6 fiction books about Vietnam you should read before going

If you’re like me, books are the best way to travel before you even leave the door. These six novels about Vietnam felt like stories, lessons, and adventures all rolled into one. They helped me understand the places I visited — and inspired me at every step. I hope they’ll do the same for you.

When waiting for my upcoming trip to Vietnam last year, I searched high and low to find good novels about this exceptionally interesting country. Books that weren’t just about the American / Vietnam War. Did I find gold? Oh yes. Continue reading to find my 6 favourite fiction books about Vietnam!  

I love reading and I love travelling. Two hobbies that I love combining, especially when I have a new trip planned. Why? Because it’s my favourite way of learning about the history and culture of the place I’m about to visit.  

Why you should read fiction books about Vietnam

Many authors do a phenomenal job of researching and provide important cultural and historical facts blended with intriguing fiction in their books.  

Vietnam is such a diverse country with an intricate and eventful history. Most of us heard about what we knew as the Vietnam War in school, but at least in Norway, we only got one side of the story. And to be frank, I didn’t pay that much attention to it at the time.  

The books I’ve listed below taught me so much more. Without having to drag myself with lots of boring facts, I still learned about the history from the days when Vietnam was a French colony until modern-day Vietnam. I learned about culture and family bonds. About the American war and the tough times after the reunification of the North and the South. And how the changes that came with the Doi Moi economic reform in the late 1980s.  

All of these events have been part of making the Vietnam you will visit today and having an understanding of the history makes it easier to understand what you experience when you are there. Just like it is in any other part of the world.  

My list of the best books on Vietnam:

All of these books are easy to read with stories that draw you in from the first few pages. While the American war is part of all of them, none of the books are solely about the war. I tried my best to find books by Vietnamese authors, but apart from Nguyen Phan Que Mai the rest are international. I have just bought a new (to me) book by a Vietnamese author, and if I like it I will add it to my list asap.  

Click on the images to find the books on Amazon!

1. The Mountains Sing, by Nguyen Phan Que Mai 

This is by far my favourite of all the books I have read that are set in Vietnam. As mentioned above, Nguyen Phan Que Mai was born and raised in Vietnam. The Mountains Sing was published in 2020 and it quickly became an international bestseller and winner of several awards.  

It gives an in-depth understanding of the human side of Vietnam’s history, and does such a good job of weaving together the history with personal and emotional stories. 

The Mountains Sing is a multigenerational family saga set against the backdrop of 20th-century Vietnam. The story follows the girl Huong and her grandmother Dieu Lan. Spanning over decades of war, colonialism, and political turmoil, the novel captures the family’s struggle to survive through times. Including the Japanese occupation, the French Indochina War, the Vietnam War, and the land reforms under communist rule. 

The novel shifts between Huong and Dieu Lan’s perspectives. Where we follow Huong’s thoughts and life from the 1970’s, and Dieu Lan’s stories from the decades before. The story not only shows how war and conflict impact the individual and families, but also the resilience of the Vietnamese people and the strong cultural bonds.  

As a backdrop through the whole book, are beautiful descriptions of Hanoi as well as the northern countryside. And by reading this book before you visit Vietnam, you will better understand things you see around you. For example, why there are so many street vendors selling stuff from their bicycles in Hanoi! 

All booklovers should read The Mountains Sing – not just those interested in visiting Vietnam!  

2. The Beauty of Humanity Movement, by Camilla Gibb

This is a book about hope, resilience and love, mixed with a bit of politics, art and a good portion pho.  

The story takes place in modern day Hanoi, where American-Vietnamese Maggie is searching for the truth about a father she barely remembers. It doesn’t take long till she meets old man Hung over a bowl of his aromatic noodle soup, and Tu, a young man who’s trying to find his place in between the traditional Vietnamese culture and the tourists he guides around town.  

In an excellent way, their stories are intertwined, and we get an insight into what life is like for a Vietnamese emigrant to the United States; all the strong stories that older Vietnamese people possess; and what it is like to grow up there today. 

An important book for everyone. And if you are interested in Hanoi’s vibrant street food scene, you will definitely learn something here!  

3. Dust Child, by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Another book by Nguyen that is hard to put away when you have first started. Contrary to The Mountain Sing, this story takes place in southern Vietnam. Predominantly in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. And similarly to The Beauty of the Humanity Movement, the story jumps seamless back and forth between the present and the brutal Vietnam War.  

We follow the sisters Trang and Quynh, who, by a wish to help their parents financially, ends up as bar girls and prostitutes for American soldiers in Saigon. We also follow Phong, who has struggled all his life after growing up in a monastery as a dust child. A child of a Vietnamese mother and American father. A child of the enemy. As a last resort for a better life for his family, he seeks to find his biological parents. And Dan, an American veteran, appears when he returns to Vietnam with his wife, in an attempt to cure his mental health.  

The stories to all of these characters weaves nicely together and you just want it continue. Like the rest on this list, it’s a book that makes you understand Vietnam a little better. 

4. Saigon, by Anthony Grey

This is an epic novel, spanning large parts of the 20th century Vietnam. Through Saigon, you get to know Vietnam well – as you follow the American Joseph Sherman over more than 5 decades.  

Sherman’s first visit to Vietnam in 1925 is a life-changing experience for a 15-year-old. Circumstances makes him return again and again, and through the people he meets we learn about the major societal changes Vietnam goes through. From the gruesome colonial rule of the French’ civilisation project to the formation of the communist party to the reunification of north and south.  

All this is, off course, interspersed with a good portion of romance, friendships and family intrigues, just as any good novel must have. 

Compared to the rest of the books about Vietnam I have read, this book takes more time reading. It’s not that it’s a particularly hard book to read, but, at least for me, it’s not the easy-to-read book that just soaks you in from page 1. It’s also longer than the other books, and if you ask me, it could have been shortened 1/3 by cutting some of the many elaborated descriptions. But all in all, it’s a really good book and well worth its time! 

5. The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, by Dinah Jefferies

Set in the 1950’s, The Silk Merchant’s Daughter takes us straight into a very tense time in Vietnamese history. This book has everything you want in a romantic, easy-to-read novel: romance, intrigues and excitement. But it also gives good insights into what was going on in Hanoi between the Second World War and the Vietnam/America War.  

The year is 1952 and for her 18th birthday, Nicole gets the responsibility for a small silk shop in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Till this day, she has lived in the shadows of her beautiful older sister, who is likely to inherit their father’s silk company.  

We follow Nicole through Hanoi’s fascinating streets – both in the Old Quarter and the French Quarter. And while political tension rises, Nicole experiences for the first time how the colonial power has affected her country. Being half French, but with her mother’s Vietnamese looks, she finds herself in a limbo state between the two.   

Torn between the revolutionaries and the French, she joins her friend Tran at the front, while her thoughts and heart stay with Mark, the American who showed up at her 18th birthday party.  

6. The Time Keepers, by Alyson Richman

This is a proper feel-good novel. The Time Keepers contains a bit of everything you need to be hooked on a book from the start. I assure it will bring up a variety of emotions. Of all the books about Vietnam I have listed here, this is the only one that is not primarily set in Vietnam.

It is instead set in a quiet neighbourhood on Long Island in New York, and the story starts when Grace finds young Bao sleeping on the street. It soon turns out that the boy is a newly arrived Vietnamese refugee.   

On her side, Grace is a housewife who has started to get bored as her children have grown older and Bao and his aunt, Anh, awakes a new spark in her. We follow Bao and Anh as they get used to their new life far away from everything they have ever known, with good help from Grace.  

Simultaneous, we get to know Jack. The assistant at Grace’s husband’s shop. A veteran from the Vietnam war who struggles to get back into society after a horrid war injury. Bao, Anh and Jack give us flashbacks to different sides of the war.  

It is the least relevant of the books on my list, but it shows the effects war has on humans.  

Get my best tips for first-time-visitors to Hanoi here!

Summary of my favourite books about Hanoi

Now, if you are planning a trip to Vietnam – get on reading!

If you must choose, read The Mountains Sing. This book has everything and grabs you from the first paragraph. And when you are done with it, I’m certain you will be as eager as I was to get on with Dust Child. By the way, this book is particularly good if you are visiting HCMC and the Mekong delta.

The Beauty of Humanity Movement is another safe choice – especially if you are going to Hanoi. The rest of the books are great bonuses!

Click here for my best Vietnam travel tips for first time visitors!

Have you read any good books set in Vietnam? Let me know in a comment!