Nui Da Bia Mountain, Climbing Guide, Vietnam

Núi Đá Bia | Mountain Hike

A steep ascent to a giant freestanding boulder at its peak, the hike up Núi Đá Bia Mountain offers mesmerizing views…

Sky Path Hike, Ha Giang, Vietnam

Sky Path Hike | Ha Giang

A soaring walkway clinging to the cliffs hundreds of metres above the legendary Mã Pí Lèng Pass in Hà Giang…

Camping on Trong Veo Stream, Dalat, Lam Dong, Vietnam

Camping on Trong Veo Stream

Wild camp by a cool, clear, freshwater stream amidst pine-studded hills & a beautiful waterfall near Dalat in the Central Highlands

Rice Terraces of Northern Vietnam

Rice Terraces of Northern Vietnam

An annual spectacle of colour & beauty, the shimmering rice terraces of northern Vietnam are one of the country’s most iconic sights…

Hang Bua & Tham Om Caves, Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Hang Bua & Tham Om Caves

These intriguing limestone caverns are the site of the earliest known evidence of human activity in Vietnam…

Khe Kem Waterfall, Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Khe Kem Waterfall

Plunging through the thick jungles of Pù Mát National Park & cascading over a vertical rockface, Khe Kèm is an impressive natural sight…

Camping, Hiking & Cloud Hunting in Cau Dat Highlands, Vietnam

Camping, Hiking & Cloud-Hunting in Cau Dat

Wild camp above the clouds in a haunting & beautiful landscape near Cầu Đất village in the Central Highlands…

Núi Đá Bạc Mountain Trekking Guide, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Núi Đá Bạc Mountain Trek | Phu Quoc Island

Offering stupendous views, this is a fun & rewarding hike to the top of one of the jungle-clad escarpments lining Phu Quoc’s eastern flank…

Trekking to Đỉnh Tiên Sơn Peak | Phu Quoc Island

Trekking to Đỉnh Tiên Sơn Peak | Phu Quoc Island

Ascending steeply through thick rainforest, a pathway leads to a nest of giant boulders atop Đỉnh Tiên Sơn, from where there are stunning 180-degree views…

Ha Giang, Vietnam: A Picture Book

Ha Giang Province | Picture Book

One of the most visually arresting regions in the nation, Ha Giang is Vietnam’s northern-most province. This gallery features 50 images showcasing the beauty of Ha Giang in order to inspire wanderlust…

New Year's Camping in the Pine Forests, Dalat, Vietnam

New Year’s Camping in the Pine Forests

To mark the end of 2020 (the ‘Lost Year’), my friends & I went on a wild camping trip in the pine forests of the Central Highlands: an activity that’s possible in Vietnam, even as many countries continue to endure lock-downs & social-distancing

Climbing Fansipan mountain independently, without a guide, Vietnam

A Guide to Climbing Mount Fansipan Independently

Known as the ‘Roof of Indochina’, Mount Fansipan is the highest mountain in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. At 3,143m (10,312ft) it’s a ‘real’ mountain. But Fansipan can be climbed independently, without a guide or porters or any specialist climbing equipment, in one day…..

Phuong Boi hill & forest, the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh's retreat, Vietnam

Phương Bối Hill: The Buddhist Monk Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Retreat

In the misty forests on the slopes of the B’lao mountains, the young Buddhist monk, Thích Nhất Hạnh, came to build a retreat in the late 1950s. Now a world-famous spiritual leader, Thich Nhat Hanh was forced to abandon the retreat in the 1960s, but the site still exists….

Fanxipan Express, sleeper train, Hanoi to Lao Cai, Vietnam

The Fanxipan Express: Hanoi to Lao Cai by Train (Passengers & Motorbikes)

Rattling through the night from the capital city, along the Red River Valley, and into the northwest mountains surrounding Lao Cai on the Chinese border, the Fanxipan Express is a romantic rail journey that’s cheap, comfortable & easy to organize….

Tet Lunar New Year, 2018, Vietnam

On the Road & Under the Sky: Lunar New Year, 2018

Lunar New Year (Tết) is a time of gathering: of family & friends; of people & parties. But this year, I undertook to spend my Tết holiday in peace & solitude: I took my motorbike, my tent & my guitar & set off for 11 days on the road & under the sky…

Núi Dinh Mountain, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Vietnam

Núi Dinh Mountain & Springs

Some 90 minutes from Saigon, Núi Dinh Mountain is an unexpected swell of high ground rising above flat floodplains. The mountain offers a peaceful retreat into trees & streams on its rocky slopes, upon which perch dozens of temples & pagodas….

La Nga River & Thac Ba Waterfall

The La Nga River and Thac Ba Waterfall offer freshwater bathing, lush jungle, mountain scenery and opportunities for wild camping, all within a few hours’ drive of Saigon. It’s a great inland escape for city-dwellers with their own wheels….

Bac Ha Sunday Market, Vietnam

Bac Ha Sunday Market

In the rugged mountains of northwestern Vietnam, the town of Bắc Hà holds a big, bright and busy market every Sunday. Attracting colourfully dressed ethnic minorities from across the region, the market has become a major magnet for tourists…

Pac Bo: Ho Chi Minh's Cave

Ho Chi Minh’s Cave: Hang Pác Bó

In the winter of 1941, Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam for the first time in 30 years. For several weeks he lived in Pac Bo Cave. Right on Vietnam’s northeastern frontier with China, Pac Bo is an important historical site in an enchanting location…

Rice harvest, Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam

Theatre of Rice: Mù Cang Chải

Every year, from summer to autumn, the terraced rice fields of Mù Cang Chải, a rural district in northern Vietnam’s Yen Bai Province, put on a luminous show of picturesque harvest colours. I call this spectacular sight ‘The Theatre of Rice’….

Dalat's Waterfalls

Video: Dalat’s Waterfalls

A vicarious tour of the region’s best cascades…

Dalat's Waterfalls

Dalat’s Waterfalls: A Guide

Dalat is located in Lâm Đồng Province, a mountainous region that boasts lots of waterfalls. I visited them all, in order to compile this list & guide to the waterfalls of Dalat & the surrounding area. Many of the falls are truly spectacular, while some are ruined by tourist development…

Destinations Map

This is a map of all my Travel, Destination & Information Guides. Zoom in, click a marker, then click the link in the description to go directly to the guide.