Beng Mealea is one of Siem Reap's lesser visited temples and was long so for good reason: land mines set up by the Khmer Rouge. Only a few people had visited the temple before its mines were cleared in the last decade and those who did faced a painful death if they took the wrong steps. And … [Read more...] about Beng Mealea: The Temple That Almost Wasn’t
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Mui Ne’s Red Sand Dunes
I'd seen pictures of the otherworldly landscape of the sand dunes in Mui Ne prior to arriving in Vietnam. It seemed odd that a town without much to offer in terms of attractions would be home to two massive sand dunes. The White Sand Dunes are located about an hour out of town, while the Red Sand … [Read more...] about Mui Ne’s Red Sand Dunes
Lured Into the Charms of Hoi An
If Hue was a stopover, Hoi An was the place I could have spent a week. I'd heard so many great things from my fellow travelers about the historic town in middle Vietnam, but I still wasn't sure if it would seem too Disney-esque for my liking. But my concerns were unfounded. Hoi An is as iconically … [Read more...] about Lured Into the Charms of Hoi An
Photo Friday: Hue, Vietnam
Where am I? Wandering over the moat and into the city walls of the Imperial Citadel in Hue made me feel like I was walking through turn of the century China, rather than modern day Vietnam. After an overnight train from Hanoi and a day spent recovering from the heat and exhaustion, Sammi … [Read more...] about Photo Friday: Hue, Vietnam
The American War Legacy in Vietnam
War is brutal. That much I knew. But seeing images of the destruction of both Vietnamese and Americans during the war at Saigon's War Remnants Museum, I wanted to know why we went. Was it to support our allies the French in the South? Or to fight the dreaded spread of communism? I didn't live … [Read more...] about The American War Legacy in Vietnam