Vietnam is a country that captivates the soul with its rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning natural landscapes. Whether you’re a history buff, a nature lover, a foodie, or an adrenaline junkie, Vietnam has something to inspire and delight you at every turn.

Books to Inspire You to Visit Vietnam

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong.

A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today.

The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb

Just a young girl when Saigon fell, Maggie fled with her mother to America, leaving her dissident father to an uncertain fate. Now in her thirties, she has returned to the country of her birth in the hopes of discovering what became of him – and Hu’ng may hold the key.

Maggie’s guide through Hanoi is Tu, a street-smart young man as fluent in the ways of Western culture as he is governed by his own. Together the old man, the returning daughter, and the young entrepreneur become unlikely friends and allies; and as their stories gradually unfurl, each adds a new layer to another largely untold story: the story of modern Vietnam.

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Into the intrigue and violence of 1950s Saigon comes CIA agent Alden Pyle, a young idealistic American sent to promote democracy through a mysterious ‘Third Force’.

As Pyle’s naive optimism starts to cause bloodshed, his friend Fowler, a cynical foreign correspondent, finds it hard to stand aside and watch. But even as Fowler intervenes he wonders why: for the greater good, or something altogether more complicated?

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen

All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory. From the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Sympathizer comes a searching exploration of the conflict Americans call the Vietnam War and Vietnamese call the American War—a conflict that lives on in the collective memory of both nations.

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh

Kien’s job is to search the Jungle of Screaming Souls for corpses. He knows the area well – this was where, in the dry season of 1969, his battalion was obliterated by American napalm and helicopter gunfire. Kien was one of only ten survivors. This book is his attempt to understand the eleven years of his life he gave to a senseless war.

Based on true experiences of Bao Ninh and banned by the communist party, this novel is revered as the ‘All Quiet on the Western Front for our era’.

Vietnam: Rising Dragon by Bill Hayton

Based on vivid eyewitness accounts and pertinent case studies, Hayton’s book addresses a broad variety of issues in today’s Vietnam, including important shifts in international relations, the growth of civil society, economic developments and challenges, and the nation’s nascent democracy movement as well as its notorious internal security.

His analysis of Vietnam’s “police state,” and its systematic mechanisms of social control, coercion, and surveillance, is fresh and particularly imperative when viewed alongside his portraits of urban and street life, cultural legacies, religion, the media, and the arts.

Have you read any books that inspire you to visit Vietnam?

Let me know in the comments.