Hanoi - a city of 9 million people, 4 million motorbikes and 500,000 cars and no rules - all of which make for some crazy traffic. Crossing the street here, as in Saigon, is somewhat nerve-racking til you get the hang of moving slowly but steadily and allowing the traffic to go around you - and praying that it does! We first paid our respects to Ho Chi Minh (or "Uncle Ho" as they call him here). He lies in state in the huge marble mausoleum shown in the photo, h...

After a spectacular 3 1/2 hour drive from Hoi An through Da Nang and over numerous switchbacks to the 500m Hai Van pass, we arrived in Hue. It is the old capital of Vietnam and has exceeded our expectations with its historical sites. The Thien Mu Pagoda shown in the photo, was founded in the 1600's. The monks living at the pagoda were majorly involved with the anti-war and anti-Diem movements in the 1960's (Diem was Catholic and biased towards them). In the ce...

May Son is an hour's drive from Hoi An and another World Heritage site. It was the centre of the Cham kingdom and its most important intellectual and religious capital for nine centuries beginning in the 4th century AD. While not as grand, it has many similarities to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar. Unfortunately, it was also the site of some fierce fighting between the Americans and the Viet Cong and was severely bombed by the Americans which destr...

Hoi An, a World Heritage site, is a charming riverside town settled by Chinese and Japanese traders centuries ago. Many of the houses, shops, and temples from the 19th century or even earlier are still in use. Several streets ban cars and motor bikes and are for walking only - a pleasant change from the constant traffic. Hoi An is well known for its made-to-measure clothes and shoes and there are many tailors very anxious for business. Yesterday we tried our h...

It was an interesting drive from Dalat to Nha Trang, back on the coast. We passed through fields of coffee, ripe artichokes and dragon fruit (which grow on cacti). The road then descended 5000' in a series of sharp switchbacks and impressive potholes that challenged all drivers. Nha Trang is a city of around 400,000, which exists on tourism and fishing. The city has some interesting cultural features encompassing several religions, such as the large Buddha stat...