Customer Rating:  
Summary: Disappointing!
Comment: After reading this book, I would never consider a trip to Vietnam. Ms.Muller showed no redeeming features to the country and there has to be some! All authorities were corrupt, some people were thoughtful and friendly but most came across as mean and selfish and unhelpful. The author may have looked at her actions as adventurous but I looked at them as being unprepared and at times, even stupid. Can't recommend this book to anyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good effort
Comment: I applaud her for being a lone Caucasian female traveler which is hard to do in any lesser developed country. She is also a good writer and had her moments in the book.
Otherwise, she seemed quite naive about the culture and state of Vietnam, was overly optimistic about the people and when she was disappointed, became extremely bitter about her experience.
If you want to read about reasons not to visit Vietnam, read this book. I would also change the title of the book because it is misleading. She really only hitchhiked about the last quarter of the book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Comment: Karin Muller is an honest, fun and entertaining writer and world traveler.
The book is a joy to read (finished in 3 days)
I have read her newest book Japanland and loved it.
As I always do when I read a book by a writer I love, I trace other books by them.
Many times older books are not as good, as many writers mature and get better with life's experiences.
Not in this case, I was not disappointed and very happy that I did not take to heart the reviews on Amazon.
We also bought her book ALONG THE INCA ROAD and I can't wait to read it. (It is in my husband's suitcase and he is on his way to New Zealand.
Karin Muller is the kind of woman you would be happy to call your friend.
Customer Rating:
Summary: sad, sad egomaniac
Comment: I saw Karen at a reading years ago in SF when she was promoting this book. She could not speak Viet at all other than a few simple words. She made several inaccurate comments that made many Vietnamese Americans in attendance look at each other in puzzlement, but everyone was too polite to point out her errors to her. One of the commments was about how a truck driver's salary was less than the cost of postage of her letter to the US! Oh, my God! The woman has no idea what she was talking about at all. I didn't bother to read her book for years after that, but one day I found myself with time to spare and with only her book on the shelf at a friend's house.
Dull layman writing with plenty of offensive conjectures.
Actually, I don't blame Karen for writing the book. Everyone is entitled to her opinion regardless of faults. I do blame her publishers and editors for not knowing better, for not fact checking.
Hopefully, this book will just vanish in time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Left a Sour Taste in My Mouth
Comment: 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.
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