Page 3 – A book by Luke Hunt

September 29, 2019September 29, 2019

Kinokuniya book store in Bangkok

Photo from James Burke in Bangkok. Meanwhile, Shirley Shackleton in Melbourne writes: “It’s fascinating especially since I’m addicted to the Great War and 2^nd World War.”

August 20, 2019September 3, 2019

Phnom Penh Fund Raiser

The Punji Trap is now on sale at the Est Bar on Street 214 in Phnom Penh as part of a fund raiser for charity.

July 22, 2019September 3, 2019

Phnom Penh Genocide Conference

Brilliant to see Punji Trap on sale at the recent International genocide conference in Phnom Penh.

July 8, 2019July 8, 2019

Latest Review

Traitor, Patriot, Sympathiser?

“… it is the story of a man who, his book suggests, could qualify as the most significant figure of the Vietnam War that you have never heard of. And not just any man, for An was a figure around which many of the pivotal events and personalities of the conflict osculated. And what a story it is: taking in An’s childhood in the lower Mekong, including his years as a teenage guerrilla fighting the French, college years in California, his experiences in Saigon during the Vietnam War and, later, through the years that followed unification, Hunt unpacks a life lived on the edge but at the centre of history.”

Wayne McCallum – Howl

Keramas, Bali, Indonesia

Indonesian-based security analyst Keith Loveard reads his copy of the Punji Trap at his home in Keramas, Indonesia. ©Toby Loveard

June 2, 2019June 2, 2019

Back Street Bar, Phnom Penh

Thida Keo, manager of the Back Street Bar in Phnom Penh, where the Punji Trap, now on its second print run, is available. It’s also a great place for a beer and chat!

Churchill, Victoria

“Luke Hunt has produced an excellent piece of journalism that is a must read for anyone interested in Asia.”

Michael Parer — Churchill, Victoria, Australia.

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019

Recent Comments From Readers

It’s excellent — gripping and beautiful researched — and well paced.

James Fountain — London, England

March 8, 2019March 25, 2019

Kuala Lumpur

Photo by Leslie Lopez

Author Luke Hunt with cameraman Terry Thiva at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

January 2, 2019January 6, 2019

India

Journos killed for voicing out a global issue

Postcards from the edge: Journalist Luke Hunt

‘Punji Trap is a cracking read that paints a vivid picture of colorful characters on a murky canvas.’ David Fox, former Reuters correspondent.

‘History and mystery melded together in a must read for students and scholars of modern Southeast Asia.’ Paul Ruffini, former editor Bangkok Post Sunday.

‘Mata Hari, Kim Philby… Luke Hunt’s magnificent Punji Trap adds the Vietnamese War’s most effective double agent, Phạm Xuân Ẩn, to the short list of master spies who changed the course of 20th century history.’ Dan Boylan, the Washington Times.

‘Absolutely riveting… a real page turner.’ Michael Hayes, co-founder and former publisher Phnom Penh Post.

‘Luke Hunt’s incisive portrayal of a fascinating character explores a murky underbelly of espionage in the Vietnam War. This painstakingly researched work is compelling and thought provoking.’ Lindsay Murdoch, South-East Asia correspondent, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

‘It might also be true that this book – Hunt’s second – is an important study of 20th century foreign correspondence, something made possible by his own knowledge of the intricacies of reporting for wire services from the frontline.’ Shane Worrell, The Diplomat.

‘Luke Hunt’s Punji Trap is a remarkable study of Vietnamese journalist and spy Pham Xuan An who was to the Vietnam War what Kim Philby was to the Cold War. In this unsentimental account, Hunt shows how the American educated journalist who wrote for western audiences, shaped impressions about the war that in the end proved to be more important than the empirical facts on the ground.’ Prof. Peter Maguire author of Law and War, Facing Death in Cambodia, and Thai Stick.

‘Hunt is the journalist’s journalist. This book is a rollicking tale of history and intrigue. Economical and expansive. Hunt reports the truth of history under the guise of a cracking read.’ Ross Mueller, Freelance Writer and Playwright, Geelong Advertiser.

‘The West’s highest-rated reporter, and Hanoi’s greatest spy. Pham Xuan An at first glance seems like a walking contradiction. However, veteran Southeast Asia correspondent Luke Hunt shows the reader that An did have a code after all. On the heels of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s epic film “The Vietnam War,” Hunt gives us an intriguing book to help fill in the gaps.’ Michael Philips, the Phnom Penh Post.

‘Highly respected and experienced journalist Luke Hunt, a front line reporter himself, tells a great story of deception and intrigue that occurred during the first major conflict to be covered by the modern media that shaped public opinion of the Vietnam conflict around the world.’ Alan Parkhouse, Asia Times.