Parks and pagoda’s as well as memorials characterise the area around Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. Born in 1890 and dying in 1969 Ho Chi Minh (affectionately known as Uncle Ho) lead the Vietnam...
The somewhat romantically-named Hoan Kiem Lake – the ‘Lake of Restored Sword’ – is so named because a fisherman named Le Than caught a sword blade when pulling in his fish-net; he decided to offer it ...
Chua Mot Cot is colloquially known as the One Pillar Pagoda. Local legend relates that King Lý Thai Tong built it in the 11th century as a tribute to the Buddha for the gift of a baby son. The wooden ...
Only got time to do one thing in Hanoi – make it a walk through the Old Quarter.Laid out north of Hoan Kiem Lake its streets bear the names of the goods manufactured on them; buildings have a front ro...
The Temple of Literature or ‘Quoc Tu Giam’ dates from 1070 and was built as a dedication to Confucius; the temple was the first school for royal family members. In 1482 Le Thanh Tong ordered the erect...
Explore the Cam Kim island by bike to discover boat builders and wood carvers. An interesting excursion using the local ferry.
China Beach begins 5km north of Hoi An – reachable by bike at a push – and stretches 30km towards Danang. Cua Dai is the section closest to Hoi An; it’s a lovely beach with many of the usual facilitie...
The exact age of Hoi An’s famous covered Japanese Bridge is unknown but give the history of Japanese trading activity in the area it was probably constructed in the early years of the 17th century. Al...
Unlike the trading ports of other great cities Hoi An never developed into a modern metropolis unlike, say Singapore, Penang or Malacca. The town is situated on the north bank of the Thu Bon river and...
The Great Enclosure contains the Imperial and the Forbidden Purple City and was built between 1802 and 1833. Inside are gardens, terraces, palaces, and pavilions, all built according to the laws of ge...
