Category: Vietnam
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Mixing real historical figures into a work of fiction. Vietnam 1945.
My untitled third novel that I’m currently working on is set during two different time periods in Vietnam. The first is 2000 and the second is 1945. Nineteen-forty-five is the crucial year in modern day Vietnam. It’s the year that the Japanese completely overthrew the remnants of the French Empire in Indochina. It’s the year…
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Essay: A Historical Overview of Vietnam from WWII through the Vietnam War
From time to time, I like to post complete essays of mine which touch upon topics near and dear to my heart. If you know me, you won’t be surprised that this one is about Vietnam. I try to give a broad overview of the historical context which led to the Vietnam War of the…
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Culture: Not Always Black and White
I was reminded earlier today about how culture and cultural differences can be tricky waters to navigate. We all come with certain assumptions about the world which have been instilled deep within us by our culture, our parents, our religion, and our environment. But when cultures clash, life can get messy. Each culture’s values are…
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What is History: An Essay, Part I
History is an educated guess on a wing and a prayer. Mere shadows of the past come to life in history but can shadows be trusted? Our views of history can be revised, mis-understood or completely wrong. History can be pigeon-holed and molded to fit an ideology, point of view, or interpretation. History can drive…
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The Human Experience of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War created a surreal environment where normal rules of civility did not apply. Soldiers had to live with the immediacy of death. This psychological game of trying to cope with war’s grim reality distanced them forever from their former civilian life. Tim O’Brien in his semi-autobiographical Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried…
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Vietnamese New Year & Tet ’68
Happy Vietnamese New Year Everyone! I enjoyed many Tet holidays in Vietnam visiting neighbors, being stuffed with delicacies by eager grandmothers who wouldn’t be satisfied until I would hold my stomach in agony and beg her not to put more on my plate. (She should anyways.) Tet is a wonderful time for family and friends…
Author Mark W Sasse 