A novel about/set in Vietnam

[dirtyangelswithfaces]

I'm looking for a novel that has Vietnam as the setting. It's for my dad who's going to Vietnam next summer and he likes to read books that are set in the country he's visiting (last year I got him Kipling's Kim and Forster's A Passage to India when he went to... India).
So has any of you read a book set in Vietnam? It can be about the war or not.
Any input is appreciated.

[harry_hardcore_hoedown]

Heart of Darkness?

[dirtyangelswithfaces]

Uhm that's set in the Congo, it was adapted to be set in Vietnam for Apocalypse Now.
Nice try though.

[harry_hardcore_hoedown]

Oh, sorry. Well I found this (http://www.vietnamwar.net/fiction.htm). Or you could just get a hold of Heart of Darkness and wherever it says 'Congo', cross it out and write 'Vietnam'.

[dirtyangelswithfaces]

Or I could get Alice in Wonderland and cross out Wonderland?
The list looks good, thanks

[backseat footjob]

"the things they carried" by Tim O'brien

[supperrfreek]

I think it's called Trees of Smoke. I haven't heard much about it and don't know the author: sorry if this isn't all that helpful.

[Trix Are For Kids]

I'm guessing you don't want a war story do you?

[Shrike]

I think it's called Trees of Smoke. I haven't heard much about it and don't know the author: sorry if this isn't all that helpful.

Yes, it's supposed to be really good. Here is a review on it:

http://stevenpoole.net/articles/tree-of-smoke/

[dirtyangelswithfaces]

I'm guessing you don't want a war story do you?

Preferably not a story that just focuses on a group of soldiers, I don't think my dad likes that kind of stuff.
I bought The Quiet American secondhand yesterday but I'm still looking for a second book cause it was so cheap...

I'll look into Tree of Smoke.

[SomeLowLife]

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh is a great book.

A Vietnam war story via the north Vietnamese perspective. They walk around taking any drug they can find, committing war crimes, and hating themselves.

It's very well written and makes the north Vietnamese appear human. Quite a concept, huh?

[blacklung]

The Short Timers

[Clayman]

You should get a book on a country that the world already conquered, like say, Iraq.

That being said, SomeLowLife is right, The Sorrow of War is a good book.

[TheMagician]

"the things they carried" by Tim O'brien

This was a fantastic book. I would highly recommend this one. I haven't read any (yet), but from what I understand O'Brien's other works that deal with Vietnam are also very good. I have heard especially good things about "If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home".

[SomeLowLife]

"the things they carried" by Tim O'brien

I wrote a paper about that book entitled, "The things they humped."

They dropped that line so many god damn times.

[Son of Liberty]

The Lover (http://www.amazon.com/Lover-Marguerite-Duras/dp/0375700528/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261375123&sr=8-2)
Dispatches (http://www.amazon.com/Dispatches-Everymans-Library-Cloth-Michael/dp/0307270807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261375194&sr=1-1)
Not Going Home Alone (http://www.amazon.com/Not-Going-Home-Alone-Marines/dp/0345440935/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261375236&sr=1-1)

read'em all, the first is a novel, 2nd and 3rd are memoirs about the American war. Personally, I didnt like the Lover, but then again, I love war books! So....

[Chazz]

the Quiet American by Graham Greene. Set in French Vietnam just as American secret service were getting involved. There was a great film of it made a couple years back with Michael Cain in it.