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

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Australia · Cambodia · Laos · Vietnam

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The Australian who befriended Ho Chi Minh

Photo feature

The Australian who befriended Ho Chi Minh

Journalist Wilfred Burchett is the only Australian to rate a mention in the small museum around Ho... enlarge

FEATURES

Nostalgia and Vietnam's travel superpower - VIDEO

Hue Blog

Nostalgia and Vietnam's travel superpower - VIDEO

There’s been a big dose of nostalgia running through my recent videos on Rusty Compass. I’ve loved thinking about Vietnam back in the 90s and its transition to the present. Few... more

New things in Sydney - travel notes

Sydney Blog

New things in Sydney - travel notes

New openings, improved cycling and walking and ways to get around - there have been many positive developments in Sydney in recent years.... more

Lessons from decades exploring Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City Blog

Lessons from decades exploring Vietnam

In our latest video (below), I have a think about 30 years of change in Vietnam and some of the travel lessons and wider lessons from my... more

A traveller's guide to Vietnam's Buddhist Crisis of 1963

Ho Chi Minh City Blog

A traveller's guide to Vietnam's Buddhist Crisis of 1963

It's more than 60 years since South Vietnam was engulfed in what became known as the Buddhist crisis. It proved a critical point in the... more

Visiting Saigon's historic rooftop - symbol of the end of the Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh City Blog

Visiting Saigon's historic rooftop - symbol of the end of the Vietnam War

It may be the most iconic image of the end of the Vietnam War. It was taken on 29 April 1975 by photojournalist Hugh van Es, as US... more

In Vietnam, tourists are still learning the lessons of the American War

Ho Chi Minh City Blog

In Vietnam, tourists are still learning the lessons of the American War

For three decades, Saigon’s War Remnants Museum has been the essential museum in the city - the one few visitors miss. It tells the... more

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... more

RECENT REVIEWS

Breakfast in Saigon - our picks

Ho Chi Minh City eating

Breakfast in Saigon - our picks

Where are the best places to grab breakfast in Saigon? This is our handpicked collection of the best Saigon breakfasts from smashed avocado for the... more

The Old Compass Cafe, Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City eating

The Old Compass Cafe, Saigon

The Old Compass Cafe and Bar is a little sanctuary of breakfast, coffee, Vietnamese flavours, wine and design in the city's chaotic centre. This may... more

Coffee - the best of Saigon's cafes

Ho Chi Minh City eating

Coffee - the best of Saigon's cafes

Saigon's cafe scene is blossoming. Not only is the coffee world-class, the city is home to some very cool cafe spaces - many of them hidden away in... more

Powerhouse Museum, MAAS, Sydney

Sydney see and do

Powerhouse Museum, MAAS, Sydney

The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is closed for major renewal as at 2025. more

Museums of Sydney

Sydney see and do

Museums of Sydney

Sydney's museums and galleries are often overlooked by travellers. The city's obsession with the harbour, the beaches and outdoor life means museums... more

Parramatta history tour

Sydney see and do

Parramatta history tour

Parramatta is Sydney's reluctant history and heritage gem. It's where you'll find many of Australia's oldest and most important historical buildings... more