Vietnam Paradox

Vietnam is a nation with a long and storied history, but this novel touches upon one of its most horrifying chapters: the war between North and South Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s. Life before that time was quiet for most people in the South, who lived on the riches of the land in peace with their neighbors.

Sadly, that changed as the war spread across the countryside. Innocents were killed by landmines, “traitors” to the revolution were brutally murdered, and fear spread like a terrible disease. Despite that, life went on for River Ha, an innocent young girl whose determination got her through high school in Saigon. That same determination propelled her into Law University in hopes of protecting women and the poor.

In the midst of the atrocities of a brutal war, River Ha found love with a young American soldier, Steven. Can their love survive the horrors of war? Will they be reunited, or will fate keep them apart?

Vietnam Paradox is a novel of love, family, hope and survival through a brutal and horrifying war and into the ensuing years after the war ended in 1975. When the communist government took control of the country in 1975, they confiscated the homes and savings of many South Vietnamese and sent large numbers of the educated population and former military officers to ‘education camps’ in the North. The conflict between North and South Vietnam claimed more than a million lives, and the changes it wrought made life infinitely more difficult for the survivors. This novel, based on the experiences of author Hong Thu Thi Vo (Rose Thu) and her friends and family, offers a heart-wrenching look at life in a country torn apart by war.