Halong Bay was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 for good reason. There are just a handful of places in the world that have such extensive karst formations and the ever-changing sky and temperature make it a moody and romantic destination. Our photos won’t do it justice, but you’ll get the idea. We … More The Blessing and the Curse of Halong Bay
Never heard of Dong Hoi? Neither had we – it was our pitstop to move on to bigger things – some of the world’s largest caves, to be exact. We chose to stay in Dong Hoi, which is 40 km. away from the park, for a few more amenities and access to our 5:00 … More The Resurrection of Dong Hoi
“Seven people died in that house.” “Right there on that field – many Viet Cong dead.” “This wall – look at all the bullet holes.” “This wall” is part of the Citadel in Hue, which came under vicious attack in a Viet Cong military incursion known as The Tet Offensive in 1968. The battle lasted … More Chasing ghosts in Hue
This blog posting will be less tell, more show. First a quick intro: Hoi An was a major shipping port in the 16th and 17th centuries, with Dutch, Japanese and Chinese traders passing by these very walls. It would have become a much bigger city, but in the 19th century, the river silted up and … More Ancient Town Hoi An in photos
Walking through the streets of old Hoi An is a photographer’s dream – you can feel like a creative genius just by showing up. Ancient Town is filled with museums, Chinese and Japanese shophouses, art galleries, assembly halls and pagodas, bridges, old wells and masses of flowers. Every street is intersected with dozens of alleys, … More The exquisite beauty of perfect Hoi An
For those of you too young to get the reference, The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming! is a 1966 Norman Jewison comedy that played into American fears of a Russian invasion. Nha Trang is a Vietnamese beach town that is as famous for its long white crescent beach as it is for the very … More Nha Trang: The Russians are Coming!
Dalat became a vacation favourite of French Colonialists because of its temperate climate, abundant flowers and mountain and lakeside setting, and the name “Le Petit Paris” stuck. The French influence is still evident – many older Vietnamese speak French and the architecture and food have a strong Gallic stamp. Dalat is also known as the … More Dalat: Le Petit Paris, complete with Eiffel Tower
Number 214. The Continental Hotel, Saigon. This is the room Graham Greene stayed in while he wrote his epic novel, The Quiet American, about American involvement during the demise of French colonialism in Vietnam in the 1950s. And this is the Continental Hotel – I can imagine Greene parked at a corner table, drinking and … More Chasing Graham Greene: Finding history on every corner
Before I talk about Saigon I want to share a cautionary tale about the importance of checking your visa dates before you attempt to cross into Vietnam. I’m about to make a long story short (first time for everything). We went to the Vietnam embassy in Vancouver in November to arrange for our 3-month visas. … More Tales from Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)
One of the first things we noticed when we arrived in Phnom Penh was the skyline – green-clad buildings with cranes on every second corner. In fact, on our corner, we have three building projects on the go – a fact we missed in the TripAdvisor reviews until after we booked. It hasn’t really been … More The Lexus platoon, fake monks and Nagaworld: Phnom Penh’s rising
Leaving Ourselves Behind 