Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 16

What a thrill to have the opportunity of revisiting Vietnam, after a long absence stretching back 20 years. My previous trip in 1999 has always held a special place in my heart, and it seems every second person you bump into in Australia nowadays has recently visited, or is planning to visit Vietnam. The buzz became so great I could no longer resist the charms of this wonderful country. The memories from all those years ago are becoming a distant memory, so it's great to be back in Vietnam amongst the friendly people, wonderful culture, and delicious food for a three week return visit. What's particularly surprising is the prices don't seem to have changed over the years. Travellers will struggle to find a cheaper destination, and there's plenty on offer to make the most of ... read more

5 May to 7 May 2019 - I travelled to Sapa on a 3-day trip for the purpose of visiting the Fansipan summit. At an altitude of 3,143m, Fansipan is the highest peak of Indochina (the old name given by the French for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia during its colonial time). This is the first time that I went to Sapa alone. On my previous trips I travelled with my friends and parents, and that was many years ago (1998, 2008 and 2012). I had a dream of seeing the summit of Fansipan for a long time, and at last I made it. In the past, I had to travel for at least 12 hours by bus or train between Hanoi and Sapa but now, thanks to the new expressway, the travel time has been shortened ... read more

An overnight trip through Halong Bay was a highlight of the trip. The pictures will speak for themselves and show the natural beauty of the area. I was also able to visit the Surprising Cave system, one of the biggest in Vietnam (though the biggest cave system in the world is south of here). Absolutely beautiful views, fun fellow passengers, and a cute ship made for an interesting trip.... read more

In July 2017, I travelled with my family back to my father's home town in Central Vietnam. During our week trip, my sister and I took this opportunity to visit another beach city further south which is Quy Nhơn. We spent two days in this city and everyone had a great time. It was my second visit to Quy Nhơn. On my first trip in 2010, I was sponsored by a Vietnamese organisation based in the US (Viettelco). I spent a day in the city and rented a taxi to go towards the countryside as I wanted to see the old Chàm brick towers of the Champa Kingdom. These towers were built during the 11th to the 13th century, and they are scattered around the countryside (about 40km away from the city). On this trip I ... read more

Just a quick stop over in Hue to see what the city had to offer. We saw a couple Royal tombs - Tu Duc and Minh Mang and the Hue Citadel. We also saw the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is a symbol for the city and took a ride on a dragon boat. Lotus flowers were present throughout the city and are the Vietnamese national flower. We stopped at an incense and conical hat making collective and I've discovered a new talent - I'll go into incense making if this whole prof thing doesn't work out!... read more

Just outside of Saigon are tunnels used by the Vietnamese people to fight the French and then later the Americans and Allies during the Vietnam war. The tunnels were used extensively, and have been widened to allow for the passage of tourists (even local Vietnamese, with more nutrition and different lifestyles, need wider tunnels than those used in previous time periods). We saw several of the traps used and learned some more about guerrilla warfare. It's quite strange to look at war through the eyes of the other side.... read more