You don’t need a history book to learn something about Vietnam’s past. You’ll do just fine with a city map that encourages you to read the street signs.
Category Archives: history
Coffee in the Central Highlands
98. Catfish and Mandala
Twenty-four years after its publication, a book by a visiting Viet Kieu — an overseas Vietnamese — suggests the culture hasn’t changed much in the subsequent generation.
96. Cambodia’s Killing Fields
Two historical sites in Phnom Penh recall the terrible reign of the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian Genocide of the late 1970s.
94. Cambodia’s Incomparable Temples of Angkor
Once the largest city in Southeast Asia, Angkor is now a World Heritage Site of more than 1,000 ruins, beginning with Angkor Wat, a religious structure like no other.
92. Travels with My Best Friend
Two old pals reunite for three weeks exploring some of Vietnam’s urban and rural environments — big city to beaches, highlands and history.
91. Underground at Cu Chi
A tour of the Cù Chi Tunnels gives insight into how the North Vietnamese Army won its war against the South and its American allies.
82. Discovering Vietnam’s Art
Through periods of freedom and suppression, Vietnamese art continues to make an impression as it reveals culture and history to a curious world.
81. A Spirited Stroll in Central Hanoi
Vietnam’s capital city serves up history and religion on a walk past West Lake to the Ba Dinh district.
80. One, Two, Three: Museums of Hanoi
Three institutions in the nation’s capital offer carefully sculpted perspectives on the history of Vietnam.
79. Lake of the Restored Sword
The heart and soul of Hanoi city is Hoàn Kiếm, the “Lake of the Restored Sword.” Stories of its divine nature go back many centuries.
78. Exploring Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Vietnam’s earliest urban neighborhood reveals some of its secrets to those willing to search … and ask questions.
76. Where Monks and Kings Rest in Peace
From a Zen tribute to tombs of ancient emperors, the countryside beyond Huế shares its memories well.
75. The Imperial Citadel of Huế
Surrounded by moats and thick walls, the 19th-century home of Vietnam’s final emperors is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
73. Mỹ Sơn Is Not My Son
Central Vietnam’s Mỹ Sơn sanctuary recalls a medieval era when the Hindu faith directed the course of the ancient Champa Empire.
72. Covid Is Not a Walk in Uncle Hô’s Park
“The fog comes on little cat feet,” American poet Carl Sandburg once famously wrote. Covid-19, it seems, has a similar agenda.
70. Hội An’s Chinese Flair
Colorful assembly halls and communal houses, the legacy of traders of yore, inject an element of exoticism in modern Hội An.
69. Romancing the Past in Hội An
The small city of Hội An has everything a tourist might want. It’s picturesque, historical, romantic, safe and affordable.
68. Culture and History on Vietnam’s Central Coast
A 1,200-year-old Hindu shrine complex, a legacy of the ancient Champa empire, is just one highlight of the heritage of Nha Trang.
64. The Soul of Colonial Saigon
Modern Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, is the sum of its historical parts. Many of the city’s most memorable buildings reflect the French colonial era.
Travels in Vietnam 