Thanks for visiting Rusty Compass – an independent guide to Vietnam and Cambodia for people who like to travel with open eyes and minds.
Mark Bowyer - founder
Thanks for visiting Rusty Compass – an independent guide to Vietnam and Cambodia for people who like to travel with open eyes and minds.
Mark Bowyer - founder
see and do
This Hanoi walk takes us from the Catholic centre of the Old Quarter through the French colonial...
Blog
Cities and countries around the world are getting serious about reducing the amount of plastic...
Blog
We revisit Coco Beach Resort in Mui Ne - Vietnam’s first international beach resort - and ask...
Blog
We love a good ruin. This crumbling complex of church buildings, an abandoned Franciscan Mission...
Blog
A traveller’s guide to making decisions between Vietnam’s two main cities - Hanoi and Saigon aka....
Traffic signs don’t normally warrant much attention from travellers. But if you’re in Saigon, this... enlarge
Nha Trang Blog
Jungle Beach Resort north of Nha Trang on Vietnam’s central coast will soon close its flimsy bamboo doors for the last time. We hope this doesn’t mean that one of the last... more
Hanoi Blog
Two banh mi stalls in Hanoi’s Old Quarter tell an interesting story of travel in the age of Tripadvisor. Banh Mi 25 in Hanoi’s Old... more
Mui Ne Blog
We travelled by train from Phan Thiet on Vietnam’s southern coast back to Saigon. Was a great ride - highly recommended. Rail travel in... more
Ho Chi Minh City Blog
These three new Saigon hotels deserve a look. They all opened over the past year and they’re all doing things a little... more
Quy Nhon Gallery
The leprosy centre at Quy Hoa, outside Quy Nhon in central Vietnam, treats a leprosy problem that is winding down, as new cases of the... more
Mui Ne Blog
We revisit Coco Beach Resort in Mui Ne - Vietnam’s first international beach resort - and ask what’s happened to resort development since... more
Ho Chi Minh City Blog
Last week we began a little initiative to reduce the amount of plastic waste in Vietnam’s hospitality industry - and to help raise public... more
Nha Trang nightlife
Sailing Club is a good place for a late afternoon or early evening drink by the beach. If you get very charged up, you can come back later for a... more
Nha Trang nightlife
This place was packed during our most recent visit to Nha Trang. It's one of the city's busiest nightclubs. They even had the director of the latest... more
Nha Trang nightlife
A smallish venue of live music, cocktails and a mix of indoor and outdoor festivity. The Ha Van has survived Nha Trang’s evolving tourism scene and... more
Nha Trang hotels
The Nha Trang area is home to three main beach destinations - Nha Trang City, Ninh Van Bay to the north and Cam Ranh to the south. This is our guide... more
Nha Trang hotels
The old US war-time base of Cam Ranh Bay is fast becoming one of Vietnam hottest beach destinations - for good reason. The setting is glorious. ... more
Nha Trang hotels
Ninh Van Bay is an enclave of high-end resorts in a stunning natural setting, 30 minutes north of Nha Trang. It's the perfect antidote to the high... more
Rusty Compass listings are always independent. We list the places we think are worth knowing about. Our Featured Listings allow a small selection of businesses already recommended by us, to pay a fee for a place at the top of our list. That’s it. Featured Listings have no impact on reviews, or on the curation and independence of our lists.
