The scene of the history-changing France-Vietnam battle that dramatically altered Vietnam’s path toward nationhood, Dien Bien Phu offers visitors a wide range of historic sights and peaceful, natural areas to explore, in addition to a very calm city. Here are some photos from an article I wrote on the city for Vietnam Discovery magazine about the Black Thai ethnic minority.

An American-built French tank that was captured and used against the French by Vietnamese forces still stands, slightly decayed, perched atop A1 hill.

Small huts hover above a lake famed for its mineral-rich waters, which are used in mud baths nearby.

One of the many war-related tourist sites, this is where famed military tactician General Giap slept and worked for the duration of the battle in 1954. Just beside the hut was a tunnel where he met with his staff and gave orders directly to the front line.

One of the many elegant vistas seen from the road between Dien Bien Phu and Hanoi. Be careful, it’s a 15-hour drive.

Afternoon view over Dien Bien Phu from the steps of a monument build for the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese Victory over the French.

The mountains surrounding the city are panoramas of endless green limestone mountains.

A woman from the Black Thai ethnic minority from the mountains surrounding Dien Bien Phu prepares a traditional pork dish from pig skin. I didn’t taste it, although I was assured of its delicious flavour.

The Black Thai have a varied cuisine of regional delights, including purple sticky rice, where rice soaks in water with a special type of leaf.

I think the major drawcard for living in Hong Kong would be the beaches that are either a short bus or ferry ride from the city centre. The day I arrived in the city, I was immediately whisked to the suburb of Stanley. Only 30 minutes bus ride from the centre, it’s famous for a market offering cheap wares, particularly clothes. It also has a bar-cafe-restaurant strip along the waterfront which is delightful in the evening sun. From fine (and inexpensive) French dining to Spanish Tapas and an English pub, foreign tastes are catered to most here and it has the relaxed vibe of wealthy beach-front Sydney, with a modern-Asian twist.

One of several beautiful bays on Lamma Island, which is perfect for a day trip from the city.

Another getaway close to Hong Kong which is even more relaxed is Lamma Island, located a short ferry ride north-west of Hong Kong Island. In contrast to many beaches in Asia, Lamma sports a surprisingly clean coastline, and has become a popular stop for locals and tourists alike escaping the city for a day or two. Primarily a fishing island, small bays and inlets carved into the island house small multi-coloured vessels bobbing in the water. There is a 2-hour walk around the island which is fairly easy and has a few rest spots where you can take a swim or sit back and have a drink. The fresh seafood restaurants here are unavoidable, and the produce is extremely fresh.

Wonderful stencil art on Lamma Island, it felt a tad out of place situated along an island nature-walk, but for anyone who’s seen an episode of Dr House, this is hilarious. Why does he always check for Lupus?

An hour’s ferry trip from central Hong Kong will see you safely arrive in Macau, where you’ll hopefully not be welcomed by another hour’s wait in an immigration queue as I was. This is a casino town and you get the feeling everyone likes to throw dice or pull the lever. The casino’s themselves are garish edifices of the trade, each trying to out do the other. In fact, a number of casino’s are constructed to mimic their sister buildings in Las Vegas, and the same atmosphere abounds.

Outside of these casinos, some of which are cities unto themselves, is a relaxed island-city with a strong and enduring Portuguese feel. All architecture has a definite Iberian stamp, and wondering the central streets feels like a European summer holiday instead of an Asian escape. As one might expect, there is still a strong Portuguese community on the island, and many small restaurants and shops are run by Portuguese-Macau families, which give the place its unique hybrid feel. If you’re not a gambler, I’m not sure what would sustain you past one or two days here, so it’s ideal for a day trip from Hong Kong.

*important note for Macau: there is a hidden restaurant named Fernando’s which is AMAZING. A friend who has lived in Macau for years took me and it feels like you’ve stepped into the dining room of a large family in Lisbon. The food is hearty and delicious; the prawns in clam sauce are diabolical.

Central Macau looks and feels like western Europe, and there are some fantastic Portuguese eateries.

I’ve become thoroughly enraptured with Hong Kong after a week-long escape from Hanoi on the beautiful island. I’ve been twice previously but had never taken advantage of the surrounding areas, where lush, raw natural beauty, meets the trappings of a modern city. Compared to the constant drone of motorbikes in Hanoi, and the ever-niggling feeling you’ll be run over by one, or fall off your own, the much larger metropolis of Hong Kong feels serene with its ordered streets and obedient commuters. I’m hesitant to say one is better than the other, for Hanoi’s charms run deep, and at times HK blends into a modern Asian cityscape akin to Shanghai or Bangkok, but for my week-long refuge, it was blissful. If you can get to a rooftop bar for an evening tipple, the view is worth the drink prices.

The Apple store occupies prime real estate in one of the city’s larger department stores facing a major walkway, where I took this photo. It was throbbing like a train station in peak hour every time I walked past.

Colleagues on the business desk have just alerted me to a photo in a local finance magazine I’ve somehow sneaked into. It’s all quite bizarre as I had no idea the photo had been published. The caption lists me as an astute investor monitoring stocks at a local securities exchange. This is partly true, but I was there on behalf of Maventus Media shooting b-roll video footage for finance-related TV news stories, not checking my stocks and shares.

While I was living in Norway, one of my favourite TV channels was National Geographic, largely because there were only a handful of English-language free-to-air stations. One programme seemingly on an endless loop was a construction show that featured The Venetian hotel-casino in Macau. Modeled on a sister casino in Las Vegas, this $2.4 billion construction project looked wild.

A quick visit to the wikipedia page reveals that it is the largest single-structure hotel building in Asia, has the second-largest Venice in the world (the first being the original, the second in Las Vegas) and the largest number of Filipino gondaleers in the world. Impressive stats.

Inside is completely unreal, with a false sky ceiling imitating daylight throughout the night, expansive shopping centres and intimidating gambling halls. Casino’s aren’t really my thing, but the sheer scale of this complex is mind-boggling. Well worth a visit, if not just for the midnight tango dancing.

This café is around the corner from my house, on Cua Dong Steet, just off Phuong Hung, and over the last six months it’s become my regular coffee shop. Lining the walls are paintings by the artist-owner, and the very kind woman running the place never ceases to make conversation despite me knowing all of five words in Vietnamese. The real clincher is bringing in fresh croissants from the French-style bakery on the corner of Phung Hung and Tran Phu. Perfect with a ca phe sua da.

I’m never one to need an excuse to visit one of Hanoi’s bia hoi, but recently I sauntered down to my local to take a few pics for a Vietnam Discovery feature, Bia Hoi: the heart of a thriving beer culture.

Bia hoi refers both to the venue and the golden ale itself, which was actually introduced to Vietnam by the Czechs, who championed this fresh, light pilsner-style beer, which is now widely available across the country.

I’m not sure why these guys have an etche-sketch, it may well be a vital tool of business in these parts, but who cares, on offer is possibly the cheapest beer you’re likely to find on earth at a whopping 8,000 Vietnamese dong, or about 40 US cents, per glass.

This is the classic low-angle streetscape from those iconic blue plastic ankle-stools you’ll find at most bia hoi and in the afternoon light after a recent shower Hanoi really does glow.

A colleague told me recently that in Vietnam, life is lived on the street, at makeshift streetfood restaurants, corner tea stalls and bia hoi. From sealing business deals to generally socialising, these places are always animated.

Delivered in kegs and cooled in large vats, the beer is totally preservative-free and has a shelf life of only 24 hours, which means these bia hoi must sell all they’ve purchased for the day.

This is a radio feature I made a little while ago about the Afghan Bazaar tours held in Melbourne’s eastern suburb of Dandenong which has a large Afghan community. It’s a really amazing place, and these monthly tours whisk visitors to popular Afghan haunts. Amazing food, amazing people. Everyone has a unique story about how they came to be in Australia, and all are heart-rendering. Click the link for the mp3.
Afghan Bazaar

In a recent article for Vietnam Discovery magazine, Chasing waterfalls in Cao Bang, I visited the magnificent Ban Gioc waterfalls straddling the Vietnam-China border.
Cao Bang Province is comprised of an endless array of stunning vistas, with green-covered limestone mountains unfolding to the horizon in every direction. These waterfalls sit 90km from the provincial capital, and stand just over thirty metres in height, and the cascading water creates a watery plume that is particularly refreshing in summer.(One of our cameramen Kiem in front of the falls)
Like many of these lesser known tourist sites throughout Vietnam, there’s a refreshingly raw element to how this environmental wonder is preserved and visited. The Ban Gioc falls are just far enough from Hanoi to not attract many day-visitors, and Cao Bang remains a misunderstood place to visit. So many tourists destined for the hotspots of Ha Long Bay or Sapa would jump at seeing such a dramatic and natural scene that remains somewhat hidden. I loved it.