Counterpart: A South Vietnamese Naval Officer's War [Hardcover]

Kiem Do (Author), Julie Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

Amid the chaotic fall of Saigon in April 1975 Capt. Kiem Do, deputy chief of staff for operations in the South Vietnamese Navy, secretly planned and quietly carried out the evacuation of thirty-five ships and some thirty thousand at-risk South Vietnamese. That disciplined retreat is only one of many little-known events of the war recalled in this revealing memoir, the first to be published in English by an officer of the South Vietnamese Navy. Also included are first-person accounts of skirmishes against the Binh Xuyen pirates, life with Diem and Madame Nhu, the foiled communist car-bomb attack on Saigon's naval headquarters during Tet, and the 1974 sea battle between China and South Vietnam. In addition to viewing particular events from a Vietnamese perspective, this book offers an intimate look at the human side of the war, at Vietnamese culture, and at the relationship between the men of the South Vietnamese Navy and their American counterparts - specifically, the naval advisers who crossed paths with Kiem.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...firsthand descriptions of various battles and skirmishes enrich our perspective on the war and make for a gripping narrative." -- Publishers Weekly, May 11, 1998

The autobiography (cast in the third person, however) of a former deputy chief of staff for operations of the South Vietnamese Navy is a useful history of a service few Americans have heard of and the story of a capable sea warrior. Do was born in what became North Vietnam, fled south. . . was educated at the French naval academy in the 1950s, and began serving in the South Vietnamese navy during the Diem regime. After 1963, he participated in the navy's expansion, training, and re-equipment by the U.S., saw combat and staff duty as well as commanded ships, and eventually, in 1975, before emigrating to the U.S. and becoming a teacher, organized the evacuation of many naval personnel. His account adds to general knowledge of the South Vietnamese professional military, who are walk-ons or parasites in too many other accounts of the war, and reminds us that for the Vietnamese, unlike most foreign soldiers, the war was no "one year, then back to the world" experience. -- Roland Green, Booklist, June 1998

From the Inside Flap

Amid the chaotic fall of Saigon in April 1975 Capt. Kiem Do, deputy chief of staff for operations in the South Vietnamese Navy, secretly planned and quietly carried out the evacuation of thirty-five ships and some thirty thousand at-risk Vietnamese. That disciplined retreat is only one of many little-known events of the war recalled in this revealing memoir, the first to be published in English by an officer of the South Vietnamese Navy. Also included are first-person accounts of skirmishes against the Binh Xuyen pirates, life with Diem and Madame Nhu, the foiled communist car-bomb attack on Saigon's naval headquarters during Tet, and the 1974 sea battle between China and South Vietnam. In addition to viewing particular events from a Vietnamese perspective, this book offers an intimate look at the human side of the war, at Vietnamese culture, and at the relationship between the men of the South Vietnamese Navy and their American counterparts-specifically, the naval advisers who crossed paths with Kiem.

Eyewitness to decades of turmoil, Kiem was born in Hanoi in 1933 and lived a life of adventure. By the age of thirteen he was scouting for the Viet Minh and blowing up French troop trains. By twenty-one he was in France attending the fabled naval academy in Brest as a midshipman in the brand-new Vietnamese Navy. By the 1950s he was fighting for South Vietnam against the communists-and his own brothers. By late April 1975, as the enemy's army was closing in on Saigon, Kiem was making the decision of his life: should he try to save his navy's ships and thousands of his countrymen, or accept his counterpart's offer of plane tickets to safety for himself and his family? Coauthored by the prize-winning American poet Julie Kane, this book conveys what the Vietnam "experience" was really like for our often-overlooked allies.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557501815
• ISBN-13: 978-1557501813
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book for every American!, February 9, 2001

By 

"donnguyen" (CUPERTINO, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Counterpart: A South Vietnamese Naval Officer's War (Hardcover)

As a "young" Vietnamese -American who did not participate in the war, I find the book entertaining and educating. This is a book every family, especially Vietnamese American, should own because it is so well written with a sincere heart and offers an accurate realistic view from an ex Navy commander from South Vietnam. The more I read the more I admire and respect him for sharing all his invaluable experiences to subtly teach the American public as well as Vietnamese- American young generation about the truth of a major period in American history - the Vietnam war. I now clearly understand what our heroic South Vietnamese soldiers went through. Mr. Do Kiem was successful in restoring well -deserved honor to our patriotic South Vietnamese soldiers. It peaks my interest and leaves me wanting more when I finish reading . This is truly an amazing account! Somehow, it brought back to memory a poem, learned many years ago in high school, belonged to our national hero Dang Dung in his noble fight against the Ming dynasty's fiendish invasion in Vietnam in 1400's.

Revenge is not yet fulfilled, my lord! and hair already turned white. Too many times whetted my precious sword, under the shining moon light!

Dong Nhac

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless, personal account of S. Vietnam Navy, August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Counterpart: A South Vietnamese Naval Officer's War (Hardcover)

Some books about the Vietnam War are basically worthless, filled with "blasting machine gun fire" stories similar to Rambo, etc.

However, this book is refreshingly different. Officer Kiem Do reveals a story unheard by most Americans. Not only did he battle the communists, he constantly fought government corruption and bureaucratic interference from his (our) side.

This is a must read for anyone interested in Naval history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling personal account by a Vietnamese Naval Officer, May 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Counterpart: A South Vietnamese Naval Officer's War (Hardcover)

Not only a great adventure story, this book is also a must read for anyone seeking to understand the many riddles of the Vietnam war including how and why it began and how and why the war was lost. The author, Kiem Do, was born in North Vietnam in the 1930's, fought against the French colonialists while still a teenager and ultimately was separated from his family by the war. I couldn't put this book down. The account of the Fall of Saigon and its aftermath is particularly unforgettable. Whichever side you were on in the controversy that was the Vietnam war, you owe it to yourself to read this book.