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...

Da Lat - Vietnam's honeymoon capital and answer to Disneyland! An amazing place 5000' up in the mountains with four lakes and a very pleasant climate as well as numerous theme parks such as the "Vally of Love" and "Mong Mo Hill" which left us having difficulty believing that we were in Vietnam! These slightly tacky but also somewhat quaint parks are set on lovely lakes where the Vietnamese come to have their photos taken riding in a paddle boat swans, sitting und...