Geo: 16.4649, 107.595Today was a lot of walking - about 6 hours. Hué is an ancient city with a lot of history. It is the sight of the Imperial Palace which is our destination. Along the way we walked past a public park where there was an event taking place which had something to do with supporting women in this culture. It was surprising the number of military there. I suspect they were required to attend in a non-policing role.The Imperial City is very large and was modelled after the Forbidden City in China. It was a very well organized culture with a long line of rulers. The emperor gave up the city to Ho Chi Minh in 1945. We saw our first snake today. It was not excited about our presence so we stayed well ... read more

Geo: 21.0344, 105.847We started the day by hiring a cab to take us to the History museum. It is a very good museum with English signage throughout. The museum is housed in two buildings. It is interesting to read the commentary about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective.After seeing several museums throughout SE Asia one certainly begins to see the impact on cultures and the loss of lives while various countries try to enforce their views and will upon others.On our walk we passed by the opera house and the stock exchange. This is the more prestigious part of town as exemplified by the high end shops.In this area there is a very pretty lake with walkways around. A nice resting spot for the locals and visitors. By now it was time for the mid-day ... read more

Geo: 21.0344, 105.847We booked a van with driver and a guide for the day. We were picked up at 8:30 am. Our guide was very good and well versed in the history of Vietnam, Hanoi and the Buddhist religion. First stop was Ho Chi Minh Square where the Mausoleum is located. It is across for the major government building. The history of Vietnam is somewhat complicated and Ho Chi Minh's goal was independence from foreign powers and reunification of the north and the south. It is in some ways surprising how far the country has come despite the turmoil the country has been through.Ho Chi Minh was born in central Vietnam but spent his time primarily in the north often in hiding because of his "revolutionary" stance. He was quite a solitary person and personally lived ... read more

Geo: 17.9686, 102.6The museum was relatively close to our hotel so we decided to walk. The building itself is in need of maintenance but the displays are good with lots of English explanations. The building was built in 1925 and is where independence (first time around) was declared in 1945. Most of SE Asia has seen a great deal of turmoil over many years. Much of the problem was brought about by the colonial thrust of several countries as well as the internal conflicts between groups within the various countries. It seems that this may be over for the moment and Laos as well as other countries are moving forward. The Lao People's Democratic Republic was established in 1975 when independence was gained again. Internally government agencies have been created to look after services and monitoring ... read more

Geo: 17.9684, 102.6Off to the airport for our flight to Vientiane. We considered going by bus but although the distance is not that great it basically takes 2 days and requires an overnight at a hotel. The flight takes 30 minutes.The Capital Residence hotel is very nice but is situated in the backpacker area so restaurants and shops are pretty low end. The upside is that it is close to many of the sights and is also close to the river. We headed out to explore the area. Stopped for a beer along the way and ended up walking through the night market as it was setting up.We managed to get somewhat lost on the way back because it was now dark and the street signs seem to be pretty scarce. Also, the map from the ... read more