loyal to thier parents but after reading this book I have a much better understanding of why.
I thought the way he used Yin and Yang to explain things throughout the book was very neat. I think my one complaint is that it does get a little confusing in a couple of places, especially the section covering the 1950's. But I get the empression that the 1950's were a just a confusing time in Vietnam and the rest of the book is great. Much of it does read like a novel.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Understanding Vietnamese writers
Comment: I bought this hoping to learn more about the Vietnamese people and their history. I got bogged down with all the poetry and prose quoted by the writer. While he brushes off the importance of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in a couple of lines; he drones on quoting (translating) obscure Vietnamese writers until the reader becomes weary. His premise seems to be that if you understand some writer (who he thinks is interesting) and attach importance to what he said then you will understand Vietnam. His annoying treatment of Yin and Yang finally caused me to put the book down and look for another way to understand Vietnam. If you like words such as "efficacy" and "entropy" you will love this writer; if such words irritate you, give this book a pass.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WOW
Comment: This book's focus on contemporary Vietnamese literary sources through the years makes it absolutely unique in the field. Its blend of straight history narrative and multiple-voice literature excerpts fleshes out Vietnamese society in a way that was sorely needed in the field. To those well-read in Asian studies: this book can almost be seen as a Vietnam analog to Patricia Ebrey's book "Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook," which is a collection of contemporary Chinese sources through history. The history is instructive and concise, with little excess prose. Jamieson writes in an eminently readable style, and focuses on the most interesting events in order to keep the reader from being bored. He does a pretty good job of giving both Northern and Southern Vietnamese viewpoints, although he does focus a little more than would be preferable on South Vietnam, especially in the later parts of the book. The twentieth century chapters do a better job than almost any book on the market in focusing on the Vietnamese, rather than on the multi-decade war in which they fought. My only complaint is that the extended yin/yang analogy used to explain societal trends was not very helpful. On the whole, though, I'm really impressed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!! Very accurate!!! Must Read!!!!!!!!
Comment: I think this book is amazing! Jamieson accuately protrays Vietnam and Vietnamese culture through the eyes and views of the Vietnamese in a way never before written by a Westerner. He is articulate of the moods and feelings faceing the Vietnamese, well educated in the arts and literature of Vietnam, understands the importance to the core family structure, and scholarly in his research of what it means to be Vietnamese. I highly recommend this book if you want to understand the Vietnamese people who live in Vietnam, in the US, or anywhere...
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