“Escape from Saigon movingly dramatizes the plight of people caught in the crucible of war and trying to survive. A searing tale that vividly recreates a tumultuous time in our recent history.” ~  Nicholas Gage author of “Eleni” and “Greek Fire” 

VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR FOR  UPCOMING AUTHORS TALKS

No one ever tells you when the last plane leaves." ~ from Escape from Saigon.

Says the Worcester Sunday Telegram:

The authors tell the story through the lives of war correspondents Sam Esposito and Lisette Vo, sandwiched between a terse narrative about the final decline of opposition to the North Vietnamese.

Sam goes to Vietnam as a Washington, D.C., newspaper correspondent after the Kennedy assassination, wanting to get away from the U.S. He’s remains there for 13 years.

Lisette is an American of French and Vietnamese descent, who is working for a broadcast news company. “She portends the rise of women in the media,” Pirozzolo said. They remain until the bitter end because of their work. “They’re journalists,” 

  READ ABOUT THE FALL OF SAIGON 

 Clay Risen, Deputy Opinion Editor of The New York Times recently profiled Dick Pirozzolo and Michael Morris authors of "Escape from Saigon - a Novel" for an article on the medical consequences of spraying the defoliant Agent Orange throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Risen asked Pirozzolo and Morris about their  encounter with Agent Orange when they served in Vietnam, its effect on their health and their struggles with the Veterans Administration over benefits in connection with exposure since that time. LEARN MORE ABOUT AGENT ORANGE

"BACK TO CHINA BEACH " is a  documentary about the legendary surf club at Danang's famous China Beach. The club was founded by Larry Martin to bring a bit of home to the warzone and some 50 of his fellow soldiers and Marines became  members .

Producer Mike Cotton, Co-Producer & Director Dave Barnes, a two-time Emmy winner for his work with PBS-TV, Associate Producer  and Adviser Larry Martin are seeking sponsors for Air Travel for the U.S. and Viet Nam, ground transportation and lodging to support the project. MORE ABOUT SURFING VIETNAM

"Back To China Beach" Documentary Recalls The Surfers Of Viet Nam

The New York Times Profiles Mike Morris, Dick Pirozzolo On Agent Orange 

The Telegram profiles Dick Pirozzolo, coauthor of Escape from Saigon

 Having returned to Vietnam many times since the war ended, journalist and US Air Force veteran Dick Pirozzolo chose trade, culture and tourism to establish a link between Vietnam and the United States. In so doing he has written articles and editorials on the story of reconciliation between two former foes. Michael Morris was in Vietnam in 1967-1968 as a US Army infantry soldier. Together these two Americans coauthored “Escape from Saigon – a Novel,” published this year by Skyhorse Publishing, New York, USA. READ MORE ABOUT MODERN SAIGON

Vietnam's Biggest Online Newspaper featues "Escape from Saigon"

For More Articles Visit the Commentary Archives 

Saigon Ranks With Casablanca, Shanghai Or Istanbul, For Intrigue, Mystery Danger And Romance

When Tony Mariano was a  teenager he came to Vietnam to be with his Father, ABC-TV journalist Frank Mariano. Tony finished high school in Saigon and worked, part time, as a sound technician and field producer with ABC news crews.  As the war came to a close, ABC sent him to Manila during the massive air and sea evacuation of South Vietnam where he played a pivotal role in transmitting reports of the nation’s collapse to the world.

This is the story of the price one pays to grow up in a family where journalism, and the story, comes first.  In Tony's own words MORE ABOUT THE LIFE OF A WAR CORRESPONDENT

 

Life with my Father ABC-TV Journalist Frank Mariano

“In Saigon, we don’t ask many questions… where people came from, who they are or …were.”  from Saigon Singer by Van Wyck Mason

Perhaps that is why so many novels, movies, and even comic books and graphic novels are set in Saigon—once known as the Pearl of the Orient and celebrated for its Parisian boulevards, French villas, intimate piano bars and the brothels of Tu Do Street.  

READ MORE ABOUT NOVELS SET IN SAIGON