Rating: 
Summary: Nice color, but poor history
Review: In 1983-1984 I spent eleven months in a Hanoi government prison because of my entry into Vietnam as an eighteen-year-old photojournalist on his first Associated Press assignment. From 1968-1972 I had lived in South Vietnam as the son of an expatriate businessman. Since then I've travelled to Vietnam on magazine assignment, and am appalled at an inaccuracy in a main theme of Karin Muller's book. I enjoyed Hitchhiking Vietnam for its reminding me of the beauty of Vietnam, but am appalled that she could say that she was travelling up the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It's statements like Muller's that make me cringe in remememberance of history teachers' complaints about students who actually believe the Korean War was fought between North and South Vietnam.The Ho Chi Minh Trail, though constantly shifting, never bordered the east coast of Vietnam. It many times only paralleled Vietnam but cut through Laos and Cambodia. The Ho Chi Minh Trail after all was the reason for the famous Marine battle of Khe Sanh and Nixon's entry into Cambodia, sites all well west of Muller's trip. I can't believe that Vietnam was so long ago that Muller couldn't have at least talked to an American or Viet who had actually spilled blood along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Looking at Muller's adventure she could have instead at least called it the trip up Highway One, the actual route she took, a trip that even during the height of the war, was as pleasant as my drives up Highway One here, along the coast of California.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is pathetic!
Review: It's just pathetic, and doesn't reflect any positive sides of Vietnam. And it's way out-of-date.
Rating: 
Summary: A Window into the Spirit of Adventurous Travelling
Review: Karin Muller's beautiful writing and keen insights bring her travel experiences to vivid life in this chronicle of her seven-month odyssey alone in Vietnam. Her eagerness to venture into forbidden areas and immerse herself in the daily life of those she meets is infectious, and seeing whole slices of Vietnamese society through her eyes is enthralling. The companion video (broadcast on PBS earlier this season) contains some but not all of the stories here, and Muller's deft use of each medium brings out different aspects of her trip. A wonderful guide for vicarious travellers, and a marvelous view into a very different world.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling Tale
Review: Karin Writes incredibly well -- her thumbnail sketches of the people she meets along the way are priceless. She learns the language, takes her time and makes a lot of (local) friends. This is what travel writing really should be. A page-turner from start to finish. She is non-judgemental, gutsy and obviously genuinely interested in the country and its people.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling Tale
Review: Karin Writes incredibly well -- her thumbnail sketches of the people she meets along the way are priceless. She learns the language, takes her time and makes a lot of (local) friends. This is what travel writing really should be. A page-turner from start to finish. She is non-judgemental, gutsy and obviously genuinely interested in the country and its people.
Rating:
Summary: vietnam ego trip
Review: My friend and her husband are going to Vietnam to adopt two girls. We read "Hitchhiking Vietnam" as part of our book club and were very disappointed. I was amazed at the similar reactions other readers had (at Amazon.com). We thought it was highly self-promoting, forsaking the experience of foreign travel for an ego trip. I was annoyed by the author's condescending attitude towards Vietnam's people, wildlife and land. The most I can say for it is that it did generate a lot of discussion! It certainly did seem like a lot of truths were left out of this story...
Rating:
Summary: Colorful!
Review: not sure how I got this book, but it is one of my favorites. I enjoyed Karin's style of writing and her sense of humor a lot. Not sure how reflective her experience is of the current life in Vietnam but to me it sounded real and specific. I found her details of everyday vietnamese life rather enjoyable and down to earth. Her attitude towards the country is objective and even when she is poking fun at unusal issues or happenings true to Vietnam it is done with a warm and interested attitude. Great book. I'm looking forward to reading her future books.
Rating:
Summary: Traveling alone in my egocentric mind.
Review: Of the many miles the author allegedly traveled in Vietnam, contrary to the book's title, very few were by hitchhiking. Instead she traveled for the most part on the back of a more seasoned traveler's motorcycle (whom she met along the way) and to a much lessor degree by bicycle, train, or on foot. I initially liked the book because the author is a good writer, but was a little surprised at how many people around her, both other tourists and Vietnamese, were described as self centered, cruel, or complete idiots. I recently spent two weeks in Northern Vietnam and found the people very intelligent and friendly. She portrayed "Jay", the owner of the motorcycle and four-month travel companion, as being lazy and indifferent to the Vietnamese people (In truth, Jay has made six trips to Vietnam to experience their culture). In this book Muller takes credit for all that is good and blames others for all that is bad. After I read the book I saw the author speak at a National Geographic Lecture series in Seattle. She presented herself as a woman traveler constantly up against the odds of traveling "alone" in a hostile communist country. The first slide she showed was of Jay's motorcycle and then told the audience that it was her bike, stating that she traveled around Vietnam solo. That confirmed my suspicions that this woman is a phony. This book belongs in the fiction section!
Rating:
Summary: The fabulos Tale of a very Brave Woman
Review: Spellbinding true story of a very adventureous womans journey through Vietnam. Karin tells her story in a way that draws you in and you feel that you are actually there with her. The moral with this story is quite clear: You can do what you want, and determination is a true gift
Rating:
Summary: Seven Months in Vietnam
Review: Usually I read customer reviews after I've read the book. This being the case w/ Hitchhiking Vietnam, I am surprised by the strongly held negative reviews by some (many!) readers. With or without Jay, she was pretty much "solo." And whatta adventure! Not one I'd like to experience, but lots of fun to read about on a rainy California afternoon. I liked Karen and found her revelations honest and modest. I'd read her latest book on the Incas. If you like travel books, read Hitchhiking. But don't pay attention to the cover. Actually, it makes no sense!
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