A Brief History of the DMZ In 1954, the French military was defeated by the Vietnamese at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, resulting in their withdrawal from the region. Following the French War, the Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam…
Vietnam – My Son Sanctuary – UNESCO Site
The first UNESCO site that I was able to visit in Vietnam in 2014 was the My Son Sanctuary. At approximately 5:00 a.m. I got picked up outside my hotel by a tour van that was already filled with people.…
Southeast Asia Travel Itinerary – Summer 2014
Southeast Asia Travel Itinerary – Summer 2014 Day 0 – July 3 & 4 – Flights from NYC,NY to Osaka, Japan; and the connecting flight to Taipei, Taiwan & Overnight Layover Day 1 – July 5 – Ho Chi Minh City…
Vietnam – Cao Dai Temple
The second destination of the Cu Chi Tunnels tour brought our group to the Cao Dai Temple in the Tay Ninh province. We spent over an hour walking around the property and also had the opportunity to observe the 12:00…
Vietnam – Disabled War Victims Crafts Cooperative
On the way to the Cu Chi Tunnels our tour group a number of stops before reaching our final destination. Our first stop brought us to a disabled war victims crafts cooperative. Workers produce polished wooden artwork of all kinds that…
Dalat, Vietnam – Part 4 – Church Tour
Dalat – Church Hunting Against the Clock As Thanh and I were riding around Dalat I noticed that there were number of interesting looking Roman Catholic churches. If I had the time I would have liked to stop and take some photographs,…
Dalat, Vietnam – Part 3: Food & Nighttime Markets
Yann, Samira and I spent two nights in Dalat before making our way to Nha Trang. During our evenings we wandered the night markets and surrounding blocks looking for interesting foods to try. We found some winners and some losers…
Dalat, Vietnam – Part 2: Full Day Private Tour
History of Dalat During the 1890s, French colonial explorers in the area asked for permission to create luxury resorts in the Central Highland area. The governor agreed, and after some time was spent looking for the ideal location, construction began…
Dalat, Vietnam – Part 1: Transportation, Lodging & Tour Booking
Getting to Dalat, Vietnam When I arranged my transportation to Dalat I was told by the travel agent to wait outside my hotel in Mui Ne and be ready to be picked up by the bus at approximately 12 p.m.…
Mui Ne, Vietnam – Sand Dunes & Sightseeing
Mui Ne is a coastal beach town approximately four hours from Ho Chi Minh City in the southeastern region of Vietnam. I found the town to be like most other beach towns I’ve traveled to around the world. There were…