Journalist Wilfred Burchett is the only Australian to rate a mention in the small museum around Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts in Hanoi. In the photo, he meets with Ho Chi Minh for an interview in 1966. Burchett wrote that Uncle Ho was "the greatest man I’ve ever met, with all the modesty and simplicity that goes with human greatness". He was the first journalist to document the horrors of Hiroshima and he went on to report on conflict in Cold War Asia and elsewhere, with sympathies favouring local revolutionary movements. Some of his judgements don't look great in 2024 (Pol Pot etc) - but his was an extraordinary life. He was refused an Australian passport for many years, during which time he lived in Hanoi and elsewhere. I wonder how to find the story this interview produced? If you find historical rabbit-holes fascinating and like reading books, you'll probably enjoy travelling on our Vietnam by the Book tour. It's a travelling book club - Check it out over at Old Compass Travel - www.oldcompasstravel.com
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.
