Rusty Compass - an independent travel guide to Australia, Cambodia and Vietnam

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Australia · Cambodia · Laos · Vietnam

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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

America in Vietnam - a travel guide Part 1

Ho Chi Minh City Blog

America in Vietnam - a travel guide Part 1

Military parades and huge celebrations recently marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War  (aka. the American War) and the fall of Saigon (aka. the liberation of... more

Declaration of Independence - Vietnam's other major anniversary of 2025

Hanoi Blog

Declaration of Independence - Vietnam's other major anniversary of 2025

Vietnam's big year of anniversaries will shift to Hanoi in September.  In the second major celebration of 2025, the 80th anniversary of Ho... more

Singapore's Changi Museum has special lessons for Australians

Sydney Blog

Singapore's Changi Museum has special lessons for Australians

A visit to Singapore’s museums can open up some unexpected reflection for Australians - especially in times of global upheaval. The Changi... more

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... 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

RECENT REVIEWS

Beaches of Sydney

Sydney see and do

Beaches of Sydney

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

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney see and do

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of two iconic creations in the heart of the city - the other being the Sydney Opera House. Together they have managed... more

Parramatta history tour

Sydney see and do

Parramatta history tour

Parramatta is Sydney's reluctant history and heritage gem. It's where you'll find many of Australia's oldest and most important historical buildings... more

Museum of Contemporary Art MCA, Sydney

Sydney see and do

Museum of Contemporary Art MCA, Sydney

Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) is one of Australia's premier galleries of contemporary art - painting, sculpture, drawing, photography... more

Art Galleries of Sydney

Sydney see and do

Art Galleries of Sydney

This is our independent travel guide to Sydney's best art galleries. We focus on Australian art from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and... more

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Sydney see and do

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia’s oldest and most-loved art institutions. Located in a grand neo-classical building in a... more