Rusty Compass - an independent travel guide to Australia, Cambodia and Vietnam

Travel guide to
Australia · Cambodia · Laos · Vietnam

handpicked · independent

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

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 a feature of Vietnamese lives for so... 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

Sydney has a new King - a visit to historic Government House

Sydney Blog

Sydney has a new King - a visit to historic Government House

One of the peculiar things you’ll discover as a visitor to Australia in 2023 is that our head of state isn’t Australian and doesn’t live... more

Travel has changed forever II - the big players

Sydney Blog

Travel has changed forever II - the big players

The small businesses of the international travel industry are its heroes. Across the world, most of the businesses that survive in tourism... more

Travel has changed forever I - risk and reward

Sydney Blog

Travel has changed forever I - risk and reward

When borders began to reopen in Australia and South East Asia at the end of February 2022, I found myself very quickly back out on the... more

RECENT REVIEWS

Vietnam

Vietnam Introduction

Vietnam

Welcome to our independent travel guide to Vietnam - produced the old-fashioned way. We travel, we explore, we discover, we read, we learn - and... more

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City Introduction

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City - still known to locals as Saigon - is Vietnam’s largest city and its economic powerhouse. The population has shot passed 10... more

The Myst Dong Khoi, Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City hotels

The Myst Dong Khoi, Saigon

Genuine boutique feel with locally inspired design touches. Generous rooms. Great central location. If you don't mind staying away from the big... more

Where to stay in Saigon? The best areas for travellers

Ho Chi Minh City hotels

Where to stay in Saigon? The best areas for travellers

A guide to the best areas to stay in Saigon in 2023, including District 1, the backpacker district, Chinatown and the booming expat area of District... more

Tasmania

Tasmania Introduction

Tasmania

Tasmania. It took me more than 50 years to visit. Make sure you don't leave it that long. more

Hoi An

Hoi An Introduction

Hoi An

Most travellers will rate Hoi An close to the top of their list of places to visit in Vietnam. It’s a great combination of history, architecture,... more