2015 - The year in travel Part 1

By Mark Bowyer / Last updated 24 Dec 2015

Introduction

A look back on the travels of 2015 over two parts. It was a year of big anniversaries - including the 40th anniversary of the fall of US backed governments in Laos, Cambodian and Vietnam in 1975. I spent lots of time in all three countries this year. Met some wonderful people and had many memorable experiences. This little collection of favourites includes Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Saigon, Vientiane and Vang Vieng.

2015 was a big year for anniversaries. Vietnam marked 40 years since the end of war. Cambodia marked the beginning of Khmer Rouge tyranny, and Laos marked victory of the Communist Pathet Lao. The hammer and sickle was everywhere.
I had a bird’s eye view across Vietnam’s biggest apartment development - Central Park, where 10,000 apartments are going up and breakneck speed. This was Central Park in February.
And here was Central Park in September. Saigon’s biggest developers, in close cahoots with the ruling Communist Party, have a curious fondness for naming their developments after New York landmarks. There’s Times Square, Union Square, and Central Park is coming soon.
Taking a break from building the new Saigon.
This historic Mekong Ferry at Neak Loeung operated for the last time in early 2015, before the opening of the bridge in the background, marking the end of an era.
Frescoes and tiles at the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh
One of Phnom Penh’s most spectacular, and dilapidated French colonial buildings is a bar. Excellent spot for an afternoon drink - Mansion Heritage Bar
Mansion Heritage Bar, Phnom Penh
A young couple at Sisowath School in Phnom Penh. The city’s famous school counts Khmer Rouge tyrants Pol Pot, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan among its alumni. Former Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh and Prince Sihanouk’s wife, opposition leader Sam Rainsey and architect Vann Molyvann were also schooled here.
Smiling guard at the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh
An architecture tour of Phnom Penh was a highlight of this visit. This young architect was a sensational guide through the city’s remarkably interesting architectural history.
The former home of the father of Cambodian modernist architecture, Vann Molyvann.
A Lexus graveyard in Phnom Penh - organ transplants in preparation.
Cambodia might be one of the world's poorest countries, but certain streets in the capital could make you think you're in one of the most affluent.
Phnom Penh's Bassac Lane is a fantastic new eating and drinking hub in the city. Meet the people behind Bistrot Bassac.
Patrick Uong, owner of Bassac Lane bar, Hangar 44
Hangar 44 Bar, Phnom Penh
One of Phnom Penh’s more off-beat bars is Zeppelin. This is Taiwanese owner, Jun, with his collection of vinyl stacked up behind him.
Formerly the Manolis Hotel, this old gem was home to French author, politician and culture advocate, Andre Malraux while he waited to stand trial for temple theft in the 1920s.
The old Manolis Hotel, Phnom Penh
I collided with a Phnom Penh tuk-tuk driver from a previous visit who was a wonderful bloke.
Independence Monument, Phnom Penh
Cambodian Living Arts are doing great work keeping Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage alive following the devastation of the Khmer Rouge.
Bou Meng, one of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge death camp, Tuol Sleng, sells and signs books at the former prison. This is a miserable place - and there’s something depressing about the sight of this poor man sitting there each day, a book salesman.
In 2015, rooftop bars became all the rage in Saigon.
Selfie sticks were pretty big too.
Groovy new cafes continued to open. This is an old favourite Bang Khuang, Saigon.
3A Station, Saigon
The global craft brew trend landed in Saigon too. John, Alex and Bethany, the people behind Pasteur St Brewing, have made a big impact in a short space of time.
Saigon’s street food scene is under pressure. With real estate prices rocketing, salaries rising and tastes changing, many wonder how long cheap holes in the wall like this can survive.
Com Binh Dan - the common man’s meal, still under 1usd.
Met this lovely, retired Australian couple in Siem Reap. They’ve been volunteering for years at an orphanage. The volunteer industry has been hit by repeated scandals - with orphanages operating fraudulently and many “orphans” not orphans at all. This couple was comfortable they’d done the necessary due diligence on the place they were working.
A former Khmer Rouge soldier, who was forced to join, took me around the War Museum in Siem Reap. He lost a leg to a landmine in the 1980s.
The stunning library at Preah Khan Temple, Angkor
Saigon gears up for a parade to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Young Vietnamese soldiers relaxing after parade rehearsals.
Layers of Saigon - the cathedral, a former French colonial police station and prison, the rooftop made famous in Hu Van Es’s famous Saigon helicopter evacuation photo, and a new office block.
Saigon’s new pedestrian walkway was unveiled. The city certainly needs public space. More trees and grass would have been nice.
On 30 April, military brass use an iPad to catch a snap at the new walking promenade.
The people take to the streets to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on 30 April 1975.
Groovy young Saigonese join the party on a city rooftop to celebrate 30 April.
I headed back to the beach resort of Mui Ne by train - and the train collided with a truck. The truck driver was killed. I then became aware that these collisions are chillingly frequent in Vietnam.
Grandma and granddaughter. Mui Ne.
Mui Ne’s lost huge tracts of beach to erosion. It’s a problem that’s hit Hoi An hard too. The result is concrete beach in areas.
Other stretches of Mui Ne beach have been more fortunate. This is outside Mia Resort.
Old fisherman, Ham Tien Village, Mui Ne
Wives wait for husbands to return from a night at sea. Ham Tien
Hanoi experienced some horrendous hot weather in 2015. I was there for 3 days when temperatures broke 40. Washing motorbikes suddenly looked like a good job.
This 90 year old woman kept serving water through the heat.
I arrived in Vientiane, Laos for the first time in a decade and was whisked to a party where this wrecked light aircraft was part of the decoration.
Wat Sisaket, Vientiane, Laos
Raunchy wedding photography on the Mekong, Vientiane
Wat Inpeng, Vientiane, Laos
Afternoon workout on the Mekong River, Vientiane
Breakfast in Vientiane
Downtown Vientiane old shophouses, Laos
The COPE centre in Vientiane - a museum documenting the terrible impacts of unexploded ordnance from America’s war in Laos.
Carol Cassidy, a pioneer in bringing unique Lao textiles to the world since the 1990s.
Lao textiles
Alms giving in Vientiane
Wondered how much sense the Lao people made of this sign outside the Australian Embassy in Vientiane.
This Vietnamese man in his 80s has lived in Vientiane since he was a child. His father was an official in the French colonial administration. He’s had a successful tailoring business since the 1950s.
Beautiful Vang Vieng - the one-time backpacker party centre is being reinvented - focusing on its stunning landscapes.
Vang Vieng Laos
Hmong family, Vang Vieng, Laos
Hmong man, Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng’s tubing scene has been wound right back - but it’s still operating. I must have been the oldest person by about 30 years out on the river, this day.
The former US military airstrip at Vang Vieng from the 1960s.
The incredible viewpoint over the mountains, Vang Vieng
The river at Vang Vieng
Fruit seller Hanoi
Hanoi bamboo pipe (dieu cay) maker with Ho Chi Minh tattooed over his heart.
Hanoi’s once sedate nightlife has become raunchier with the opening of Hero nightclub.
An exhibition of photography from the Vietnam War was organised by the Associated Press agency in Hanoi to mark the 40th anniversary.
Yet another anniversary - 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between the US and Vietnam. The US government sponsored a gay pride event, Pride, to mark the occasion. US Ambassador (second from right) is seen with his partner (second from left).
US Vietnamese singer, Thao Nguyen performs in Hanoi at the Pride festival marking 20 years of US and Vietnamese diplomatic relations.
Another phenomenon of 2015 was the extraordinary expansion of the Cong Caphe coffee chain. Appropriating Vietnam’s military symbols for a coffee chain may have seemed like a provocative road to go down. After a few initial hiccups, Cong Caphe is conquering Hanoi and now moving to Danang and Saigon.
Cong Caphe, Hanoi
Cong Caphe, Hanoi

Quicklink - Introduction - Vietnam

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