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Bamboo Palace: Discovering the Lost Dynasty of Laos

About the Book

Twenty years after the Indochina wars, Christopher Kremmer visits Laos at the crossroads of change in southeast Asia. He begins his journey in the tranquility of Luang Prabang, once the royal capital. With its ancient culture and stately airs, the town-like Laos itself-is a place of secrets, mysteries and nagging questions.


Setting off in search of the lost royal family, a 600-year-old dynasty consumed by the violent troubles of the 1960s and 1970s, Kremmer reveals a small land-locked corner of Asia struggling to deal with the legacies of the US war and Asian communism. Bamboo Palace begins as a travelogue, turns into a mystery and ultimately redefines a nation’s history as Kremmer journeys through Laos to uncover one of Indochina’s darkest secrets.

About the Author

Christopher Kremmer

Christopher Kremmer

During the Vietnam War, Thong worked for the South Vietnamese Army in its propaganda department. He was eventually captured by the Vietcong and sent to Minh Luong Prison re-education camp for several months. After Thong's release, the family decided to flee by boat to Malaysia. As the boat was falling apart at sea they were rescued by an Indonesian freighter, which brought them to Indonesia.

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