Rating: 
Summary: Yikes! Serious hyperboles and misconceptions
Review: A friend of mine gave me this book because I'm a Vietnamese American and have been to Vietnam several times. Since Muller isn't a fluent Vietnamese speaker, I decided I would give her plenty of leeway. However, she came off as very smug and confident about her interpretation of Vietnam and its culture. Naturally, she's wrong most of the times. One of her most egregious errors was when she said that a Vietnamese trucker only made a few dollars a month--the equivalent the price of international postage from Vietnam. Truckers make some of the best wages in the country, some where in the neighborhood of several hundred dollars depending on their seniority and workload. I also had a chance to hear Muller read and talk in person. Again, she made several comments about Vietnam, Vietnamese etiquettes and mannerism that made me winced. I wanted to correct her but I didn't want to make her feel bad in front of a crowd. Later, when I read her companion, Jay's comment on the book (here on Amazon), I got a better picture of Muller. Too bad, she felt she had to put in so much half-truths and bravados. The book would have been better if she had just focus on writing. This is no definitive book on contemporary Vietnam. Just a definitive work on the author's arrogance.
Rating: 
Summary: Great "down to earth" 1st hand account
Review: After first seeing the documentary on TV I decided to pick up this book. I enjoyed Karin's way of describing the everyday hardship of adventure traveling. Do not get hung up on the title. Karin uses all mans to get around which in my mind is needed if you travel for that lenght of time. All in all great first time writing...well worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: It is as good as being there.
Review: As Vietnam Combat Vet I have always had a desire to go back. This book is so well written and complete I feel that I have been back. That desire isn't quite as strong.
Rating:
Summary: Mint fresh - Karin finds the soul of the real Vietnam.
Review: From an ex-Marine tire repairman, to Vietnamese children, farmers, and businessmen, Karin makes you feel as if you were right there meeting the people she has encountered, breathing the dust, and sweltering in the heat. She has an uncanny way of seeing beyond the surface of tourist stereotypes to the real pains, pleasures, and beauties of some of our fellow planetary travelers, half a world away. You experience the wobbling tires of the trusty bicycles heading down a dirt trail and the effervescent smiles received once a back-country person realizes you are from America. Karin makes her trip come alive all over again with insight and lively detail. I envy and respect her obvious courage and look forward with anticipation to her next conquest.
Rating:
Summary: A Well Executed Fraud
Review: How can anyone who has read the book not be amused at these reviews lauding her as a "strong woman?" She spends most of the narrative begging men to babysit her around Vietnam and when they inevitably tire of her company, she pouts like a petulant little girl. Muller's increasing sense of "ownership" of the country over the course of the travelogue reaches its nauseating nadir when she subjects the Northern Hill Tribes to her gawking false commiseration; she too knows what it is too suffer: you see, that selfish Jay decided to pursue his own vacation rather than act as her own personal rickshaw driver. What a foul piece of self-aggrandizing fiction; nicely targeted at the Oprah Book of The Month Club dimwits. Let me suggest Devla Murphy to you if you'd like to read a travelogue from a woman with guts.
Rating:
Summary: A Well Executed Fraud
Review: How can anyone who has read the book not be amused at these reviews lauding her as a "strong woman?" She spends most of the narrative begging men to babysit her around Vietnam and when they inevitably tire of her company, she pouts like a petulant little girl. Muller's increasing sense of "ownership" of the country over the course of the travelogue reaches its nauseating nadir when she subjects the Northern Hill Tribes to her gawking false commiseration; she too knows what it is too suffer: you see, that selfish Jay decided to pursue his own vacation rather than act as her own personal rickshaw driver. What a foul piece of self-aggrandizing fiction; nicely targeted at the Oprah Book of The Month Club dimwits. Let me suggest Devla Murphy to you if you'd like to read a travelogue from a woman with guts.
Rating: 
Summary: Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth
Review: I am not sure what it was, but after finishing this book I have a bad taste in my mouth. I applaud the intentions of the author and the subject matter is irresistibly interesting. However, it was hard for me to get into at first because the book kind of rambles and it takes a while to get into her style. The style ended up suiting the journey very well as it was a slow and haphazard journey through the various aspects of Vietnam. Karin suffered many difficulties on her travels and I got very frustrated for her. She made it seem so difficult to travel around Vietnam (and she speaks Vietnamese!) that I am not sure that I want to go anymore. She experienced horrible guides that only wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as possible and a motorcycle that I was frustrated with and would have ditched long before she ever did! After reading some of the other reviews, I can now see why others would say that she is arrogant and haughty. It is almost as if she tries so hard to say that she isnt, that she comes across as being so... It was hard to get a feeling for her relationship with other people. She was an excellent observer and I really enjoyed her colorful metaphors and descriptions, but was frustrated because I was unable to grasp her feelings for Jay and her Mom. She has a strange journey with Jay and I couldn't quite figure out how they interacted together. Also, she talks about her Mom incessantly, but never really discusses her Dad. I was also very frustrated with her attempt to rescue some endangered species. She decided to support the illegal black market trade in endangered species because she felt that she could save a few animals. I was very disappointed with the reception that she received from the nature reserve, but am not really sure how she could have resolved the situation any better. Karin has an interesting writing style, although it may seem forced at times, and I was impressed that she did not romanticize her trip. She provides an honest portrayal of her backpacking experience and I definitely want to check out her documentary and the website to gain a more accurate portrayal of her journey and who she is.
Rating:
Summary: Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth
Review: I am not sure what it was, but after finishing this book I have a bad taste in my mouth. I applaud the intentions of the author and the subject matter is irresistibly interesting. However, it was hard for me to get into at first because the book kind of rambles and it takes a while to get into her style. The style ended up suiting the journey very well as it was a slow and haphazard journey through the various aspects of Vietnam. Karin suffered many difficulties on her travels and I got very frustrated for her. She made it seem so difficult to travel around Vietnam (and she speaks Vietnamese!) that I am not sure that I want to go anymore. She experienced horrible guides that only wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as possible and a motorcycle that I was frustrated with and would have ditched long before she ever did! After reading some of the other reviews, I can now see why others would say that she is arrogant and haughty. It is almost as if she tries so hard to say that she isnt, that she comes across as being so... It was hard to get a feeling for her relationship with other people. She was an excellent observer and I really enjoyed her colorful metaphors and descriptions, but was frustrated because I was unable to grasp her feelings for Jay and her Mom. She has a strange journey with Jay and I couldn't quite figure out how they interacted together. Also, she talks about her Mom incessantly, but never really discusses her Dad. I was also very frustrated with her attempt to rescue some endangered species. She decided to support the illegal black market trade in endangered species because she felt that she could save a few animals. I was very disappointed with the reception that she received from the nature reserve, but am not really sure how she could have resolved the situation any better. Karin has an interesting writing style, although it may seem forced at times, and I was impressed that she did not romanticize her trip. She provides an honest portrayal of her backpacking experience and I definitely want to check out her documentary and the website to gain a more accurate portrayal of her journey and who she is.
Rating:
Summary: Some facts, Some fiction, Many serious omissions.
Review: I am the "Jay," mentioned through out the book. I traveled with Karin for four months in Vietnam. I was stunned, first of all, by the book's subtitle, "...solo journey...." During our travels together, it was a rare moment, when Karin was "out and about" on her own. On the other hand, aren't we, all, on a "solo journey," once we leave the womb? It is a fact, that many parts of the book are fiction and much of the truth concerning her travel companions and their adventures together in Vietnam are omitted. when the "solo" story line needs reinforcement, the travel companion, simply, get "left behind," when in fact, her traveling companion is right there, too! Perhaps if one were to read the book at it's face value, one would think, "Wow, what an adventure." Yet, when you know the truth, you might think, "Wow, what egotism!" Perhaps, this can be explained away by "poetic license." Isn't that what makes a good travel book? Some facts, some fiction, and many serious omissions.
Rating: 
Summary: Down and Dirty Vietnam
Review: I did like this book. It is not one of the best gonzo travelogues that I've read, but it made its mark for a number of reasons: -Karin did most of the travel on her own - I think that a woman traveling alone has more fears to confront than a man, and in this case, she handles them extremely well; -She went native - eating the food her hosts ate, sleeping in their huts, suffering the same parasites, and learning their language; -She kept her sense of humor; And most importantly, her writing style was very "approachable" and fresh - a style which mirrors the subject of her affection (Vietnam) well.
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