Alumni Travel Reading Lists 2025: Journey through Vietnam

From the publisher: In Misalliance, Edward Miller provides a convincing new explanation for Diem's downfall and the larger tragedy of South Vietnam. "

A comprehensive history of Vietnam through its long history including periods independent rule and periods of foreign rule under China, France, and at war with the United States. From the publisher: "Journalist Bill Hayton's accessible prose makes A Brief History of Vietnam an essential study of a complex culture at the heart of Southeast Asia--and the roots of its current economic dynamism." Available as a print and an e-book

Graham Greene's novel is set during the period when the US was just beginning to influence the course of history in Vietnam. Available at bookstores, libraries.

This historical fiction takes place in 40 CE and in the Au Lac region of Vietnam. The story focuses on the two Trung sisters. Available as a print or e-book.

The history of Vietnam from another perspective. Tana Li provides a fresh look at Vietnam taking into consideration its its 3,000 kilometer coastline. Available as a print and online book

On Our Own Strength looks at the cultural and political work of the intellectual movement within French-occupied Vietnam. The far-reaching work of the Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) included applied design, urban reform, fashion, literature, journalism, and cartoons. Available as print and e-books.

Essays from journalist Hu Ngoc covering Vietnamese religion, literature, history, exemplary figures, and aspects of Vietnamese culture and the history.
This text should be readily available through libraries.

Anne-Solenne Hatte presents recipes for traditional Vietnamese home cooking collected by Bà, her maternal grandmother.
Available through bookstores and libraries

The author as a boy growing up with his water buffalo
Available from new and used book sellers

This collection of Vietnamese legends spans from 1321 to the present day.
Available at libraries and used book dealers

Discovering Vietnam is noted to be the first book in English on this important archaeological excavation. Situated in Vietnam's capital city, UNESCO has designated Thăng Long as a World Heritage Site. Available in print.

Examines how urban settings have shaped contemporary artistic practice in Southeast Asia

Comprehensive book on contemporary art in Vietnam today.

From the publisher: "Presenting a thorough examination of the sacred forests of Asia, this volume engages with new scholarly dialogues on the nature of sacred space, place, landscape, and ecology in the context of the contested ideas of the Anthropocene."