The Inviting Call of Wandering Souls: Memoir of an ARVN Liaison Officer to United States Forces in Vietnam Who Was Imprisoned in Communist Re-education Camps and Then Escaped [Paperback]

Lu Van Thanh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a meaningful addition to the body of Vietnam War literature...provides insight into that period from a Vietnamese perspective" -- Military Review

About the Author

From 1969 to 1973, the author served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) as a liaison officer and interpreter for United States forces in Danang. His close work with the Americans led to a dream to live in a free country. His dream turned into a nightmare, however, with the fall of the South Vietnamese government in 1975 and his imprisonment in Communist re-education camps beginning in April 1976. After his release, he got a different look at the new Communist regime, where corruption and lawlessness spread from the central offices to local offices. In 1982 he and his family fled in a rickety boat on a harrowing journey that ultimately brought them to the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 187 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786403748
• ISBN-13: 978-0786403745
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,270,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-illustrated account of the reeducation camps., December 31, 2002

By 

alainviet "alainviet" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Inviting Call of Wandering Souls: Memoir of an ARVN Liaison Officer to United States Forces in Vietnam Who Was Imprisoned in Communist Re-education Camps and Then Escaped (Paperback)

Three long years (1976-1979) in the communist reeducation camps of Da Ban and A-30 have opened the eyes of this former South Vietnamese Liaison Officer to U.S. Forces in Vietnam. Had he told the communists about his former association with the U.S. Forces, he would have been suspected of being a CIA agent, therefore, kept in jail much longer.

He wrote about the 10 hour-a-day and 7-day-week-work under adverse conditions (rain, typhoon), the 200 grams of rice daily ration, the constant beating he and the other inmates had suffered, and the tribulations they endured after their release. Details about life in communist Vietnam are supported by graphic illustrations.

This is a difficult topic to write about and Lu Thanh has done a great job in conveying to the reader his feelings about this forced incarceration, the mistreatment he has endured, and his difficult escape by boat out of Vietnam during which he almost lost his life.