David Lamb's Vietnam, Now

In the book titled “Vietnam, Now” by David Lamb, he takes a very comprehensive and impressive look at Vietnam present day, and gives the readers a great historical understanding as well. According to Lamb centuries of war and conflict helped to shape the Vietnamese people and their character in many vast arrays. Right from the beginning Lamb introduces us to a neighbor he had in the past while staying in Vietnam, Mai Van On. Mai Van On was then 80 years old when Lamb traveled back to Vietnam to speak with him. “What’s done is done” stated On, still remaining to be poor and struggling to pay rent. Many Vietnamese have different views of the war, as their experiences range from a vast array of conflict to compassion. Pride seems to be a trending …show more content…
Doi Moi is the name given to the economic reforms initiated in Vietnam in 1986 with the goal of creating a "socialist-oriented market economy". “Doi Moi was designed not as an ideological retreat from socialism, but as an instrument to introduce elements of a free market economy, to encourage private enterprise, and to free the entrepreneurial spirit of the Vietnamese.” Land reforms were executed to make the people have some ‘equality’ and to “enrich themselves” when it all reality the government still possessed everything. Lamb makes some comments regarding the results of doi moi over the first eight to nine years, saying that it was “dazzling” how the annual inflation rate fell to single digits from 700 percent. “What is the most astounding to me is how they improved their rice production so well within that time period, becoming the world’s second largest rice …show more content…
I really have to state how strong of an appreciation I have for David Lamb, because this journey to a country we were once at war with is such a respectable and absolutely necessary thing to do. I always had this thought in my mind that if Vietnamese people saw American people, they would think that we were heartless creatures and hold grudges until the end of time for what we did to their people and their beautiful country. I really appreciated the pictures that he included after chapter 8, especially the one with John McCain smiling with Mai Van On during the peacetime, because that just really shows how forgiving these people are towards the American people for what we were made to do. John McCain, along with many other Veterans, are making the journey back to reconcile with the country and its people. I feel as though if many people took the time to read Lamb’s book they would also change their view points on the Vietnam War, because this book might be as close as we, the readers, are going to get to being so personable with the Vietnamese