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Hitchhiking Vietnam: A Woman's Solo Journey in an Elusive Land
Imagine being a twenty-eight-year-old single woman, working your way up the management consulting ladder, with your own expense account a fancy gym membership and salary to spare. Now imagine throwing it all away to Hitchhike a country under the iron fist of communism with a dubious grip on the language, accompanied by a colorful and sometimes frightening menagerie of characters, human and otherwise, and carrying an illegal video camera in your backpack. That's exactly what Karin Muller did.At Globe Pequot, we specialize in travel guides, not travelogs. But every once in a while, we come across a tale so wonderful, we just can't walk away. It happened with Size of the Worlds. It's happened again with Hitchhiking Vietnam. What we love about this book is not just the adventure, the culture, the incredible vistas it opens up in our minds' eyes, but the grace, wit, and style with which Karin tells her story. Millions of PBS fans already agree!
You will absolutely fall in love with Karin Muller. We did!
You will absolutely fall in love with Karin Muller. We did!
311 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 15, 2011
So...she didn't actually hitchhike much. And she was not solo for most of her trip.
Caveat: I would never, ever have picked this book up if not for Bookish's "42 days of..." being Vietnam.
Karin Muller set out to fulfill a dream--to travel the Ho Chi Minh trail, find a small Vietnamese village, and live there for a few months. Why was this her dream? I'm still not totally clear on that--something to do with romanticizing her mother's African childhood. What does Africa have to do with Vietnam? I'm not quite sure. Something generally about finding a simpler way of living, family, and a general romanticization about poor minorities having beautiful lives (in this case, the Hmong).
This wasn't a bad book per se. It was interesting--especially her descriptions of travel and transportation, and life in the cities. I also appreciated her descriptions of how the north and south Vietnam climates and topographies are very very different.
Mostly, though, this just left a weird taste in my mouth (unrelated to balut). There is too much of “tiny, graceful women”, “beautiful women”, and “beautiful, innocent children”. It made me want to scream. These are people, not tourist attractions.
Caveat: I would never, ever have picked this book up if not for Bookish's "42 days of..." being Vietnam.
Karin Muller set out to fulfill a dream--to travel the Ho Chi Minh trail, find a small Vietnamese village, and live there for a few months. Why was this her dream? I'm still not totally clear on that--something to do with romanticizing her mother's African childhood. What does Africa have to do with Vietnam? I'm not quite sure. Something generally about finding a simpler way of living, family, and a general romanticization about poor minorities having beautiful lives (in this case, the Hmong).
This wasn't a bad book per se. It was interesting--especially her descriptions of travel and transportation, and life in the cities. I also appreciated her descriptions of how the north and south Vietnam climates and topographies are very very different.
Mostly, though, this just left a weird taste in my mouth (unrelated to balut). There is too much of “tiny, graceful women”, “beautiful women”, and “beautiful, innocent children”. It made me want to scream. These are people, not tourist attractions.
June 28, 2008
I read this book some time ago, and I enjoyed it VERY much. (So why only 3 stars? Read on...)
It was a tale of just the kind of adventure I would love to have and still hope to have one day. The woman in question seemed to make a real connection to the people she met in Vietnam (especially her first guide, who she referred to by his name a number of times and seemed to become a real friend).
But here is the funny thing...shortly after reading it a good friend from high school who is from Vietnam came for a visit. She saw this book on the shelf, picked it up, and started reading. She burst out laughing. The guide's name in the book, the name of her friend who she forged this close connection, was just the Vietnamese word for "guide".
Somehow, that says something to me. Something a little sad. The author (and I)thought she had this meaningful connection with this guy, something that transcended their very different cultures, but she never really knew his name.
It was a tale of just the kind of adventure I would love to have and still hope to have one day. The woman in question seemed to make a real connection to the people she met in Vietnam (especially her first guide, who she referred to by his name a number of times and seemed to become a real friend).
But here is the funny thing...shortly after reading it a good friend from high school who is from Vietnam came for a visit. She saw this book on the shelf, picked it up, and started reading. She burst out laughing. The guide's name in the book, the name of her friend who she forged this close connection, was just the Vietnamese word for "guide".
Somehow, that says something to me. Something a little sad. The author (and I)thought she had this meaningful connection with this guy, something that transcended their very different cultures, but she never really knew his name.
July 8, 2014
Honest Journal
The trip didn't live up to her expectations. She brought out the corruption in the government, and the difficulties in getting around, including being on a bike that kept breaking down, riding in back of a smoker (which she hated), a traveling companion that she wouldn't have chosen if anyone else had wanted to go, but she couldn't find anyone. She purposely didn't stay in tourist hotels, wanting to see the 'real' Vietnam and so she had to deal with a lot of inconveniences. She got the flu twice and also scurvy. She didn't complain a lot, but just reported what happened, Some experiences were good, some bad, and she was positive about the villagers, she just reported their living conditions with honesty.
I got a very positive view of the people and she said that they treated women well due to their Buddhist beliefs. She was treated like a sister by the men and women alike. We can't be surprised that there is poverty and poor living conditions in Vietnam, especially among the minority peoples, such as the Hmong, of whom she reports prejudice from the Vietnamese people. All she wanted to do was be in a village which she kept having trouble getting to do. Because of government restrictions she was not allowed to stay with the villagers, a rule that she broke when she could, preferring to stay with them. They were extremely hospitable.
Also she tells of her sadness that all the animals are gone, eaten or used in traditional medicine or sold on the black market. And she never said she was fluent in Vietnamese, but she did learn some. She is also a good writer which made the book enjoyable.
Would I want to travel to Vietnam after reading this book? No, but I already knew about the living conditions there and didn't want to go anyway, but isn't that one major reason we read travel journals--to be an armchair traveler and let someone else have all the discomfort so that we can read about far-off places?
One small experience that stands out for me is when she went to have a meal and she said that as soon as the proprietor saw her he took out his wok and began preparing her favorite dish. She had gotten a disappointing letter and cried, then closed her eyes. When she opened them, a cake had been put in front of her and she saw the proprietor smile and go back to his work. She figured he had seen her tears
The trip didn't live up to her expectations. She brought out the corruption in the government, and the difficulties in getting around, including being on a bike that kept breaking down, riding in back of a smoker (which she hated), a traveling companion that she wouldn't have chosen if anyone else had wanted to go, but she couldn't find anyone. She purposely didn't stay in tourist hotels, wanting to see the 'real' Vietnam and so she had to deal with a lot of inconveniences. She got the flu twice and also scurvy. She didn't complain a lot, but just reported what happened, Some experiences were good, some bad, and she was positive about the villagers, she just reported their living conditions with honesty.
I got a very positive view of the people and she said that they treated women well due to their Buddhist beliefs. She was treated like a sister by the men and women alike. We can't be surprised that there is poverty and poor living conditions in Vietnam, especially among the minority peoples, such as the Hmong, of whom she reports prejudice from the Vietnamese people. All she wanted to do was be in a village which she kept having trouble getting to do. Because of government restrictions she was not allowed to stay with the villagers, a rule that she broke when she could, preferring to stay with them. They were extremely hospitable.
Also she tells of her sadness that all the animals are gone, eaten or used in traditional medicine or sold on the black market. And she never said she was fluent in Vietnamese, but she did learn some. She is also a good writer which made the book enjoyable.
Would I want to travel to Vietnam after reading this book? No, but I already knew about the living conditions there and didn't want to go anyway, but isn't that one major reason we read travel journals--to be an armchair traveler and let someone else have all the discomfort so that we can read about far-off places?
One small experience that stands out for me is when she went to have a meal and she said that as soon as the proprietor saw her he took out his wok and began preparing her favorite dish. She had gotten a disappointing letter and cried, then closed her eyes. When she opened them, a cake had been put in front of her and she saw the proprietor smile and go back to his work. She figured he had seen her tears
March 14, 2008
I'm a terrible book reviewer, so here's the review from amazon.com:
For seven months Karin Muller traversed Vietnam--sometimes by motorbike, often by foot--covering 6,400 miles from the Mekong Delta to the Chinese border. Along the way she survives 52 motorbike breakdowns, 14 arrests, and one awful bout with scurvy. She plants rice with farmers, saves a few leopard cubs from the black market, learns to drive a passenger train, and gets to know a lot of people on her Ho Chi Minh Trail trek. Told honestly and humorously, the culture, pace, land, scents, problems, and beauties of Vietnam are evoked as Muller and Vietnam interact. Snippets of letters home (like "I traded some of my antihistamines for Tampax yesterday. What a relief" and "Am I really blood type A? It's important") highlight the details, while the strong narrative holds them together. Her pictures are excellent, the story riveting, and the writing a pleasure--good reading for a flight to Asia or a day at the beach. --Stephanie Gold
Ditto to all that. Excellent read.
For seven months Karin Muller traversed Vietnam--sometimes by motorbike, often by foot--covering 6,400 miles from the Mekong Delta to the Chinese border. Along the way she survives 52 motorbike breakdowns, 14 arrests, and one awful bout with scurvy. She plants rice with farmers, saves a few leopard cubs from the black market, learns to drive a passenger train, and gets to know a lot of people on her Ho Chi Minh Trail trek. Told honestly and humorously, the culture, pace, land, scents, problems, and beauties of Vietnam are evoked as Muller and Vietnam interact. Snippets of letters home (like "I traded some of my antihistamines for Tampax yesterday. What a relief" and "Am I really blood type A? It's important") highlight the details, while the strong narrative holds them together. Her pictures are excellent, the story riveting, and the writing a pleasure--good reading for a flight to Asia or a day at the beach. --Stephanie Gold
Ditto to all that. Excellent read.
February 28, 2016
Overall, a very enjoyable read. I liked her writing style - descriptive and a bit tongue-in-cheek.
Interesting descriptions of her travels and experiences. I don't envy the illnesses or government interactions.
Like so many travel accounts there are parts where she bemoans the encroach of tourism without seeming to recognize that she's part of the problem. And of course there is a bit of the usual snobbery towards other travelers who don't match her travel preferences. However, most of the book is so interesting that it wasn't too hard to overlook these aspects.
As another reviewer noted this book is slightly misnamed - she did a lot of shoe string travel but not a ton of hitching.
Summary - fun and interesting, with moments of judgement
Interesting descriptions of her travels and experiences. I don't envy the illnesses or government interactions.
Like so many travel accounts there are parts where she bemoans the encroach of tourism without seeming to recognize that she's part of the problem. And of course there is a bit of the usual snobbery towards other travelers who don't match her travel preferences. However, most of the book is so interesting that it wasn't too hard to overlook these aspects.
As another reviewer noted this book is slightly misnamed - she did a lot of shoe string travel but not a ton of hitching.
Summary - fun and interesting, with moments of judgement
August 14, 2008
Read twice: before and after going to Vietnam! A journey off the beaten track.
August 8, 2008
Although she really does little hitchhiking, and is ever seldom alone, Muller's exploration of Vietnam is interesting in that she spends time with people and gets to know her subjects, rather than simply scooting from one tourist trap to another, and she relates as much about the tawdry side of humanity as she does the heartwarming. The Vietnamese seem no different than any people in an impoverished country, in that some take advantage to fleece visitors whenever possible, and dishonest guides and hoteliers are high on the list of scam artists (although there is a delightful story about the Hmong recycling old garmets in their effort to empty tourists' pockets). She is at her best when telling stories of side trips away from congested cities. I am surprised, however, by her account of the ignorance of American ways (though she was there in late 1990s) when you consider the large number of Vietnamese, including Hmong, who now make America their home. Do they not talk and visit with their family left behind? And although Vietnam is probably no worse than many authoritarian bureaucratic (or paralizingly ungovernable) countries in that the police and other officials are deeply mired in graft, it still rankles every time she recounts the greedy dealings of government representatives and sanctioned guides. Nearly forty years after the war, there still seems to be little in the way of infrastructural improvement, and life in the countryside seems to remain unchanged from decades past. Common people (especially tribal), who are discrimitated against, nonetheless are resourceful and seemingly content in the face of their hardships, working for the benefit of their families along cultural lines that go back centuries. One wonders if it is time for the Vietnamese Americans, especially those who have done well here, to reach back to their families and spark improvements (though this sentiment may be unfair). No doubt many do. The country sounds beautiful still, though one can bemoan the rapid destruction of native species, and I hope improved relations with the United States and other countries will spark development that benefits all while preserving the cultural and environmental heritage of Vietnam. I have been looking to get a copy of the film Muller made based on this trip.
January 12, 2018
Книги Карен Мюллер я прочитала в обратной хронологической последовательности. Все 3 конечно же не литературные шедевры. Каждая из них "книга одного путешествия". Не смотря на то, что я восхищаюсь смелостью и целеустремленностью Карин и до сих пор остаюсь в восторге от проделанных ею маршрутов и отдельных поступков, но я с каждой новой строчкой задавалась все чаще одним и тем же вопросом: как, КАК эта женщина умудрялась платить всем подряд баснословные суммы денег, зная, что ее обманывают, брать кого-непоподя в свои попутчики, не иметь элементарной аптечки и при этом выживать и не растратить все деньги в первую неделю... мой мозг отказывался это воспринимать.
Ну и если вернуться к непосредственному описанию путешествия и практики общения с местным населением, у меня после этой книги осталось стойкое нежелание попадать во Вьетнам. Какая-то сплошная грязь, зараза, обман, бюрократия, обман, обман, ах и еще насмешки. А несчастные станицы о улыбающихся людях, работающих весь день по бедро в иле и описание зеленых многоуровневых рисовых терасс совсем это не перекрывали. Возможно, с 90х многое поменялось, возможно все, что пережила Карин - это исключительно ошибки Карин и ее первое путешествие. Но придумывай-не придумывай причины - остается лишь избавляться от послевкусия действительно мутных вод Меконга.
Ну и если вернуться к непосредственному описанию путешествия и практики общения с местным населением, у меня после этой книги осталось стойкое нежелание попадать во Вьетнам. Какая-то сплошная грязь, зараза, обман, бюрократия, обман, обман, ах и еще насмешки. А несчастные станицы о улыбающихся людях, работающих весь день по бедро в иле и описание зеленых многоуровневых рисовых терасс совсем это не перекрывали. Возможно, с 90х многое поменялось, возможно все, что пережила Карин - это исключительно ошибки Карин и ее первое путешествие. Но придумывай-не придумывай причины - остается лишь избавляться от послевкусия действительно мутных вод Меконга.
January 13, 2010
The reason I read the book mainly because I missed Vietnam, and would like to read a book that was written by an "outsider." Someone who will give Vietnam a fair portrait, someone like Karin Muller. It's refreshing to read a book that is not written by writers from Vietnam (which usually full of propaganda & fictions.)
Please believe me, book like hers is hard to come by. Her stories are the most true, and honest stories about Vietnam that I've read. Some stories are just too true, hit too close to home that made me shiver with fear, but also laugh out loud & got all teary eyes :)
Please also keep in mind that this was written 10 years ago; Vietnam is changing every day! If you are to go to Vietnam now, most of the time you won't be able to see or find the things she'd written about in the book.
If you enjoy her book I also recommend "Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam" by Adrew Pham.
Please believe me, book like hers is hard to come by. Her stories are the most true, and honest stories about Vietnam that I've read. Some stories are just too true, hit too close to home that made me shiver with fear, but also laugh out loud & got all teary eyes :)
Please also keep in mind that this was written 10 years ago; Vietnam is changing every day! If you are to go to Vietnam now, most of the time you won't be able to see or find the things she'd written about in the book.
If you enjoy her book I also recommend "Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam" by Adrew Pham.
May 2, 2008
A I LOVED this book! Muller gives us some background on her love of travel, and you really understand why she does what she does. She is seeking the true experience when she travels--learning about different cultures--and she finds this, after bribes, getting arrested, visa complication, broken down motorcycles. She especially enamors me with her devotion to saving endangered animal's lives...this is a FANTASTIC travel book. Anyone who loves to travel, likes interesting experiences of other cultures, who is going to VietNam, or who just wants to read an awesome book, I highly recommend this.
May 18, 2008
I wish that I had the cajones that this author has -- driven by a longheld dream to see the "real" Vietnam and an interst in starting a career as a documentary filmmaker, Muller travels solo on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and records her adventures, both good and bad. Much of the adventures seem to involve hardship of some sort but she comes through sometimes by sheer grit but always with much aplomb. Sometimes I found her perspective of the "natives" to be a bit patronizing but this book was generally a very good travelogue. Inspires me to see Vietnam for myself ... let's go!
May 21, 2014
Well-written and absolutely fascinating to someone who has lived in Vietnam. Muller undertook her trip in the mid-1990s, and it was amazing to see how things have changed over the last two decades. She writes about the Ho Chi Minh Highway being a dirt path, whereas now it's a gorgeous two-lane paved road. Countless examples like this can be found. There were a few times that I thought Muller was too hard-headed for her own good, but if you're looking for a hardy travel account this is a good one. She's a tough woman.
December 15, 2011
Do you find travelling interesting? And if you are a woman traveling alone? And if you don’t know local language? And if authorities are quite hostile?
I could continue this line, but you better read this book yourself. This is a travel journal and with it’s help, you could experience an amazing journey through Vietnam. It’s a must read for those who are fond of traveling or are in tourism business.
I could continue this line, but you better read this book yourself. This is a travel journal and with it’s help, you could experience an amazing journey through Vietnam. It’s a must read for those who are fond of traveling or are in tourism business.
June 6, 2013
Well, what I want to say about this book. When I finished the last page I had a feeling that I realy was there with Karin. She described many interesting things about Vietnam that we hardly could find out if we weren't there. And not every person could made such amazing and unususal trip and vusut lonenely villages far in mountains.
Book will be interesting for those, who like to discover something new and who are interested in the life in Asia.
Book will be interesting for those, who like to discover something new and who are interested in the life in Asia.
January 19, 2015
At 29 years of age this author travels to Vietnam with a very loose plan to hitchhike and/or travel the rural countryside. She is either brave, foolish, or insane; possibly all three. This does NOT sound like a fun trip. She manages to escape harm many times but also gets arrested 14 times in the course of her travels. Not really a flattering tale of the region, but probably accurate. I picked up the book because I am headed to Vietnam next month as one of the dreaded tourist class.
August 1, 2014
Hitchhiking Vietnam: A Woman's Solo Journey in an Elusive Land by Karin Muller (Globe Pequot Press 1998)(915.9704). This was a fine travelogue through territory which was basically unexplored (except by soldiers) after it was bombed by the French in the 1950's. The author is an engaging storyteller. I was pulling for her the whole way! My rating: 7.5/10, finished 8/1/14.
April 5, 2008
Not of the grating, "recently divorced"/"I'm having a mid-life crisis"/"I have to find myself" travel novel sub-genre; rather, Muller's got a solid travel novel: nine months wandering Vietnam (M.Runde-style).
January 12, 2022
An excellent and engaging read. The author has a clear and vivid writing style that allows you to feel every bump in the road, and the electricity of every warm smile. This was written before Anthony Bourdain's travelogues, but very much in their style.
November 16, 2008
Author is a little self-involved
January 25, 2009
Pleasant, light travelogue. Learned that there is some hella bureaucracy to contend with to travel around there.
March 7, 2009
Loved this book! I picked it up after hearing a story on NPR. This book started my love of travel books.
April 11, 2009
Muller is a fantastic observer and has a wry descriptive wit. I hate that the cover blurbs call her a 'travel writer' -- she's a writer (and a plucky one), damn it.
July 28, 2009
It was interesting to read of her impressions and experiences in modern-day Vietnam, but she tended to take at face value anything the locals told her about the war.
July 29, 2012
Great book!
November 9, 2013
useful book for all who are dreaming about traveling to Vietnam. The author very clear described the real world in this country, troubles for tourists and was able to show what is Vietnam in life
July 5, 2016
Отличная книга, попавшаяся в нужное время. Самое нужное настроение для планирования поездки во Вьетнам!
February 9, 2018
Enjoyable and enlightening, then a decade later got to go.😊
December 20, 2022
Contemporary Vietnam
With our renewed rapport with Vietnam, it would be good to view or review that area of the world.
This is a diary of sorts of a seven-month trip around Vietnam. Not one of those glossy government or fancy travelogues, but a personal trip that was documented with letters. As with any experience, there will be differences of opinion as to the environment and people. My Vietnam of the '60s was vastly different from the war movies of the time.
There are some parts that may be gory to some people during food preparation times. Others would be appalled at the wanton destruction of forests and wildlife.
I was reading the book after viewing the film with my wife to show her a little bit of what it was when I was there. She immediately said that the villages (especially the huts) seemed surprisingly like the dwellings in the Yucatan.
Even though this was a well-put-together documentary, I was disappointed as my time there was mostly in the central highlands Pleiku, An Khe, Kontum, and thereabout. And when she went up the coast she missed all the high spots.
The Montagnards she interviewed were Mongol invaders; they were not the Montagnards I was aquatinted with. The Montagnards of the central highlands are approximately 14 to 16 separate people that were in the highlands before the people that call themselves Vietnamese invaded from China thousands of years ago. In essence, they are to the Vietnamese the equivalent of our native Americans.
The book is one of the rare descriptions of today's Vietnam and worth reading as I was able to be places that I missed on my tour and imagine the rundown state of the country today
With our renewed rapport with Vietnam, it would be good to view or review that area of the world.
This is a diary of sorts of a seven-month trip around Vietnam. Not one of those glossy government or fancy travelogues, but a personal trip that was documented with letters. As with any experience, there will be differences of opinion as to the environment and people. My Vietnam of the '60s was vastly different from the war movies of the time.
There are some parts that may be gory to some people during food preparation times. Others would be appalled at the wanton destruction of forests and wildlife.
I was reading the book after viewing the film with my wife to show her a little bit of what it was when I was there. She immediately said that the villages (especially the huts) seemed surprisingly like the dwellings in the Yucatan.
Even though this was a well-put-together documentary, I was disappointed as my time there was mostly in the central highlands Pleiku, An Khe, Kontum, and thereabout. And when she went up the coast she missed all the high spots.
The Montagnards she interviewed were Mongol invaders; they were not the Montagnards I was aquatinted with. The Montagnards of the central highlands are approximately 14 to 16 separate people that were in the highlands before the people that call themselves Vietnamese invaded from China thousands of years ago. In essence, they are to the Vietnamese the equivalent of our native Americans.
The book is one of the rare descriptions of today's Vietnam and worth reading as I was able to be places that I missed on my tour and imagine the rundown state of the country today
July 20, 2019
An authentic account of solo travel. I mostly enjoyed going along on Karin's journey and as female traveller admire her get up and go attitude less the occasional slightly condescending tone. Karin took many risks in this journey I would never have done, I don't know if it makes this book read adventurous or a bit naive and stupid. Another author who has taken many risks, which definitely make her fearlessly adventurous, is Dervla Murphy - if you enjoyed this book, Murphy will blow your mind.
February 16, 2014
Interesting but not compelling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews