EL MONTE, Calif., Oct. 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Vietnam was one of the first wars to enter American homes via television. Despite the window to war the television opened up, much that happened in Vietnam remained hidden. Author Hiep Vo offers a firsthand account as a former Vietnam native in his new book, The Road to Freedom I: Crossing the 17th Parallel (now available through 1stBooks).
Vo details his childhood, eventual escape from North Vietnam, a communist state, to South Vietnam and later journey to America over the course of a three book series. The first book of "The Road to Freedom" series, Crossing the 17th Parallel, begins with his childhood years, growing up in Ha Tinh, Vietnam. His childhood was spent in blissful innocence; it was a time before he was able to understand the tough political happenings going on around him. As communism kicked into high gear and the French and North Vietnamese began fighting, Vo and his family escaped to South Vietnam in 1955, seeking some semblance of freedom. It would not be long before the war would cross the border also.
He relates his young idealist years, when he was imprisoned three times due to his youthful defiance. Both South Vietnam and the communists had him in their cells over the years for various political reasons. He details the atmosphere of his homeland. His world was a swirling climate of communism and capitalism, populated by French, Japanese, Americans, Russians, Chinese and North and South Vietnamese soldiers. The regular Vietnamese citizens were left to sift through these agents, disrupting their pursuit of happiness and freedom.
"Read The Road to Freedom by Mr. Vo to understand the fate of the children, who were born and grew up in a miserable country during wartime, young men who dared to live their ideal in the civil disorder and realize the meaning of that most priceless word: FREEDOM," Anh Tran, social worker and survivor, says.
Vo is a design engineer for an aerospace company. The Road to Freedom: Crossing the 17th Parallel is his first book. He is working on the sequels, which detail his escape from Vietnam to freedom on the high seas.
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