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    handpicked · independent

    The Australian who befriended Ho Chi Minh

    Photo feature

    The Australian who befriended Ho Chi Minh

    Journalist Wilfred Burchett is the only Australian to rate a mention in the small museum around Ho... enlarge

    FEATURES

    Nostalgia and Vietnam's travel superpower - VIDEO

    Hue Blog

    Nostalgia and Vietnam's travel superpower - VIDEO

    There’s been a big dose of nostalgia running through my recent videos on Rusty Compass. I’ve loved thinking about Vietnam back in the 90s and its transition to the present. Few... more

    New things in Sydney - travel notes

    Sydney Blog

    New things in Sydney - travel notes

    New openings, improved cycling and walking and ways to get around - there have been many positive developments in Sydney in recent years.... more

    Lessons from decades exploring Vietnam

    Ho Chi Minh City Blog

    Lessons from decades exploring Vietnam

    In our latest video (below), I have a think about 30 years of change in Vietnam and some of the travel lessons and wider lessons from my... more

    A traveller's guide to Vietnam's Buddhist Crisis of 1963

    Ho Chi Minh City Blog

    A traveller's guide to Vietnam's Buddhist Crisis of 1963

    It's more than 60 years since South Vietnam was engulfed in what became known as the Buddhist crisis. It proved a critical point in the... more

    Visiting Saigon's historic rooftop - symbol of the end of the Vietnam War

    Ho Chi Minh City Blog

    Visiting Saigon's historic rooftop - symbol of the end of the Vietnam War

    It may be the most iconic image of the end of the Vietnam War. It was taken on 29 April 1975 by photojournalist Hugh van Es, as US... more

    In Vietnam, tourists are still learning the lessons of the American War

    Ho Chi Minh City Blog

    In Vietnam, tourists are still learning the lessons of the American War

    For three decades, Saigon’s War Remnants Museum has been the essential museum in the city - the one few visitors miss. It tells the... more

    Vietnam loses a storyteller - RIP Nguyen Qui Duc

    Hanoi Blog

    Vietnam loses a storyteller - RIP Nguyen Qui Duc

    Vietnam has lost a storyteller and creative force. Nguyen Qui Duc died in Hanoi on November 22 2023. Monumental upheaval has been such... more

    RECENT REVIEWS

    Beaches of Sydney

    Sydney see and do

    Beaches of Sydney

    Sydney's beaches are legendary - they're a big feature of the city's summer lifestyle and a magnet for global travellers. Even if you're not a... more

    Tasmania

    Tasmania Introduction

    Tasmania

    Tasmania. It took me more than 50 years to visit. Make sure you don't leave it that long. more

    Dien Bien Phu

    Dien Bien Phu Introduction

    Dien Bien Phu

    Dien Bien Phu may be one of Vietnam's best kept travel secrets - especially for those with an interest in history. There's more than history too.... more

    What's new in Sydney - a cultural travel guide

    Sydney see and do

    What's new in Sydney - a cultural travel guide

    Sydney is changing fast. There are loads of new things for travellers to see and experience in the city from museums and galleries to new public... more

    Hue - the alternative tour

    Hue see and do

    Hue - the alternative tour

    Hue is central to everything in Vietnam's modern history - dynastic history, Buddhism, Catholicism, the coup of 1963 and the bloodiest battle of the... more

    Hue

    Hue Introduction

    Hue

    Hue is my favourite Vietnam city these days. Few travellers come away with the same view. It takes some time to settle in to Hue. And to really make... more