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Books for

Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXSEA289. Buy these 3 items as a set for $61 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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National Geographic Vietnam

National Geographic Vietnam

by Jim Sullivan

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

This guide to Vietnam, published in the National Geographic attractive visual style, features hundreds of photographs, full color maps and good information on history, nature, culture and travel in Vietnam. (VNM93, $22.95)

Understanding Vietnam

Understanding Vietnam

by Neil Jamieson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 428 PAGES

Jamieson's ambitious primer addresses politics, social history, village life, structural renewal, literature and the arts, illuminating the Vietnamese worldview with insight and depth. It's a terrific introduction to Vietnam. (VNM01, $27.95)

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map

by Nelles

  • 2010
  • MAP

A convenient, double-sided map of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with city maps of Hanoi, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang, and Phnom Penh. (SEA75, $13.95)

 
Angkor Map

Angkor Map


by Dawn Rooney

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER

A site plan and pocket guide to the city of Angkor at a scale of 1:40,000. (CBD16, $12.95)

Culture Smart! Vietnam

Culture Smart! Vietnam


by Geoffrey Murray

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

Take along this concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture. (VNM87, $9.95)

Eyewitness Guide Vietnam and Angkor Wat

Eyewitness Guide Vietnam and Angkor Wat


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 312 PAGES

Featuring innovative site diagrams, local maps and hundreds of color photographs, this handy companion introduces the culture, history and attractions of Vietnam. (VNM102, $25.00)

Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook

Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook


by Nguyen Xuanthu

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 284 PAGES

A handy palm-sized guide to pronunciation, grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler. (VNM20, $8.99)

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia

A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia


by J.M. Barwise | Nicholas J. White

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and the various ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels. (SEA36, $14.95)

Fire in the Lake

Fire in the Lake


by Frances FitzGerald

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

A classic historical, political and cultural portrait of a nation at war, this powerful book won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. FitzGerald, a staff writer at the New Yorker and a reporter in Vietnam, presents a vivid image of a revolution. (VNM12, $18.99)

The Civilization of Angkor

The Civilization of Angkor


by Charles Higham

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 207 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A concise history of the origins, development and rise of the kingdom of Angkor by a leading archaeologist. It's an up-to-date, accessible overview of the civilization from prehistory through the fall of Angkor in 1431. (CBD26, $24.95)

Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit

Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind, and Spirit


by Nguyen Van Huy | Laurel Kendall

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 303 PAGES

A marvelously illustrated portrait of culture and society in contemporary Vietnam, featuring informed essays by diverse contributors with accompanying color photographs. (VNM66, $50.00)

Angkor Cities and Temples

Angkor Cities and Temples


by Claude Jacques | Michael Freeman

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2000
  • HARD COVER
  • 319 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

One of the nicest books of its kind, this is a gorgeous, oversized portrait of the monuments, temples and exquisite sculptures of Angkor. Claude Jacques, who directed much of the site excavation, writes with authority about individual temples, inscriptions and Khmer culture. (CBD18, $80.00)

A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam


by Norman Lewis

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 358 PAGES
  • FAVORITE
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. First published in 1951. (SEA40, $33.95)

Catfish and Mandala, A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

Catfish and Mandala, A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam


by Andrew X. Pham

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 344 PAGES

Much more than the story of a road trip, this book combines the author's family history with his many and often-gritty adventures by bicycle through foreign lands including Mexico, Japan and, notably, Vietnam. (VNM50, $16.00)

Descending the Dragon, My Journey Down the Coast of Vietnam

Descending the Dragon, My Journey Down the Coast of Vietnam


by Rob Howard | Jon Bowermaster

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Bowermaster and a team, including his long suffering foreign press monitor and photographers, set forth from Hanoi by kayak to explore the long coast of Vietnam on a two-month-long journey of discovery. With dozens of color and black-and-white photographs. (VNM121, $21.95)

Japanland, A Year in Search of Wa


by Karin Muller

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 307 PAGES

Looking to gain a competitive edge in her judo practice and a fresh perspective in life, Muller, who ended up also making a film about her experience, heads to Japan for a year. She discovers in sometimes awkward, often comical interactions just how maddeningly complicated it is being Japanese. (JPN366, $15.95)

The Eaves of Heaven, A Life in Three Wars

The Eaves of Heaven, A Life in Three Wars


by Andrew X. Pham

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Pham recounts the story of his father's life during the French occupation, Japanese invasion and the American War, weaving such momentous events with anecdotes from his childhood and details of family, friends, food and daily life. (VNM120, $16.00)

The Gods Drink Whiskey

The Gods Drink Whiskey


by Stephen T. Asma

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Asma writes with verve and wit in this eye-opening account of his yearlong stint teaching at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh. His account is both an overview of Theravada Buddhism and a down-to-earth portrait of contemporary Cambodia. (CBD46, $14.99)

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong

The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong


by Edward Gargan

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (SEA33, $15.95)

The Sacred Willow, Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family

The Sacred Willow, Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family


by Duong Van Mai Elliott

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 506 PAGES

This vivid family saga, beginning with the author's great-grandfather, captures the life and momentous history of Vietnam over the last 100 years. (VNM39, $24.99)

The Quiet American

The Quiet American


by Graham Greene

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 180 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

A classic, this is the most famous Western work of fiction on Vietnam. Greene writes of a love triangle between a war correspondent, his Vietnamese consort and an optimistic young American during the last days of French rule. (VNM08, $16.00)

Vietnam, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Vietnam, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by John Balaban | Nguyen Qui Duc

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 239 PAGES
  • COMING IN FEBRUARY

From rain forest and rural countryside to the cities, these 17 stories from Vietnam's finest writers explore Vietnam's landscapes, myths and changing traditions. (VNM04, $14.95)

Birds of Southeast Asia

Birds of Southeast Asia


by Craig Robson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This authoritative, masterfully illustrated guide, featuring 140 color plates covering 1,270 species throughout the region, also includes Malaysia, Burma, Borneo and Indonesia. (SEA49, $35.00)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.