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    Sydney's new harbour swimming pool - right by The Rocks

    Photo feature

    Sydney's new harbour swimming pool - right by The Rocks

    There is probably no major city in the world that’s better set up for swimmers than Sydney. We're... enlarge

    FEATURES

    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 long and tragic Vietnam War.  Here we... 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

    30 years exploring Vietnam

    Ho Chi Minh City Blog

    30 years exploring Vietnam

    2023 marks 30 years since I led my first tour through Vietnam. It was August 1993. After decades of war and economic hardship, a... more

    The bus to Bondi is broken - Sydney's public transport is a shambles

    Sydney Blog

    The bus to Bondi is broken - Sydney's public transport is a shambles

    The 333 service to Bondi Beach is Sydney's busiest bus route. It's especially popular with international tourists. It’s in dismal shape -... 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... more

    RECENT REVIEWS

    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

    Hanoi

    Hanoi Introduction

    Hanoi

    Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, can make a strong claim to being one of Asia’s most compelling and beguiling cities. The tangled streets of the old... 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

    War Remnants Museum

    Ho Chi Minh City see and do

    War Remnants Museum

    The War Remnants Museum is Saigon's most visited museum. On our recent visits (March 2024) it's been the most crowded we've ever seen it. It's... more

    Reunification Palace - Saigon

    Ho Chi Minh City see and do

    Reunification Palace - Saigon

    The former Presidential Palace of the US-backed South Vietnamese government, this downtown architectural landmark is now known as the Reunification... more

    Nguyen Hue Walking Street, Saigon

    Ho Chi Minh City see and do

    Nguyen Hue Walking Street, Saigon

    In 2015, Nguyen Hue St, one of Saigon’s main streets, became a “walking street” - a rare concession by city leaders to the idea that public spaces... more