For over 20 years Will has treated his Lonely Planet Guide as gospel.  Finally he’s come to his senses and realises it’s just a guide.  What appeals is so individual, be it museum, hotel or restaurant.  LPG raves about Hanoi’s Ethnology Museum, yet we found it hardly warranted the taxi fare.  Just how many ethnic frocks, ancient tools and bits of broken pottery can one accommodate?  However the numerous replica huts out the back meant one could tick ‘village visit’ off the list!

Hanoi tends to get a better press than Ho Chi Minh City.  Yet we found the latter more appealing with its grand, boulevard-style streetscape and impressive public buildings.  Visits to Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum were highlights.  They evoke a poignant sense of history, reminding us of the arrogance of French colonialism and American imperialism.  How dare the US, the “land of the free”, block the elections of 1956 which would have seen Ho Chi Minh (pictured) victorious and averted almost two decades of bloody warfare!  

Folk rave about Hoi An.  Initially we were disappointed.  Oh dear, not another Peggy Lee experience (“Is that all there is?”).  Row upon row of fabric shops set beside a turgid, smelly river.  Then we lifted our eyes and were captivated by the beautiful facades of the old town.  

The exceptional beauty of Halong Bay will endure, as will the charm of Dalat, which reminded us of a giant Katoomba.  The last emperor’s Summer Palace, an Art Deco treat, we dubbed “The People’s Palace” as we watched crowds of Vietnamese tourists, like true revolutionaries, delightedly romping on everything but the royal beds!

We were impressed with the unspoilt beauty of much of the countryside through which we passed and the abundance of fresh food.  Folk seemed to be constantly buying, selling and eating.  Urban vendors of every description abound.  What did they do before Western tourism?  

From a gay perspective Will found Vietnam disappointing, HCMC even more than Hanoi.  Gay bars and meeting spots seemed non-existent and the ‘gay’ sauna he visited enforced a ‘non-touch technique’; most frustrating as he reported many visual treats!  Certainly there was a bit of ‘furtive fumbling’ which reminded him of his adolescence.  In conversation locals told him they were fearful of spies!

Dear readers, Will was constantly asked, “Why you not married?”  His response, “I’m a gay man” usually stopped further social intercourse.  However, in a culture which prizes marriage and family so highly, he was surprised to learn that the father of modern Vietnam was, like him… a single man!

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