Topic: Saigon

5 finalists for the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature (with one title dropped)

It was apparently a mistake when they announced six titles this year instead of the usual five nominated for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. But then, said Harold Augebraum, executive director of the National Book Foundation, "We decided that it was better to add a sixth one as an exception, because they're all good books." Which of these six finalists do you think will win the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature on Nov. 17?

UPDATE: One of the six finalists – "Shine" by Lauren Myracle – was removed from the list of 2011 nominees on Oct. 17.

Good Reads: Taliban's Kabul attack, looming demise of Al Qaeda... and the euro

Today's top stories include a report that the Taliban attack on Kabul may have been a 'last gasp.' Also; how Al Qaeda is being eclipsed by its affiliates. And is the eurozone on its last leg?

Book review: Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

A young girl escapes her homeland of Vietnam on a boat and journeys to an awesome and frightening place: America.

Taliban's Kabul raid as a Vietnam-like PR ploy

The 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam spelled the end for Johnson and the US role in that war. Will Obama fail to see a similar Taliban 'psych ops,' aimed at American opinion to hasten the US exit from Afghanistan?

Costliest government 'program' of all? Undeclared wars

Congress's habit of ignoring Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution has arguably cost taxpayers trillions. And now it seems to be happening again, with Obama's military action in Libya.

Vietnam's capital Hanoi girds up to celebrate 1,000 years

Hanoi is planning major celebrations on 10/10/10 to mark the city's 1,000-year anniversary. The bill: more than $60 million.

Americans flock to do business in Vietnam - Asia's next economic tiger?

American Jim Okuley is one of many who have recently opened a business in Vietnam not far from where Viet Cong guerrillas once fired rockets.

Jimmy Pham went back to Vietnam to help lift others out of poverty

His training program in Vietnam pulls poor youths off the streets and sends them into good jobs at hotels and restaurants.

Agent Orange: $300 million price tag to cope with Agent Orange in Vietnam

Agent Orange: Washington has been slow to address the issue, quibbling for years with Vietnam.

Southeast Asia: a correspondent's Vietnam revisited 35 years after the fall of Saigon

Every conflict has its own scribes. Southeast Asia's had a singular take.

Gen. Frederick C. Weyand, last Vietnam commander

Gen. Frederick C. Weyand, the last commander of all US forces in Vietnam, passed away on Friday. From Vietnam and Korea, where he was a battalion commander, Weyand surmised 'that Iraq and Afghanistan will be with us for a long time to come.'

What's Obama's exit strategy for the Afghanistan war?

Like LBJ decades ago, Obama is escalating a war in a poor Asian nation.

Democracy in Afghanistan is wishful thinking

In a feudal society that long picked leaders according to religion and tradition, the winner of today's election may be seen as illegitimate – simply because he is elected.

Monitor writers celebrate ‘unique’ moments

From crawling on the carpet with Ronald Reagan to sipping tea with the Che Guevara of Afghanistan, former staffers recount stories as the Monitor transitions to new formats.

A family vacation to Vietnam

Taking children to a developing country takes planning but is rewarding.

Our first century

A mandate to 'lighten' still drives the Monitor at the dawn of its second 100 years.

Vietnam eats, sleeps, and dreams on motorbikes

Evidence of “moto” madness: A family of four on a speeding cycle sharing a bucket of fried chicken as they go.

Declassified study puts Vietnam events in new light

US signals intelligence during the war came up short in major turning points, according to an NSA history.