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Echoes of the Mekong
A former U.S. Navy riverboat commander in Vietnam and a young Vietnamese woman relate their experiences along the Mekong River during the war
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
165 pages, Hardcover
First published November 17, 1996
16 people want to read
About the author
Peter A. Huchthausen
10 books10 followersCaptain Peter A. Huchthausen (USN, Ret.) was an American naval officer, naval attaché, author and businessman.
He received his commission upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1962, and served in many different positions during his career, including two combat tours of duty during the Vietnam War, first with the United States Navy's Riverine Force in the Mekong Delta and later as Chief Engineer in the destroyer USS Orleck, which provided naval gunfire support to Army and Marine forces along the coast of Viet Nam. After service as a naval attaché in Yugoslavia and Romania, he served as chief of attaché and human intelligence collection operations in Western Europe for the Defense Intelligence Agency. During the late 1980s he was the senior U.S. Naval Attaché to the U.S.S.R.; he retired from the U.S. Navy in 1990.
He received his commission upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1962, and served in many different positions during his career, including two combat tours of duty during the Vietnam War, first with the United States Navy's Riverine Force in the Mekong Delta and later as Chief Engineer in the destroyer USS Orleck, which provided naval gunfire support to Army and Marine forces along the coast of Viet Nam. After service as a naval attaché in Yugoslavia and Romania, he served as chief of attaché and human intelligence collection operations in Western Europe for the Defense Intelligence Agency. During the late 1980s he was the senior U.S. Naval Attaché to the U.S.S.R.; he retired from the U.S. Navy in 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 17, 2024
I’m heading to Vietnam in a few months so I was interested in reading some first hand accounts of the war. This was unique in that you have the contrasting views of a local young Vietnamese girl wounded in the war and an American soldier. Great insight into the war and the impacts on “both sides”.
May 5, 2017
A limited first-hand account from an American Riverboat Navy serviceman and a young Vietnamese girl who was injured in Vietnam. The book does an excellent job of sticking with the point... and that was to relay events surrounding Lung's wounding and subsequent assistance by the Americans stationed in Vietnam.
Accompanying details about the Vietnam conflict and American involvement is just the 'right' amount in as far as it concerns what Huchthausen was directly involved in at the time. No politicization is made of the events, or any attempt to line with any political viewpoints, other than the positive effects of our involvement in Vietnam. But, it includes the negative along with the positive. So, it is an honest account. Much of the book focuses on life in Vietnam.
The audio was good quality, and Marguerite Gavin read Lung's parts very well. But, the reading by Lloyd James was a bit distracting. He read well, but as if he were reading a menu, with little expression. The gruesome descriptions of death were read in the same tone of voice as when he read of the reunion with Lung at the end of the book. His performance throughout was in the same listless tone of ... well, someone reciting their order at a restaurant. But, the distracting part was the huge pauses throughout. Often, I thought my recording had stopped for a minute. He read in phrases, with pauses, in between the phrases, three or four pauses, per sentence. You could imagine the heyday he could have had with the last sentence I just wrote.
It was a good memoir, and interesting for someone with a lot of time. But, I wouldn't recommend this for someone who really wants more info about the Vietnam involvement. (It's not going to be a filling menu reading.) But, if you have lots of time to read several books about Vietnam, then you may choose to make this one of them. If so, I can recommend listening to a Vietnamese Dan Bau recording along with it to take your mind off the huge pauses which were even noticeable when I sped the reading up. Otherwise, I don't suggest the Audible version.
Accompanying details about the Vietnam conflict and American involvement is just the 'right' amount in as far as it concerns what Huchthausen was directly involved in at the time. No politicization is made of the events, or any attempt to line with any political viewpoints, other than the positive effects of our involvement in Vietnam. But, it includes the negative along with the positive. So, it is an honest account. Much of the book focuses on life in Vietnam.
The audio was good quality, and Marguerite Gavin read Lung's parts very well. But, the reading by Lloyd James was a bit distracting. He read well, but as if he were reading a menu, with little expression. The gruesome descriptions of death were read in the same tone of voice as when he read of the reunion with Lung at the end of the book. His performance throughout was in the same listless tone of ... well, someone reciting their order at a restaurant. But, the distracting part was the huge pauses throughout. Often, I thought my recording had stopped for a minute. He read in phrases, with pauses, in between the phrases, three or four pauses, per sentence. You could imagine the heyday he could have had with the last sentence I just wrote.
It was a good memoir, and interesting for someone with a lot of time. But, I wouldn't recommend this for someone who really wants more info about the Vietnam involvement. (It's not going to be a filling menu reading.) But, if you have lots of time to read several books about Vietnam, then you may choose to make this one of them. If so, I can recommend listening to a Vietnamese Dan Bau recording along with it to take your mind off the huge pauses which were even noticeable when I sped the reading up. Otherwise, I don't suggest the Audible version.
June 17, 2014
I compare the potential impact of this book to Nick Ut's iconic photo of little Phan Thị Kim Phúc running with napalm burning her body. I could not get through Echoes of the Mekong without tears and a visceral response to this story. I knew Peter Huchthausen and through him, I had the privilege of meeting the Nguyen Thi Lung....a woman of grace, intelligence, courage and compassion who triumphed over the tragic past recounted in this book. If you were moved by Elie Wiesel's book, Night, you will be equally affected by Lung's story. You will also be inspired by the heroic actions of former foreign correspondent,Sylvana Foa, in helping to save Lung. Sylvana Foa was the first woman to serve as foreign editor of a major international news organization and first woman to serve as Spokesman for the Secretary General of the United Nations. Without her moral courage and grit, Lung's story may have ended very differently.
October 24, 2012
This would have to be the most beautiful story I have ever read about the Vietnam War.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews