I love to read and nothing excites me more than finding a book before I travel to power-up the anticipation of the trip to come! In this post, you will find a list of the best Vietnam books to read in 2018!
I have broken down the best books about Vietnam into helpful sections. In the Fiction section you will find the best books on Vietnam war, other Vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in Vietnam. One of my favourites from this list is 'The Beauty of Humanity Movement', it might be an oldie but a it a great book that tells an interesting story about key characters and their lives in old Vietnam.
For those keen on travelling to Vietnam, you will most certainly enjoy our suggested collection to help you pick the best Vietnam travel guide book for your type of holiday.
Whichever genre you love to read, I'm sure you will find something on this list to suit your needs and taste buds! Enjoy!
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Best Vietnam Fiction Books
Find below a list of the best Vietnam novels 2018 has to offer! You can find suggestions for the best books set in Vietnam.1. Best Books Set in Vietnam
Find below suggestions of books to read before visiting Vietnam.
The Beauty of Humanity Movement was one of the first books I read and I still feel like it is one of the best novels set in Vietnam that looks at daily life beyond the war.
Book Synopsis:Every morning in Hanoi, people line up to breakfast on a bowl of pho, traditional noodle soup, made by Old Man Hung. An itinerant soup vendor living in a shantytown, Hung once owned a café where a group of dissident artists and intellectuals called the Beauty of Humanity Movement met until the Communists shut it down.
If Hung is a link to Vietnam's past, Tu, the grandson of one of the artists, is a link to its future. It is Tu's job as a tour guide to show the sites of Hanoi to visitors from the West. One of these is Maggie, a Vietnamese American art curator who has come to Hanoi to catalogue the art collection of the refurbished Hotel Metropole. She also hopes to learn something about her father, an artist, who stayed behind when Maggie and her mother fled to the U.S.
Through the very different perspectives of these three, Gibb fluidly takes the reader from the bitter years of war to the Hanoi that has emerged in the reform era, which, despite all its modernization, is still a mystery to many of us.
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle, Hardcover, Audio CD & Paperback).
Book Synopsis: The Best We Could is a national bestseller!
It is an illustrated memoir of one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam. It is a graphic novel and the story is told in a beautiful emotional voice. It is about the search for a better future and a longing for the past. The book explores the anguish of immigration. It also shares the emotions of a family dealing with the lasting effects that displacement has on a child.
The book looks at the story of a family's daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970's. It looks at the realistic challenges they faced whilst trying to rebuild a new life for themselves. At the heart of Bui's story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first-time mother, she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent-the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the depths of unspoken love.
The important of the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home are some of the main themes that runs throughout this incredible book. It is the best book about Vietnam family life and the realistic struggles of lost identity.
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle, Hardcover & Paperback).
Find below a collection of the best books on the Vietnam war! Whilst some of these books are a bit older, they are still brilliant to read and give you great insight into the war. 
Book Synopsis: ''Joseph Sherman first visits Saigon, the capital of French colonial Cochin-China, in 1925 on a hunting expedition with his father, a US senator. He is lured back again and again as a traveler, a soldier, and then as a reporter by his fascination for the exotic land and for Lan, a mandarin's daughter he cannot forget.
Over five decades Joseph's life becomes enmeshed with the political intrigues of two of Saigon's most influential families, the French colonist Devrauxs, and the native Trans-and inevitably with Vietnam's turbulent, wartorn fate. He is there when the hatred of a million coolies rises against the French, and when the French Foreign Legion fights its bloody last stand at Dien Bien Phu. He sees US military "advisors" fire their first shots in America's hopeless war against the red tide of Communist revolution and tries to salvage something of lasting value on a desperate helicopter flight out of defeated Saigon.''
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle, Hardcover, Audio CD & Paperback).'Saigon: An Epic Novel of Vietnam by Anthony Grey' happens to be one of the best books on Vietnam War; so if you are after a bit of war history then this one is the perfect book for you!
Book Synopsis: Even in the year 2018, there still seems to be argument around about who was right and wrong in their response to the conflict of the Vietnam War. What we do know is that when the war divided the country, it created deep political fault lines that continue to divide us today. It has been over 40 years since the war ended, but yet it still haunts their country.
This book is not however about taking sides, the book is all about seeking to understand why this war happened, why it went the way it did. The authors have done their research, they have interviewed dozens and dozens of people from both America as well as Vietnam to get the true perspectives from people that were actually involved the war. People interviewed include U.S. and Vietnamese soldiers and their families, high-level officials in America and Vietnam, antiwar protestors, POWs, and many more.
This book is beautifully written and the illustrations are rich. The book aims to launch a new national conversation. Have you read it yet??
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle, Hardcover & Audio CD).
One of the best books on Vietnam 
Book Synopsis:
''They each had their reasons for being a soldier.
They each had their illusions. Goodrich came from Harvard. Snake got the tattoo - Death Before Dishonor - before he got the uniform. And Hodges was haunted by the ghosts of family heroes.
They were three young men from different worlds plunged into a white-hot, murderous realm of jungle warfare as it was fought by one Marine platoon in the An Hoa Basin, 1969. They had no way of knowing what awaited them. Nothing could have prepared them for the madness to come. And in the heat and horror of battle they took on new identities, took on each other, and were each reborn in fields of fire.''
This book is a great read if you enjoy reading books about the Vietnam war! This book happens to be one of the best novels about Vietnam and will give you some great insight into what is was like to be in this war!
Book Synopsis: ''Inside Out and Back Again is a New York Times Vietnam Novel bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.
Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope-toward America.''
Truly a great pick from the Vietnamese books on offer!
Book Synopsis: ''Catfish and Mandala is the story of an American odyssey―a solo bicycle voyage around the Pacific Rim to Vietnam―made by a young Vietnamese-American man in pursuit of both his adopted homeland and his forsaken fatherland.
Andrew X. Pham was born in Vietnam and raised in California. His father had been a POW of the Vietcong; his family came to America as "boat people." Following the suicide of his sister, Pham quit his job, sold all of his possessions, and embarked on a year-long bicycle journey that took him through the Mexican desert, around a thousand-mile loop from Narita to Kyoto in Japan; and, after five months and 2,357 miles, to Saigon, where he finds "nothing familiar in the bombed-out darkness." In Vietnam, he's taken for Japanese or Korean by his countrymen, except, of course, by his relatives, who doubt that as a Vietnamese he has the stamina to complete his journey ("Only Westerners can do it"); and in the United States he's considered anything but American. A vibrant, picaresque memoir written with narrative flair and an eye-opening sense of adventure, Catfish and Mandala is an unforgettable search for cultural identity.'' And in my opinion one of the best Vietnam books you can read.
Book Synopsis: ''An incredible publishing story-written over the course of thirty years by a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, a New York Times best seller for sixteen weeks, a National Indie Next and a USA Today best seller- Matterhorn has been hailed as a "brilliant account of war" ( New York Times Book Review). Now out in paperback, Matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead and James Jones's The Thin Red Line. It is the timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Standing in their way are not merely the North Vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. Almost as daunting, it turns out, are the obstacles they discover between each other: racial tension, competing ambitions, and duplicitous superior officers. But when the company finds itself surrounded and outnumbered by a massive enemy regiment, the Marines are thrust into the raw and all-consuming terror of combat. The experience will change them forever.
Matterhorn is a visceral and spellbinding Vietnam war fiction novel about what it is like to be a young man at war. It is an unforgettable novel that transforms the tragedy of Vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and sacrifice: a parable not only of the war in Vietnam but of all war, and a testament to the redemptive power of literature.''
A Vietnam Novels Bestsellers! A great read! Why not grab it now!
Book Synopsis: ''It is said that in war heaven and earth change places not once, but many times. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places is the haunting memoir of a girl on the verge of womanhood in a world turned upside down. The youngest of six children in a close-knit Buddhist family, Le Ly Hayslip was twelve years old when U.S. helicopters langed in Ky La, her tiny village in central Vietnam. As the government and Viet Cong troops fought in and around Ky La, both sides recruited children as spies and saboteurs. Le Ly was one of those children.
Before the age of sixteen, Le Ly had suffered near-starvation, imprisonment, torture, rape, and the deaths of beloved family members-but miraculously held fast to her faith in humanity. And almost twenty years after her escape to America, she was drawn inexorably back to the devastated country and family she left behind. Scenes of this joyous reunion are interwoven with the brutal war years, offering a poignant picture of Vietnam, then and now, and of a courageous woman who experienced the true horror of the Vietnam War-and survived to tell her unforgettable story.''
What an incredibly emotional novel set in Vietnam. If you are after a Vietnamese novel that will pull at your heart string then this is the one!
Book Synopsis: "I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused," Graham Greene's narrator Fowler remarks of Alden Pyle, the eponymous "Quiet American" of what is perhaps the most controversial novel of his career. Pyle is the brash young idealist sent out by Washington on a mysterious mission to Saigon, where the French Army struggles against the Vietminh guerrillas.
As young Pyle's well-intentioned policies blunder into bloodshed, Fowler, a seasoned and cynical British reporter, finds it impossible to stand safely aside as an observer. But Fowler's motives for intervening are suspect, both to the police and himself, for Pyle has stolen Fowler's beautiful Vietnamese mistress.''
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle, Hardcover, Audio CD & Paperback).
Vietnam Books Non-Fiction
1. Vietnam Travel Guide Books
Find below a list of the most popular Vietnam travel books. These books will all help you as you plan your Vietnam holiday. We also suggest you take them along on your trip as they can be so beneficial when you get lost, or when you try to find activities to fill in spare time in a day.National Geographic Traveler: Vietnam 
The National Geographic travel guide is aimed at active travelers who want authentic, enriching, cultural experiences.
The book covers the following areas:
- Destinations covered include the ancient capital of Hanoi; Ha Long Bay; North-Central Vietnam, including visits to Vietnamese tunnels; Hue and Hoi An; the Southern Central Highlands; Ho Chi Minh City; and the vast Mekong Delta.
- Learn more about Vietnam's history and culture, including discussions on the hilltribes and the life of the boatpeople in the Mekong Delta.
- Get information on self-guided walks and drives that you can take, for example, through Hanoi's picturesque Old Quarter and along the cliffside beauty between Hue and Danang.
- Get lists of 'Not-To-Be-Missed' Sites
- Handy information on hand-picked hotels and restaurants for you to enjoy!
Best travel guide for Vietnam
We personally love Lonely Planet's guidebooks and never look anywhere else. They have the best Vietnam guide book for your travels.
Book Synopsis:Lonely Planet are comprehensive and in depth guide books. Inside Lonely Planet's Vietnam Travel Guide Book you will find:
- Colour maps and images throughout
- Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
- Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
- Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
- Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
- Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - customs, history, architecture, regional specialties, tribes, environment, food, drink
- Free, convenient pull-out Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi map (included in print version), plus over 80 maps
- Covers Northwest Vietnam, Northeast Vietnam, Hanoi, North-Central Vietnam, Central Vietnam, Central Highlands, South-Central Coast, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Siem Reap and more
Find below a list of some good books about Vietnam that are suitable for children. by Phuoc Thi Minh Tran 
Book Synopsis: This gorgeous and colorful children's book has a collection of Vietnamese fairy tales and other folk stories. These stories are brilliant as they give you and your child some insight into their rich culture. You will find a charming collection of 15 tales in this book, all written and told by a popular Vietnamese writer - Tran Thi Minh Phuoc.
Some of the folktales in this books are "The Story of Tam and Cam" (the Vietnamese version of Cinderella), "The Jade Rabbit," and "The Legend of the Mai Flower." The stories told include great lessons of concepts such as integrity, hard work and a kind heart triumph over deception, laziness, and greed-as gods, peasants, kings and fools spring to life in legends of bravery and beauty, and fables about nature.
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Kindle & Hardcover).This book was the **Winner of Creative Child Magazine and receive the 2015 Book of the Year Award**. Give this book a go, I bet you will love it!!
by Elka K. Ray
Book Synopsis: This is a gorgeous ABC-style book on Vietnam. It is geared toward smaller children and features creative & colorful illustrations that your child will enjoy. It is bilingual with English and Vietnamese text so even if you don't understand Vietnamese, you can still easily explain the new words to your child. This is a beautiful Vietnamese book for kids! Eye catching for the little ones and educational! What more can you ask for!?
Click here to see prices for this book (Available in Paperback only).
And there you have our Ultimate Reading List of Vietnam Books to inspire wanderlust pre-trip!
Which Vietnam book took your fancy? Do you have any books set in Vietnam to recommend?Have you read and loved any of these Vietnam Novels?Are you after more Vietnamese stories for Kids?After some Essential tips before you travel to Vietnam? Wondering where to Stay? After stories about our travels to Vietnam?
- Click to read our comprehensive, informative stories of our travels through Vietnam!
Originally from South Africa, now living in Australia, Jolene is a wife and a mother to three beautiful daughters. Together with her family, she is embarking on a journey towards changing her current stress-filled life to one focusing on her dreams and her passion for travel. She wants to share her stories in the hope to inspire you to chase your own dreams!
