2016 - the year in travel

By Mark Bowyer / Last updated 14 Dec 2016

Introduction

2016 shot by so quickly. I ended up spending less time than usual in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. And less time on the road too. And a few months were spent working on our new cafe in Saigon, The Old Compass. That's been a lot of fun. These images tell some of the story of the year and they're mainly city focused - but that's where i spent most of my time. Looking forward to more proper travel in 2017! Hope you enjoy these images. Thanks for the support in 2016. Best wishes for Christmas and 2017!

Preparing for Tet - Hanoi, 2016
Generation gap. Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi
Grooming pooch. Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake - Old French police station.
Dr Khai - 95 at Hoan Kiem Lake
The grand old turtle of Hoan Kiem lake has been an enduring symbol of Hanoi decades - perhaps even a century. Its death in January was viewed as a portent of coming problems by superstitious locals. As far as we can work out though, no major disruption followed its passing. This photo looks across Ngoc Son Temple - which was cordoned off during the recovery of the corpse.
Cong Caphe, Ma May, Hanoi
Nicholas Simon brought the filming of King Kong to Vietnam in 2016. Halong Bay, Phong Nha Caves and other areas of the north will appear in the movie, to be released in 2017.
Nguyen Qui Duc lubricated the crew of King Kong and uncountable others at his Hanoi bar, Tadioto
Chinese medicine, Thuoc Bac. Old Quarter Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi
Saigon reaches for the sky - and remembers revolutionary fighters.
Bui Vien St - now Beer St. It attracts a great mix of locals and backpackers - in the heart of Saigon's backpacker district.
Ho Chi Minh greets visitors to the city that carries his name.
Exhausted. Saigon.
Phnom Penh. After dinner.
Bassac Lanes's Patrick Uong, Phnom Penh
The barber shop, Phnom Penh
The Royal Palace, Phnom Penh
An old favourite hotel awaiting demolition. The Renakse. Phnom Penh
French author and politician Andre Malraux lived here in the 1920s. Phnom Penh
Andre Malraux once lived here. Phnom Penh
Andre Malraux once lived here. Phnom Penh
The Hotel Le Royal Phnom Penh
Cyclo, Phnom Penh
Timothy Bruyns from Tiger's Eye, Phnom Penh
While Vietnam is demolishing colonial heritage buildings, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, they're building them anew.
Siem Reap and other parts of the region experienced dire drought during the first half of 2016. When we visited in April, villages around the Angkor temples were without water and dependent on deliveries. The journey to Banteay Srei temple (pictured) was dry, hot and dusty.
Joannes and Carole from Cuisine Wat Damnak, Siem Reap - one of the finest restaurants in the region.
McDonald's has landed in Saigon with a big bang - but we're not sure if the locals are taken with it. Some are alarmed that a slice of the city's historic Central Post Office has been passed over to the US fast food chain.
Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon. These two have been here for more than twenty years - one sells, one begs.
Ladies of the church choir, Saigon
Motorbikes rule - Saigon
The faces of Saigon. Dong Khoi St changes. Some of the characters are holding firm.
Saigon river walk
The faces of Saigon
The faces of Saigon
Nha Rong - Ho Chi Minh Museum, Saigon
Gustav Eiffel's Post de Messageries Maritimes
The lonely cyclist, Saigon. Two decades ago, these streets were full of cyclists.
Motorcycles rule - Saigon. This is a Saigon sidewalk. Not much space for walkers.
Mr Thai, 60s rock guitar hero of Saigon
A different type of artistry - a workshop churning out copies of European Masters or family photos - take your pick. In the Saigon suburbs.
Mournful slide guitar bounces around Saigon's Nguyen Hue pedestrian street.
Big night, Saigon
Late night bowl of pho, Saigon
The Reunification rooftop, Saigon
Fine Arts Museum, Saigon
Mach Chay's banh mi stall has been churning out late night rolls for 7 decades just outside Stoker.
Ba Son Shipyard, Saigon. Its demolition in 2016 marked a new low in Saigon's relentless destruction of built heritage and perhaps a final lost opportunity to create a public space of scale and character in the heart of the city.
Riverfront Saigon
Saigon traffic and the fast changing skyline.
Fading Saigon - these old buildings are breathing their last.
General Sciences Library, Saigon - an outstanding piece of Vietnamese modernist architecture,
1900 Club, Ta Hien St, Hanoi - Fomerly a threatre, in the 90s, this place was the first post-war large-scale expat bar and club, HanoI Roxy. Now it's a popular club with locals and tourists in the middle of the tourist strip.
Ernest Hebrard's Science University, Hanoi
Ernest Hebrard's creation - now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hanoi
I've been passing by the house of Madam Ha on Hanoi's Hang Bong St for almost a decade now. She lost her husband more than 50 years ago, and her son, artist, Vu Dan Tan more recently.
A new friend. This woman, a retired doctor in her 90s, is sharp as a tack and loves chatting about her life moving between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and France in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. A doctor by trade, she practiced in Paris in the early 50s. She calls me and invites me for noodles. She speaks English, French, Vietnamese, Khmer and Lao. Incredible amounts of history stacked up there. Wonderful character.
We opened a new place this year - The Old Compass Cafe. Come and visit us sometime.
Lam Son Square, downtown Saigon, looking from the Opera House with the Continental hotels either side. An historic intersection dominated by metre construction, Coco Cola and Louis Vuitton
Roadworks, Saigon
Who said Hanoi ain't friendly? Had a great time chatting with these guys.
Cong Caphe, Hanoi
Beer St Hanoi
Ta Hien St, Hanoi
Mu Cang Chai, after the harvest.
Sin Chai village, Sapa
Sin Chai Village, Sapa
Views from Fansipan cable car, Sapa
Fansipan cable car, transports travellers to Vietnam's tallest peak.
Fansipan cable car, Sapa. Ascending Fansipan (by cable car) has become a patriotic ritiual for Vietnamese of all ages. has become a patriotic ritiual for Vietnamese of all ages.
The new market, Sapa
The new market, Sapa
Ethnic Hmong girls, Italian coffee and Saigonese craft beer. The new Sapa
D67 - the bunker from where North Vietnam's commanders plotted the defeat of the US backed South Vietnam.
Phuong from Lotus gallery Saigon - in her late 80s. She's a survivor of Vietnam's complex art world - she even has a picture with Uncle Ho from the 50s.
Trung and grandma - The Espresso Station, Hoi An
Hoi An after the crowds have gone home.
Banyan trees, Hoi An
An old veteran in Hoi An. He has two beers a day. This is the first, at 10AM before lunch.
A xe om driver looks over Cua Dai beach, Hoi An. A once deep stretch of white sand and one of Vietnam's most popular tourist beaches, has fallen victim to over-development, meddling with the river and some wild storms. The erosion continues.
Hoi An

Quicklink - Introduction - Hanoi

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