I have just read volume one for the second time. I first read it last year after travelling around Vietnam. I didn't realise that there was a second volume though so was surprised by thr ending - I found that I couldn't put the book down. I thought the author highlghted the challenges faced by the Vietnamese well and helped to explain the tutbulent Vietnamese history. When I got to the end of Vol 1 I was left wanting to know what happened to Lan and Joseph. I found it hard to get hold of a copy of Vol 2 so was very pleased that a 30th anniversary copy was released. I totally enjoyed reading Vol 1 again, it gave me time to reflect on the history again. Looking forward to a lazy day to start Vol 2, hoping it will be just as good. Saigon starts in 1925, when young Joseph Sherman first visits Viet Nam with his larger-than-life senator father, mother and brother to hunt specimens for the Sherman Natural History Museum. It follows his life for the next 50 years as he revisits the country, falls in love with a local woman, marries, fights in WWII, spends time in Viet Nam as a CIA (OSS) operative, and becomes a journalist after spending time as a professor at Cornell. I found the book interesting, especially since it ends at the fall of Saigon, which I remember vividly as a young adult. On the other hand, I have to admit that I ended up skimming pages of what seemed like endless descriptions of the countryside and people's thoughts.
Do You like book Saigon (1982)?
Low brow historical fiction that is a lot of fun if interested in Viet Nam
—kurubak
Some parts slower than others but overall an interesting book.
—sarah
