Storming Towards Cham Island

Late afternoon at An Bang Beach a storm marched forth towards Cham Island off Hoi An.

Khe Sanh Combat Base

On a day when the sun is shining and the wildflowers are bending before the breeze it's impossible to imagine what took place on this spot.

Truong Son Valley

This valley is stunning. The river is clear, there are lots of crops looking healthy surrounded by ragged sawtooth mountains.

The Ho Chi Minh Road West

You can see a glimpse of the road slithering through the forest . The road has wound it's way from the mountains in the background. to this point.

On The Way To Paradise, Phong Nha

Late afternoon light hits the limestone peaks as I headed towards Phong Nha.

Like A Wading Bird, Phong Nha

Bent over double in ankle deep water, on a day when the temp was still in the high 30's even in the later afternoon must be incredibly hard work, but at least the sun was sinking behind the mountains giving some respite.

Ridges & Ripples, Paradise Cave

Caves abound around Phong Nha and all the way through to Laos. Paradise Cave is not a large cave in comparison to Son Doong but spectacular in it's own right.

A Pipe Smoking Bru Woman

The occasional small villages strewn near the roadside all seemed to be void of people. It was only in the later afternoon that people came back having been tending fields somewhere tucked away in the mountains. Originally from Laos, the Bru have settled in the region of Quang Tri Province.

Rural Fun, Song Rao Quan

If you look carefully you'll see some young guys swimming below the bridge. They had just finished washing their motorbikes in the river and then jumped from the bridge to cool off. South of Khe Sanh

Beef & Tomato Soup, Da Krong

The river looked like tomato soup, unnaturally orangey red but good enough for this buffalo to cool off in.

Copper Light, Hue

Truong Tien Bridge, Hue Construction begun in 1899 and the bridge has been rebuilt quite a few times since, having been destroyed by typhoons, the Viet Minh during the French colonisation and later by American bombs. Some great historical photos can be found at: https://blog.beebeetravel.com/truong-tien-bridge-the-witness-of-wars-in-hue-vietnam/

Storm & The Citadel, Hue

The clouds were building and a storm was rolling by in the distance. Thunderheads were forming and sheet lightning flashed as the giant Vietnamese flag fluttered before the breeze.

The Portal, Hue, Central Vietnam

Like a portal in to another world, the Quang Duc Gate of the Citadel takes you back in time. The gate has been restored to a degree and the lighting is wonderful but when I first walked through this gate in 2001 it was pock marked by hundreds of bullets and chunks were missing from shrapnel hits and other munitions which captured the ferocity of the fighting that took place in 1968 and beyond.

The Meridian Gate, Hue Imperial Palace

The Meridian Gate, the entrance to the Imperial City, Hue.

Three Towering Gates

The Meridian Gate (Ngo Mon) is the main entrance in to Hue's Imperial City. The Emperor was the only person allowed to enter via the central gate, the left and right were for civil and military mandarins.

The Meridien Gate, Hue Imperial Palace

The main entrance in to the Imperial City, The Meridian Gate, Hue.

Stars & The Citadel, Hue Imperial Palace

Stars like dots can be seen (just) around the enormous Vietnamese flag set atop the three tiered structure that was constructed in the rule of of Emperor Gia Long in 1807. The points of the star on the flag represent the five main classes of Vietnamese society; workers, peasants, soldiers, businessmen and intellectuals.