Down Highway One: Journeys Through Vietnam and Cambodia

by Venn Savat (Illustrator), Susan Downie

The first Westerner to travel down Asia's historic Highway One since the Vietnam War recounts her 2000 kilometer journey from the Chinese border through Vietnam to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh

234 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

Reviews

[Aidan Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting and personal snapshot into vietnam and to a lesser extent Cambodia during the late 80s to 90s. Helped explain a lot of the behaviours and things I experienced on a trip there. Some pretty good insights into socioeconomic, health, and historical issues of the country. Pretty adventurous by the author as well.

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a lot of work to get this book after hearing about it. Out of print. Only used copy in the UK. Finally, with a lot of work by my local library, got it through interlibrary loan. Definitely worth the effort.

The author, a journalist based in south east Asia, journeyed from the Chinese border in northern Vietnam through to Cambodia in 1988 and then again the next two years. She skillfully writes about what she experienced within the context of the history of the area.

What fascinates me is that this is a time that I should have been more aware of - I was in my 30s - but living in North America it was like south east Asia stopped being in the news after the Americans left in 1975. It makes sense that an Australian journalist would be much more in touch with what was happening so close to home.