When Christopher Hunt set off in search of Vietnam’s notorious Ho Chi Minh Path, he hardly likely to end up on a rickety, Russian-made motorbike navigating 5,000 kilometers of pathways rarely traveled simply by tourists and on roads missing from maps.

Hunt left the United States expecting to explore the 1,700-kilometer highway that was after the source route for the North Vietnamese Army. He soon discovered himself roaming the Vietnamese countryside in need of help and direction. In the process, he found that as an American in Vietnam conjured continuous reminders of the past and experienced a nation and a people poised precariously between your ancient and the present day.

With adventure, wit, and an eyesight for the absurd, Hunt goes beyond the newspaper headlines and myths about Vietnam to capture the color and complexity of Vietnam today.