Good Morning, Vietnam....
We were last in Saigon around this time 20 years ago. I must admit that I don’t remember too much about that visit, but I’m pretty certain that Saigon has undergone a remarkable transformation since then. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City by the Communists after reunification, but other than by...
Gone Fishin’…..
We drive south from Hue and cross the Hai Van (Sea Cloud) Pass. A very windy road leads to the summit of the pass around 2000 feet above the coast. This route south is now only taken by cyclists, motor bikers, tourists and fuel tankers none of which (tourists aside perhaps!) can use the tunnel throu...
Tet Inoffensive
The city of Hue, some 60 km or so south of what had been the DMZ, separating North from South Vietnam is the old Imperial Capital of Vietnam. Sadly the city is now equally remembered for the Tet Offensive in January 1968, exactly 55 years ago. The Vietcong launched a surprise Tet attack on Hue and f...
Following in the Footsteps of Mark…..
The northernmost part of North Vietnam, just a stone’s throw from the Chinese border is a world apart. So remote, or perhaps because it is so close to China, that the region was largely untouched by the “American” War. The French colonialists called the region the “Tonkinese Alps”. A region of soar...
“Everyone, their grandmother and their friendly family dog…..”
The title of this blog (thanks again to Lonely Planet) says it all “Everyone, their grandmother and their friendly family dog” offers day or overnight trips from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. And as a consequence, it’s the most popular tourist destination in Vietnam. Ha Long Bay with its 1969 (quite a coin...
Where Donny met Kimmy…..
Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel, opened in 1902 during the heyday of the French colonial occupation of Indochina has seen many interesting comings and goings since day 1. Many heads of state, government officials, movies stars have stayed in the hotel over the years. Heavily reinforced bomb shelters were b...
ROC On…..
So what’s in a name? The Republic of China, Formosa, Chinese Taipei or just Taiwan, the island’s name depends which year, historical or political event or just straight up where you sit on the geo-political spectrum. Whatever your views, Taiwan is probably the least controversial name although the...