Customer Reviews

Counterpart: A South Vietnamese Naval Officer's War

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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

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.

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.

The book covers experiences from childhood in Vietnam at the end of WWII to getting settled in the USA as a middle-aged refugee.

A very well written book, "Counterpart" is an interesting personal memoir of life in Vietnam and the ravaging affects of war. The book ends with his departure and fresh start in the United States. Having worked in the power industry with Kiem Do and Julie Kane for a number of years in New Orleans, I'm glad he has finally published his long awaited memoirs.

Actually this was a pretty good book about one person's participation in the war. Unlike the other readers, I felt that this book got off to a slow start. His talk about his early life was interesting but I couldn't get a read about what he was trying to convey. Perhaps he was trying to state he was brought up as an upright moral person in his early years. His conflicts with the French and then collaboration with them was confusing.
I was miffed at his later righteous anger and wrath when confronted with the realities of the war. Other officers were crooked and could be bribed. Most of the American officers did not know their positions or behavior in Vietnam. Then he turns it back on them when he is adapted into an American community. You can't have your cake and eat it too Kiem. If you criticize how Americans adjusted in Vietnam, you can't criticize how you adjusted here in the States. In one passage of the book, he recounts an argument with his wife about his big ego. I think he showed that in his writings at some points.
If you can adjust for the above mentioned criticisms, this is a good book about a Vietnamese Naval Officer's War. It is important to get views from many participants in the war, and I think the South's officer core has not written much of the war. This is a good addition to Vietnam War library.