Not so good morning, Vietnam! - Charlie's Beach - North of the 17' parallel
April 26th 2005 A word of advice - if you are ever considering how best to undertake the journey from Vientiane, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam; I have one word for you: FLY! Even the dubious pleasures of Lao Aviation (who's ancient soviet planes dont have any electronic guidance systems, fly by sight, and co-incidentaly dont publish their safety record) must be preferable to the journey we took.
Starting at 5am, the f
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The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forc... ... read more 
