Pham Xuan An

October 14, 2023June 29, 2024

Berlin, Germany

Luke Hunt, author of the Punji Trap, appears in Fraternal Brother at a preview in Berlin. Schedule for release in April 2025 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Fraternal Brother is produced by Nico Mesterharm and details the lives of those who remained behind after the Khmer Rouge seized control of Phnom Penh. Photo by David Brown.

August 29, 2023

Liverpool, England

September 4, 2022June 29, 2024

Tim Page Wake

Journalist Luke Hunt and film maker Nico Mesterharm remember veteran Vietnam War photographer Tim Page during a wake held at Meta House in Phnom Penh shortly after his death in August 2022.

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.

October 11, 2018October 15, 2018

Washington D.C.

The American Journal of Counter Terrorism

August 16, 2018October 6, 2018

Second Print

A second print run of the Punji Trap was released on August 16 following strong demand . It includes include updated blurbs on the back cover, several clarifications and the removal of the odd typo.

April 20, 2018October 6, 2018

Hong Kong

Indonesian author Rini Rica on the bus in Hong Kong. The Punji Trap is now on sale in many countries, including Thailand at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club where the author and veteran war correspondent Jim Pringle were guest speakers on April 25, 2018.

April 18, 2018April 20, 2018

Kununarra, W.A.

Photo: Derek Mayes from the Doon Doon Roadhouse in Kununurra, outback Western Australia with his copy of the Punji Trap.

BBC Vietnam Service Interview with Luke Hunt

Black News Zone: Pham Xuan An’s Impact on the Vietnam War

Vietnam’s Focus on West Raises Hopes of Improved Press Freedom

‘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.