Vietnam #6 - Royal tombs at Hue

We visited two royal tombs, that of Tu Duc and of Khai Dinh. Both were in rather poor conditions externally, but inside the buildings, the artifacts were preserved. There was an ongoing restoration under German supervision at Tu Duc, a healthy sign that the present government is keen to preserve relics of the past.




More photos at Hue Royal Tombs album.

Vietnam #5 - DMZ

We spent a day journeying out from Hue to the DMZ on the 17th parallel, the former dividing line between the north and south during the Vietnam War.

Some of the former Ho Chi Minh trails still exist; this one now crosses a river on a modern suspension bridge.

At Khe San, the former US base that saw a lot of fighting, a war museum displays stories of the war and collections of artifacts.


Nearby junk yard had more pieces of rusting parts.



The sign at a major crossing between the north and south still proclaim, in faded letters, "Long Live Chairman Ho !"


The Vinh Moc tunnels, built to shelter the local population from US bombing, still remains.

More photos at DMZ album.

Vietnam #4 - Hue

We were driven from Hoi An to Hue, through a 6-km tunnel. The weather changed dramatically as we crossed to the north, from hot and humid to cool and wet, almost as flip of the switch, Kay said.

Hue city is the cultural and historic centre of Vietnam. The famous The Citadel was the centre of power of the old Imperial dynasties and scene of intense battle during the Tet Offensive.

One of the towers of the Citadel.

The Thien Mu Pagoda

Bullet marks from the Tet Offensive.

More photos of Hue at Hue album.

Vietnam #3 - Cham ruins at My Son

We spent half a day walking around the ruins of the old Cham empire, some dating back more than 1000 years old. They were located at My Son, an hour or so drive from Hoi An.




More photos at My Son's Cham ruins album.

Vietnam #2 Hoi An

Hoi An is an old town with a beach resort nearby. I suspect it became a popular resort as a result of the establishment of US base during the Vietnam War.

The Air Vietnam flight from HCM City was short and comfortable, only long enough for a bottle of water to be handed out to each passenger. We were met at the airport as planned and driven to Hoi An, less than 30 minutes away to the south along a long stretch of sandy beach with numerous hotels and resorts, not unlike the NSW or Queensland coast but perhaps quieter.

Our travel agent put us at the very comfortable Victoria Resorts, very tastefully furnished and had full facilities.

But we had to pull ourselves away from the comfortable surroundings of the resort and headed into town by taxi to take a look at the old town shops and sights.

Among other things, Hoi An established a reputation as the place for tailoring; it seemed every other shop was a dressmaker or tailor, like this one where Kay had some items made.


The hot and humid weather meant we had to make frequent stops for refreshments. There were many places to have good food in Hoi An, like this one called Secret Garden.



At night the town lit up with beautiful lightings and lanterns.


More Hoi An photos at Vietnam - Hoi An album

Vietnam #1 Ho Chi Minh City

Together with Dave and Sue Allen, Kay flew to Ho Chi Min City to begin a tour of Vietnam. They cruised on the Mighty Mekong . . .


. . . toured the markets . . .

. . . visited the Cu Chi tunnels . . .

. . . and of course sampled the delicious foods.


I arrived on the 4th day, and apart from the hotel room and the airport (and the noisy streets), this is one memorable sight out of the Rex Hotel window -


For more photos, see Vietnam HCM album.

Celebrities

Photo opportunity - political celebrities in Epping.

Maxine McKew who defeated John Howard in the seat of Bennelong in 2007.

PM Kevin Rudd talking to our friend Michael Stove and his son. at the opening of McKew's office in Epping.

To Crandon

To Crandon, after 15 years association !