Overview

One of the few Vietnamese Army officers who also saw substantial service in Ho Chi Minh’s National Liberation Army against the French, Tran Ngoc Chau made a momentous and difficult decision after five years with the Viet Minh: he changed sides. Although his brother Tran Ngoc Hien remained loyal to the North, Chau’s Buddhist training and his disillusionment with aspects of the communists’ philosophies led him to throw his support to the nationalists and assist the Americans. It was a decision that would cost him dearly when former military school colleague Nguyen Van Thieu, fearing a political rivalry, imprisoned Chau—by then a lieutenant colonel and the Secretary General of the National Assembly’s Lower House—despite popular sentiment and the support of Americans like John Paul Vann and Daniel Ellsberg. At every turn Chau stood on principle, however, opposing government corruption, refusing favouritism, and remaining steadfast in his dedication to democracy. His principles would cost him again when, after the fall of Saigon, he was imprisoned in a North Vietnamese re-education camp and even after release kept under continuous surveillance. His detailed memoir reveals an astute understanding of the Vietnamese political situation and national culture that failed to register with U.S. leaders—and offers valuable insights into how to cope with similar conflicts in the future. As Ellsberg has put it, “Vietnam Labyrinth is unmatched, both for its narrative and for lessons to be learned for our current interventions.”

Full Product Details

9780896727717

Table of Contents

Reviews

Chau's Vietnam Labyrinth is a remarkable story, well told, dramatic, and filled with insights on a complex war in its military, political, and human dimensions. Highly recommended. --Lewis Sorley, author of Vietnam Chronicles and The Vietnam War

Author Information

Tran Ngoc Chau escaped from Vietnam via Indonesia among the masses of boat people seeking refuge in the late 1970s, re-establishing himself and his family in the United States with the encouragement of American friends. During Ken Fermoyle's sixty-five-year career as a writer, editor, photojournalist and author, he has published thousands of articles in major publications and served as book and magazine editor. He and Tran Ngoc Chau launched a business venture together in 1987 and began work on Vietnam Labyrinth a year later. Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Penatgon Papers to the media in 1971, met Tran Van Chau while working in Vietnam in the 1960s as a U.S. Defence Department observer.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available