- Paperback: 289 pages
- Publisher: Anchor Books (May 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385481284
- ISBN-13: 978-0385481281
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,798,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
When Christopher Hunt set off in search of Vietnam's notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail, he hardly expected to end up on a rickety, Russian-made motorcycle navigating 5,000 kilometers of paths rarely traveled by tourists and on roads missing from maps.
Hunt left the United States expecting to explore the 1,700-kilometer highway that was once the supply route for the North Vietnamese Army. He soon found himself roaming the Vietnamese countryside in need of help and direction. In the process, he found that being an American in Vietnam conjured constant reminders of the past and encountered a country and a people poised precariously between the ancient and the modern.
With adventure, wit, and an eye for the absurd, Christopher Hunt goes beyond the newspaper headlines and myths about Vietnam to capture the color and complexity of Vietnam today.
Hunt left the United States expecting to explore the 1,700-kilometer highway that was once the supply route for the North Vietnamese Army. He soon found himself roaming the Vietnamese countryside in need of help and direction. In the process, he found that being an American in Vietnam conjured constant reminders of the past and encountered a country and a people poised precariously between the ancient and the modern.
With adventure, wit, and an eye for the absurd, Christopher Hunt goes beyond the newspaper headlines and myths about Vietnam to capture the color and complexity of Vietnam today.
From the Back Cover
When Christopher Hunt went in search of Vietnam's notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail, his intention was to research a novel. He did not expect to end up on a rickety Russian-made motorcycle navigating 5,000 kilometres of paths rarely travelled by tourists and on roads missing from maps.
He wanted to explore the highway that was once the supply route for the North Vietnamese Army, to absorb the local colour he would need for his book, but got rather more than he bargained for. Soon he was roaming the countryside in need of help and direction, and learning that being an American in Vietnam awakened constant - and not always welcome - ghosts from the past.
With a keen sense of adventure, wit and an eye for the absurd, Christopher Hunt goes beyond the headlines and myths to capture the colour and complexity of Vietnam today - a country and a people poised precariously between the past and the present. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had become interested in the Vietnam war as a result of teaching the 'Aspects of World History' GCSE course to 16 year olds in the U.K. These same students have always shown a fascination for the Vietcong supply line from the north - The Ho Chi Minh Trail - and how it was so difficult for the U.S forces to penetrate it. Creating such an 'invisible' trail to link the cities of Hanoi in the north with Saigon in the south was no mean feat. At times the trail was wide and hugged the coastline while, more commonly, it became barely more than a wild track twisting through remote village settlements under the cover of dense jungle. Christopher Hunt had the superb idea to attemt to travel between the two cities by motor bike sticking as close to the Ho Chi Minh Trail as possible. The book is an amazing adventure and in it the author exposes us to a Vietnam that at times appears to still be shackled by communist bureaucracy while at others he discovers evidence of the emergence of a new, young and exciting State. In the north of the country Hunt is continually worried about finding adequate petrol supplies, or explaining weird clanking noises to amateur mechanics; hotels look dodgy, the rooms are filthy and local women want to sleep with him for a fee. The state of the roads are enlighting and Hunts perseverence while sticking to the trail to enter Laos is admirable and exciting. Hunt uncovers much evidence to suggest that memories of the war are far from forgotten but he also introduces the reader to a warm and friendly people, the majority of whom genuinely wanted to help him. I loved this book. I found it easy to read and I was immediately put into the situation where I felt I was living every moment with the author and indeed wanted to be out there with him. Whenever I read travel literature I feel that this is the best way to judge a good read. I want to visit Vietnam and travel within it independently as soon as possible. Thank you Mr. Hunt for providing me with the inspiration.
Format:Paperback
This book is a very readable,and most informative account of Vietnam, particularly Northern Vietnam. The author, an American seeks to find and discover "the Ho Chi Minh trail", the route used by the Vietnamese Communists to ferry guns, troops, and supplies to their armies fighting in the south.
He buys a Russian made "minsk" motorcycle which turns out to be a sturdy and reliable vehicle which he later sells for more than he paid for it. He makes his Journey from Hanoi heading southwards ultimately to Saigon, meeting a wide variety of interesting characters along the way, from mental bus drivers to prostitutes.
Written 10-12 years ago, just after Vietnam opened her doors once more to capitalism and the west, it gives an interesting and well written account of a budget travelogue over this rarely written about region.
The hostility and suspicion he encounters, being an American, in the aftermath of a war which will be long remembered for years to come, is in itself worth the price of the book.
I've read many books covering Vietnam, this is unlike the rest and a very good read.
He buys a Russian made "minsk" motorcycle which turns out to be a sturdy and reliable vehicle which he later sells for more than he paid for it. He makes his Journey from Hanoi heading southwards ultimately to Saigon, meeting a wide variety of interesting characters along the way, from mental bus drivers to prostitutes.
Written 10-12 years ago, just after Vietnam opened her doors once more to capitalism and the west, it gives an interesting and well written account of a budget travelogue over this rarely written about region.
The hostility and suspicion he encounters, being an American, in the aftermath of a war which will be long remembered for years to come, is in itself worth the price of the book.
I've read many books covering Vietnam, this is unlike the rest and a very good read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
An interesting portrait of the new Vietnam in a travelogue
7 July 1996
Format:Paperback
Christopher Hunt went to Vietnam with the aim of traveling down the
Ho Chi Minh Trail and gather ideas for a novel. He wrote
a travelogue instead which details his adventures and the
people he meets. If you find yourself interested in Mr.
Hunt's writing search for him on the Web. Some of his
fiction appears in ezines. Catherine Karnow did the cover
photography. Forty-one of her pictures from Vietnam appears
in the ezine @TLAS.
Issues such as the MIA's, the faith of the Amerasian and
the boat-people are addressed in passing. There are many
individual portraits of people from all over the country.
Ho Chi Minh Trail and gather ideas for a novel. He wrote
a travelogue instead which details his adventures and the
people he meets. If you find yourself interested in Mr.
Hunt's writing search for him on the Web. Some of his
fiction appears in ezines. Catherine Karnow did the cover
photography. Forty-one of her pictures from Vietnam appears
in the ezine @TLAS.
Issues such as the MIA's, the faith of the Amerasian and
the boat-people are addressed in passing. There are many
individual portraits of people from all over the country.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Not as good as the competition
16 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
If you want a book about two-wheel adventure in communist countries, far more enjoyable is "Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro's Cuba," a fascinating and sometimes hilarious, sometimes hair-raising story of a 7,000-mile journey and justifiably the winner of both the 2002 "Travel Book of the Year" and the North American Travel Journalist Association's Awards of Excellence "Grand Prize."
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A Witty, Surprising Ride Through Vietnam
3 Jun 2000
Format:Paperback
While academics might look down on this witty work for merely touching on difficult questions, I found it the most useful preparation for a two week trip to Vietnam. Hunt gives poignant images of young people trying to survive in in a fast-changing country. They fantasize about the fabled suburbs of America - the land of infinite consumer goods, exciting movies, and Bay Watch. Yet the museums provide evidence of the long, brutal war known as "The American War."
Hunt's Vietnam remains an odd, exotic country where anything can happen. How many places are there where police shake you down, negotiate a bribe, and then give you a receipt! I could relate to Hunt's twin desires to push the limits and explore the unknown while riding along the broken Ho Chi Minh trail - and being genuinely afraid. When does riding alone on a dark road become stupid? Can you trust the innkeeper? How can you transcend being the "rich" American in a poor country? What do people expect or want from you? What do you want from them? When are you being set up? Does evil lurk behind that smile? What topics, besides critizing Ho Chi Minh, are taboo? Where are the boundaries of speech in a corrupt police state? Is it fair for an American tourist to even comment on Vietnam's woes If you plan to see Hue, Saigon, Hanoi, or go to Laos, then this book presents awkward situations worth considering before visiting Southeast Asia. It's a travelogue, not an academic history of the area. Hunt critizes many aspects of Vietnam - he's judgemental. That also makes the book more real because I can't avoid, no matter how hard I might try, making judgements. You have to make choices, and Hunt shares his decision making process with us. I appreciated that! I looked at many, many books before my trip. I took Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide. This was the only book on Vietnam that I read cover to cover with delight.
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