Rusty Compass travel blog

23 Apr 2024

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 victor’s version...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Museums, War Remnants Museum

17 Dec 2023

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.

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Nguyen Qui Duc, Tadioto

12 Nov 2023

Hanoi postcard 2023 - thinking of Nguyen Qui Duc

Our old friend, author and artist, Nguyen Qui Duc is gravely ill in Hanoi.

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi

13 Sep 2023

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 long-awaited...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, 30 years

26 Aug 2023

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 - as is the...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, public transport, buses, bondi, 333 bus

22 May 2023

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 in...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, Government House, history, colonialism

20 Dec 2022

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 are small...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, Travel has changed, tech in travel, OTAs, Google, Expedia, Booking Holdings, Airbnb

30 Nov 2022

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 road. First...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, travel, tourism, change,

17 Jun 2022

Hoi An Postcard 2022 - Vietnam is open

How is Hoi An, Vietnam's most loved World Heritage travel destination, faring after the reopening of borders in March 2022? Check out the blog and...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hoi An, Hoi An 2022, tourism, travel, things to do, eating

01 Jun 2022

Postcard from Hanoi - Vietnam is open

Finally I was walking the streets of Hanoi again. There were times during the two years of border closures when I wondered whether I'd ever see this...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Hanoi vlog, travel

24 Mar 2022

Temples of Angkor Cambodia - first international travels since the pandemic

My first International travels after the pandemic took me to Cambodia and the temples of Angkor. After two years grounded in Australia, I was...

TAGS: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Temples, Angkor, Siem Reap,

04 Feb 2022

Travel lessons from two pandemic years in Sydney

Two pandemic years have wiped out international travel for much of the world. Those of us who have lived a life of travel for decades have been...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, travel lessons, slow travel, cultural travel

20 Oct 2021

Sydney opens up - a post lockdown travel guide to COVID in Sydney

Sydney has emerged from its four month lockdown and is hoping to reopen to international travellers soon. Australia’s borders are still closed but...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, COVID, lockdown, travel

03 Sep 2021

In lockdown Sydney, heritage destruction gets an exemption - the end of Willow Grove

As the wrecking ball moved in on Willow Grove in Parramatta last week, I was struck by the the similarities between heritage battles in Parramatta...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, Willow Grove, Parramatta Powerhouse, heritage, tourism

08 Aug 2021

Vietnam's COVID crisis deepens

Some thoughts from Sydney in lockdown on travel, missing Vietnam, and the worsening COVID crisis in South East Asia.

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, COVID, lockdown, travel

20 Jun 2021

Unsettled - an unsettling exhibition at Sydney's Australian Museum

A new exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney, curated by First Nations people, represents a shift in the long process of balancing the...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, Unsettled exhibition, Australian Museum,

29 May 2021

Cemeteries and tombs - a travel guide

Cemeteries and tombs have been a big part of my travelling life. From my first international travels in the 80s till now, I've made a point of...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney, Camperdown, Newtown, Cemeteries,

12 Apr 2021

Choosing Fremantle Western Australia as a place to live and visit

A few years ago I was in search of a place to base myself in Australia. I was looking for a lifestyle better suited to my situation, than my...

TAGS: Australia, Fremantle

20 Jan 2021

2020 - The COVID year in travel

How do you make sense of a year like 2020? There were lockdowns, travel was wiped out globally, there was political chaos. I had a few unexpected...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney

13 Jan 2021

Parramatta's neglected heritage - the Female Factory

Parramatta was at the centre of the development of the British penal colony in New South Wales from its beginnings in 1788. It was also at the heart...

TAGS: Australia, Sydney

09 Sep 2020

An unexpected Rusty Compass journey - an aortic dissection

2020 has been a crazy year for everyone. For most of us (except Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other tech titans), it's been a year of challenges -...

18 Mar 2020

Vietnam and the coronavirus - an unreliable travel guide

This is a rolling blog of updates on the coronavirus COVID-19 in Vietnam and how it is impacting travel in the country. As of this update (18...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, coronavirus, update, blog

21 Jan 2020

My most memorable stay of 2019 - Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge, Vietnam

As 2019 ended, I thought about the dozens of places I stayed during my many months on the road. It struck me that my most memorable stay was at a...

TAGS: Vietnam, Yen Bai, Mu Canh Chai Ecolodge, ecotourism

09 Jul 2019

Is the tide turning against heritage destruction in Vietnam?

The past decade has been devastating for Vietnam’s built heritage. Three recent decisions suggest that the tide may be finally turning in favour of...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, heritage, Saigon,

07 May 2019

The other remarkable thing about Pu Luong Vietnam? No piles of plastic

Pu Luong, around four hours south of Hanoi, looks set to become the “next’ destination in Vietnam’s breathtaking mountainous north. And one of the...

TAGS: Vietnam, Pu Luong, plastic, environment

01 May 2019

One of Vietnam's most historic churches faces demolition

Vietnam’s three decades of rapid economic growth have not been so good for the country’s built heritage. The distinctive Bui Chu Cathedral in Nam...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Bui Chu, Nam Dinh, history, church

15 Apr 2019

Vietnam in the 1990s - Qantas returns to Saigon

In December 1990, I was aboard the first post-war Qantas flight to operate between Australia and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). It was a time...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Qantas, 1990, flights

19 Feb 2019

Vietnam's first international tourism campaign - from 1991?

I’m gonna hazard a guess that this was the first post-war Vietnam tourism promotion in a Western country. It was 1991 and Vietnam was just opening...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hue, tourism, marketing,

21 Nov 2018

The drone - a symbol of heavy-handed self-centred tourism

The drone has arrived. These high-impact flying machines are coming to a beautiful place near you. The drone has transitioned from professional...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hoi An, drones, tourism, overtourism

22 Oct 2018

A new heritage landmark in Hanoi?

A grand heritage building is being renovated in Hanoi’s picturesque Ba Dinh District. This is the nicest part of the capital - though few visitors...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, heritage, architecture,

08 Oct 2018

Tips for taking photos in Vietnam - people and ideas of beauty

Taking photos of the local people you encounter as a traveller is complicated anywhere. In Vietnam, the locals have been remarkably amenable to...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, photography, culture,

14 Sep 2018

A peek inside one of Hanoi's grand colonial villas

A French colonial villa on Hanoi’s Chan Cam St has become one of the most photographed colonial ruins in the city. These days it’s occupied by...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, architecture, colonial era, ceramics,

17 Aug 2018

Angkor has been protected from the worst tourism excesses - someone should be thanked

I spend more time than I would like lamenting the degradation of the places I visit while covering Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for Rusty Compass....

TAGS: Cambodia, Siem Reap, tourism, UNESCO,

06 Aug 2018

Saigon's pavements - yes, they're still getting worse

Saigon’s failed campaign to improve its sidewalks has left them more dangerous than ever. It’s a disaster for locals and visitors and the reputation...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, pavements, walking, travel, cities

27 Feb 2018

Tet in Saigon - a time to think about arrivals and departures

Saigon has been a city of immigrants from its founding in the 17th century. At Tet, as much of the city headed home to villages and towns across the...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, pollution, liveability,

07 Feb 2018

Introducing a special new tour by Rusty Compass - Vietnam by the Book

It's more than 25 years since I ran my first tour through Vietnam. After a long break from leading tours, I now head back out on the road each year...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Old Compass Travel, Old Compass Travel Book Club

27 Jan 2018

Travel tech update - From the Apple iPhone to the Oppo F5

I’ve switched from one of the most expensive phones on the market - the Apple iPhone - to one of the cheapest -an OPPO F5. And so far, I’m very...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, oppo F5, telephone

03 Jan 2018

Meeting the man who played Nguyen Van Troi - Robert McNamara’s would be assassin

On a recent visit to Hanoi, I randomly met the delightful Mr Binh on the street. Now 82 year old, he found fame on the stage in the 60s and 70s...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Mr Binh, Nguyen Van Troi, Robert McNamara,

15 Dec 2017

2017 - our year of travel in video

Another year exploring Vietnam passes. Here are some video favourites from my travels. Plenty of magical moments have been had. But worries about...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, video, Youtube

04 Dec 2017

Postcard from Hue - in search of Tet 1968

We travel to Hue in central Vietnam, 50 years after the Tet Offensive, searching for traces of the Battle of Hue - one of the longest and bloodiest...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hue, Tet Offensive, Battle of Hue, history, Vietnam War

19 Nov 2017

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 choppers...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Pittman Apartments, Larry Berman,

08 Nov 2017

Remembering Kim Sinh in Hanoi

One of the first Rusty Compass YouTube videos I shot way back in 2008, featured Vietnamese virtuoso guitar player Kim Sinh, collaborating with...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, Music, kim sinh, guitar,

02 Oct 2017

Vale Vann Molyvann - giant of Cambodian architecture and symbol of an age of optimism

One of the most rewarding things of decades getting to know Cambodia, has been learning of the work of modernist architect Vann Molyvann. Considered...

TAGS: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, architecture, Vann Molyvann,

12 Sep 2017

Farewell Jungle Beach - one of Vietnam's original "back to nature" resorts closes

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...

TAGS: Vietnam, Nha Trang, Ninh Hoa, resort, development

05 Sep 2017

Two Hanoi Banh Mi stalls - a tale of travel in the age of Tripadvisor

Two banh mi stalls in Hanoi’s Old Quarter tell an interesting story of travel in the age of Tripadvisor.

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, banh mi, sandwich, Old Quarter, Banh Mi 25, Banh Mi Hang Ca

18 Jul 2017

The train from Phan Thiet to Saigon

We travelled by train from Phan Thiet on Vietnam’s southern coast back to Saigon. Was a great ride - highly recommended.

TAGS: Vietnam, Mui Ne, trains, local life, Phan Thiet

28 Jun 2017

Saigon travel update 2017 - 3 cool new hotels

These three new Saigon hotels deserve a look. They all opened over the past year and they’re all doing things a little differently.

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, boutique, design, hotels

20 Jun 2017

A most unlikely place - Vietnam's cutest village?

It’s an unlikely place to be described as Vietnam’s cutest village, but Quy Hoa, outside of Quy Nhon, is a charmer. It’s home to an amazing...

TAGS: Vietnam, Quy Nhon, quy hoa, leper colony, history, architecture

12 Jun 2017

Vietnam’s first international resort was simple and low impact. What happened after that?

We revisit Coco Beach Resort in Mui Ne - Vietnam’s first international beach resort - and ask what’s happened to resort development since it opened...

TAGS: Vietnam, Mui Ne, resorts, tourism development, Phuket, environment

01 Jun 2017

Talking plastic with Vincent Mourou from Marou chocolate

Last week we began a little initiative to reduce the amount of plastic waste in Vietnam’s hospitality industry - and to help raise public awareness...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Marou Chocolate, Maison Marou, Plastic waste, Vincent Mourou

29 May 2017

The battle for Saigon’s pavements is over - the motorbikes won

If Saigon's recent pavement clearing campaign was designed to make the city safe for walking, it's failed. Meanwhile, Hanoi's embracing walking with...

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, walking, city planning, traffic

22 May 2017

Environment: Doing something about Vietnam's plastic problem

Cities and countries around the world are getting serious about reducing the amount of plastic waste they produce. In Vietnam, the tourism industry...

TAGS: Vietnam, Phu Quoc Island, plastic, pollution, environment

17 May 2017

Meet this adorable Hanoi couple

Check out this beautiful old Hanoi couple. They’ll warm your heart.

TAGS: Vietnam, Hanoi, people, Hanoi, adorable couple

22 Apr 2017

Beautiful ruins: The abandoned Franciscan Mission in Dalat Vietnam

We love a good ruin. This crumbling complex of church buildings, an abandoned Franciscan Mission outside of Dalat, maybe the most stunning we’ve...

TAGS: Vietnam, Dalat, ruins, Franciscan Mission, architecture

11 Apr 2017

The rise, fall, and rise and fall, of the Dalat Palace Hotel

In Vietnam, historic hotels mostly don’t get much love. The Metropole in Hanoi and the La Residence in Hue are exceptions. In the past, you’d have...

TAGS: Vietnam, Dalat, Dalat Palace Hotel, heritage, renovation

04 Apr 2017

An unexploded shell on An Bang Beach, Hoi An

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) still kills in Vietnam. Victims tend to be poor farmers and their family members. I’ve never heard of a tourist being...

TAGS: Vietnam, Hoi An, An Bang Beach, shell, ordnance, UXO,

23 Mar 2017

Saigon's pavements still a disaster for tourists and walkers

Saigon’s campaign to clear sidewalks sounded like a great idea for tourism. Now we’re not so sure.

TAGS: Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, tourism, pavements, motorbikes, walking

20 Mar 2017

Kong saved Skull Island - can Vogt-Roberts save Vietnam’s besieged natural treasures?

Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of the recently released, “Kong: Skull Island” has been made a tourism ambassador for Vietnam. We hope he uses his new...

TAGS: Vietnam, Halong Bay, Quang Binh, Kong Skull Island,