Archive-name: travel/vietnam-guide/part5
Posting-Frequency: monthly

                                 VIETNAM

                         The Internet Travel Guide

                              Peter M. Geiser


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Contents
 
 Introduction
 Copyright (c) 1995, 1996

 1. General Overview
 1.1 Geographical Information
 1.2 Climate
 1.3 People
 1.4 Events
 1.5 Visa
 1.6 Embassies
 1.7 Border Crossing
 1.8 Money
 1.9 Economy
 1.10 Mail
 1.11 Telephone
 1.12 Acommodation, Hotels
 1.13 Food
 1.14 Health

 2. Transportation
 2.1 Flying
 2.2 Train
 2.3 Roads
 2.4 Bus
 2.5 Minibus
 2.6 Car
 2.7 Motorcycle
 2.8 Bicycles
 2.9 Cyclos
 2.10 Tours
 2.11 Guides
 2.12 Boats

 3. Places
     Hanoi
     Sapa
     Halong Bay
     Cat Ba Island
     Hoa Lu
     Ninh Binh
     Do Son
     Dong Ha
     Hue
     Danang
     Myson
     Hoi An
     Quang Ngai
     Nha Trang
     Phan Rang
     Dalat
     Central Highland
     An Khe
     Pleiku
     Kontum
     Ho Chi Minh City
     Saigon
     Cholon
     Around Ho Chi Minh City
     Tay Ninh
     Vung Tau
     Mekong Delta
     Mytho
     Vinh Long
     Cantho
     Long Xuyen
     Chau Doc
     Rach Gia
     Phu Quoc

 4. Literature and Additional Information
 4.1 Guidebooks
 4.2 Travellers Tales
 4.3 Language
 4.4 HistoricPolitical Books
 4.5 Novels
 4.6 Movies
 4.7 Internet

 A. Contributors

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The Internet Travel Guide
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm
Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 Peter M. Geiser
Peter.Geiser@student.unisg.ch

Last change 15. October 1996.
Updates: FAQ: monthly, HTML: more often

Currently available in the series of the Internet Travel Guides:
Cambodia
China
Laos
Myanmar (Burma)
Sumatra
Switzerland
Tibet
Vietnam

**************************************************************************

INTRODUCTION

The main objective of this FAQ is to provide the reader with the newest
travel information available, like what is the current situation on visa,
where to stay and what prices are reasonable, etc. It is not a guide to
the Vietnamese culture or history (although I started to include some
information about those subjects as well), for these non-changing facts
are much more pleasantly presented in many good books (see the list in
section 4 in this FAQ). It is also not intended to be a political pamphlet
since politics is often a very opinionated subject. However, I started to
include some political facts where I felt it was appropriate.

Remember: Things change very fast, so by the time you get to Vietnam the
information in this FAQ may be outdated. If you encounter this, please
bear with me. Instead of being upset, rather share your experiences with
other people on the net. The next tourist will thank you if he or she can
rely on your new information. Also, if you find time during your travels
to write a postcard or a letter to me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Some paragraphs are led by the name of the author in brackets. This
doesn't mean that these are their only contributions, but rather that in
that case I chose to leave the words as the author wrote them, adding a
more personal note to the FAQ.


Answering questions

There are many people who send mail to ask me some questions. As much as
I like to answer as many questions as possible, my time is limited. I do
this work in my spare time, so I frequently answer the questions only
after a couple of days (or even weeks if I'm away for a while.) It also
happens that I cannot return an e-mail due to an invalid e-mail address.
Please be careful to include a valid e-mail address, or then ask me to
post the answer in rec.travel.asia.

This guide lives by being up-to-date. Since I cannot travel all the time,
I am glad to receive suggestions, contributions and comments. Any addition
is useful, regardless of the size.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE

In accordance with the Bern convention, this document is copyrighted
worldwide. The information provided within this document is the property
of the original authors. The author especially reserves the right to the
exclusive use of the term "The Internet Travel Guide".

This document or parts thereof may NOT be sold for profit or included in
any commercial documents (e. g. books, esp. guide books, magazines,
CD-ROMs, WWW-pages, the Microsoft Network or any other form) without the
prior written permission of the copyright holder. This permission is valid
exactly for the agreed version (or if no version was stated at the
published version on the date of the agreement) at the time the permission
was granted; it does not cover future or any other versions. However,
following the common practice of the Internet, this document may be freely
redistributed without any modification whatsoever, including this
copyright notice.

If you as the reader has paid to get this document, please let me know. As
much as I would like I cannot give you back your money, but I can try to
put an end to the illegal stealing of other people's work.

**************************************************************************

The Internet Travel Guide
Copyright (c) 1995, 1996
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm

Peter M. Geiser
Seeblickstr. 10
9010 St.Gallen
Switzerland

Peter.Geiser@student.unisg.ch

**************************************************************************

3. PLACES (part 3)

TAY NINH

Tay Ninh is the center of the Cao Dai religion. The Cao Dai Great Temple
is the main reason to visit Tay Ninh. The cathedral is set within a large
complex of schools and administrative buildings painted in pastel yellow.
The twin-towered cathedral is of European design, but has distinctly Asian
features. On the facade are high-relief figures of Cao Dai saints, like
Victor Hugo, Albert Einstein, etc.

Every day at noon there is a great mass where the tourists are allowed to
watch from the balcony.

There are one day trips from Saigon to Tay Ninh.

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VUNG TAU

Vung Tau, formerly also known as Cap Satin Jaques, is a beach resort
located on a peninsula some 128 km south-east of Saigon. The whole
peninsula is only about 7.5 km long. There are four main beach areas, the
Front Beach, the Back Beach, Bai Dau and Bai Dua, but the beaches are very
dirty, so don't expect to be able to swim in the sea. While the Front
Beach is more expensive than the rest, Bai Dau not only has the cheapest
guest houses, but is also the most relaxing part, located three km from
the town center.

There is a giant Jesus statue overlooking the resort. It is hollow, so
that you can climb the stairs to the head of the statue and enjoy an
impressive view of the surroundings.

Many Buddhist shrines can be found along the beach, and in the middle of
the city is also the Buddha's Park.

There is a fast hydrofoil boat from Saigon. It used to leave at the pier
just opposite the Majestic, but this pier is currently being rebuilt. But
you can still wait there and an air-con bus will pick you up and bring you
to the Russian naval base down the road, where the boat currently leaves.
There are two types of tickets, for USD 7 and USD 12, but they give you
the same comfort. The boat takes about 1 hours.

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MEKONG DELTA

(John) The two-day Mekong Delta tour offered by the Sinh Cafe was about
$20 and was particularly good.  The guide spoke very good English and was
quite knowledgeable about the region.  Also, the hotel they were using in
early January was the best I stayed in throughout Vietnam.  It was so new
I could smell the paint.


Food

In the Mekong Delta one specialty easily obtainable is snake. Some
restaurants offer them life, so you can choose and they are certainly
fresh. One kilogram should cost around VND 25000 to 35000, cooking
between 15000 to 35000. One kg serves four to five persons.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MYTHO

With a population of 100000, My Tho is the capital of Tien Giang Province,
a region famous for its orchids, coconut palms, and fruit. The city was
founded in the 1680s by political refugees from Taiwan. The economy of the
area is based on fishing and the cultivation of rice, bananas, citrus
fruit, coconuts, longans, and mangos.

My Tho Church
Built almost a century ago, today two priests, two sisters and several
assistants minister to much of My Tho's 7,000 Catholics. The pastel yellow
and white church is on the corner of Nguyen Trai Street and Hung Vuong
Boulevard, a 5 minute walk from the central market. It is open to visitors
every day from 4:30 - 6:30 am and 2:30 - 6:30 pm.

Central Market
Sprawls over a large area from Le Loi Boulevard down to the river. The
streets are filled with stalls selling everything from fresh food and bulk
tobacco to boat propellers. The river is the best spot to observe life in
My Tho.

Vinh Trang Pagoda
Built in 1849, the pagoda displays a mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese and
colonial architecture. It is now a beautiful place, with no signs of the
touristy stuff described in the Loney Planet guide. Even the awful Ho Chi
Minh statue has been removed.

Tan Long Island
Tan Long Island is renowned for its longan orchards. It can be reached
with a 5-minute boat trip from the dock at the foot of Le Loi Boulevard.
Wooden fishing boats of the type used by the 'boat people' to flee
Vietnam, line the thick palm-fringed shores of the island.

Island of the Coconut Monk (Con Phung)
Ong Dao Dua, the 'Coconut Monk,' established a bizarre open-air sanctuary
on this island for his followers shortly after the end of WW II. He was a
charismatic character who founded a religion known as Tinh Do Cu Si, a
fusion of Buddhism and Christianity. He is said to have meditated for 3
years on a stone slab while eating nothing but coconuts.  He died some
years ago as a prisoner of the communists who arrested him for anti-
government activities. Boats to the island can be chartered from the south
end of Trung Trac Street at the ferry landing.

Snake Farm
About 6 miles (10 km) from town at Dong Tam there is farm that raises
snakes for the strong healing powers of their flesh and gall.

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VINH LONG

The main attracion of Vinh Long are the Mekong river and its market.
There is also a Christian cathedral worth looking at.


Accommodation

The Cuu Long Hotel at 1 Thang 5 Street has doubles for USD 15. It is
excellently located right at the Mekong.

Just next door is the Long Chau Hotel. It is cheaper, offering doubles
with bathroom for USD 10 and twins without for USD 7.


Eating

Right at the river, on Phan Boi Chau Street there are many small cafes
that serve good and cheap food.

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CANTHO

Cantho, the political, economic, and cultural center of the region and
capital of Hau Giang Province, is the only university city in the Delta.
Cantho University was founded in 1966 and conducts valuable agricultural
research that has contributed substantially to improving production and
pest control. This is probably the nicest city in the Delta.

There is a new riverside mall where you can sit down and have something to
eat and a drink.

Cantho Market
The rich variety and abundance of fruit, seafood and vegetables produced
in the region is evident along Hai Ba Trung street and in the market's
main building at the intersection of Hai Ba Trung and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
streets.

Munirangsyaram Pagoda
This typical of Khmer Hinayana Buddhist pagodas found in the region. The
upstairs sanctuary contains a 5-foot (1 1/2-meter) representation of
Sakyamuni sitting under a Bodhi tree. Built in 1946, the pagoda serves the
Khmer community of Cantho which numbers about 2,000.

Cantho is an excellent place to go on a boat trip in the Mekong delta.
There are 5 and 9 hour trips for USD 2 per hour for two persons and USD 3
for four persons. Ask to go to a floating market. It is also possible to
go by bus for VND 4000.


Accommodation

A new hotel is the Doan An Duong Hotel at 3 Hoa Binh. Doubles with private
bathrooms and hot showers are USD 10 to 12.

Khai Hoan: A typical commie state hotel. It has private bathrooms,
though.

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LONG XUYEN

Catholic Cathedral
This is one of the largest Catholic churches in the Delta with a seating
capacity of 1,000.  It was constructed between 1966 and 1973 with a 164
foot (50-meter) high bell tower in the form of clasped-hands that is
visible from outside town.

Quan Thanh Pagoda
This small pagoda was built by Cantonese residents about 70 years ago.
With lively murals on the entrance wall the altar displays figures of
General Quan Cong and his two cohorts General Chau Xuong and the mandarin
Quan Binh. To the left is Ong Bon, Guardian Spirit of Happiness and
Virtue, and on the right is Thien Hau, Goddess of the Sea.

Dinh Than My Phuoc Pagoda
Interesting for its roof and the murals on the wooden walls near the
altar.

Cao Dai Church
On the outskirts of town traveling towards Chau Doc is a Cao Dai church
worth visiting if you can't see the Cao Dai cathedral at Tay Ninh.

Cho Moi District
Cross the river from Long Xuyen to see rich groves of banana, durian,
guava, jackfruit, longan, mango, mangosteen, and plum. The women here are
said to be the most beautiful in the Mekong Delta.

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CHAU DOC

Chau Doc (population 80,000) is an important trading and marketing center
for the surrounding countryside. Until the mid-18th century this region
was part of Cambodia. There is still a large Khmer population and the
largest Cham settlement in the Delta. The Chau Doc district is also the
seat of the 1 - 1.5 million followers of the Hoa Hao religion, founded in
1939 at the village of Hoa Hao.

There are numerous interesting temples here, especially at Nui Sam and at
Ba Chuc there is a temple and ossuary containing the remains of 2,500
Khmer Krom massacred by the Khmer Rouge in September 1978.

Market
A large market selling fresh produce and black market goods smuggled in
from Thailand spreads from the riverfront down and along Le Cong Thanh
Doc, Phu Thu, Bach Dang and Chi Lang streets.

Nui Sam (Sam Mountain)
Three miles (5 km) southwest of Chau Doc is a rocky hill is literally
honeycombed with sanctuaries, tombs, and temples. Most visitors come only
to see Tay An Pagoda, Lady Chua Xu Temple, and the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau,
but walk right up to the top of the hill where you can get a good view of
the surrounding countryside. From here you can appreciate that this is
some of the most productive land in Vietnam.

Chau Phu Temple
This temple was built in 1926 for locals to worship Thoai Ngoc Hau, the
man responsible for building the nearby Chau Doc Canal which defines the
border with Cambodia.

Chau Giang Mosque
Take a ferry across the Hau River from the Chau Giang terminal in town to
visit the mosque which serves the district's Cham Muslim community.

Hoa Hao
It was here, 12 miles (20 km) east of Chau Doc, that Huynh Phu So founded
an influential indigenous religion that attempted to rid Buddhism of its
pagodas and clergy. After WW II, the Hoa Hao community created an anti
Marxist political party called Don Xa, which led to Huynh Phu So's
assassination by the Viet Minh. After 1975, the Communists clamped down on
the Hoa Hao and the sect lost much of its influence.

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RACH GIA

Rach Gia, capital of Kien Giang Province, is a dirty town known for its
bia om bars and prostitution. Ironically, the province is said to be the
richest in Vietnam, its wealth based on rice and seafood. Phu Quoc, a
renowned fish sauce, is produced here.

Reflective of the typical religious diversity in the Delta, Rach Gia has a
small Cao Dai temple near the bus station on Nguyen Trung Truc Street and
a Protestant church further along the street in the direction of the
river. Rach Gia Church, a red brick structure built in 1918, is in Vinh
Thanh Van across the channel from the market.

Nguyen Trung Truc Temple
Is named after the 19th century resistance leader who was active in
Cochinchina during the 1860s and led the raid that resulted in the attack
on the French warship L'Esperance. Although the French repeatedly tried to
capture him, it wasn't until 1868 that they succeeded after taking his
mother and a number of civilians hostage. He gave himself up and was
executed by the French in the marketplace on October 27, 1868.

Oc-eo
This ancient city, found about 6 miles (10 km) inland from Rach Gia, was
an important port at the height of the ancient Kingdom of Funan from the
1st - 6th centuries AD. It lay submerged for centuries until it was
rediscovered in the 1940s. It is an important site for archeologists, but
there is not a great deal for tourists to see. Some artifacts are found in
the Historical and Art museums in Saigon.

Most of what is known of Funan comes from this site which revealed
evidence of contact with China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Persia, the Roman
Empire, Thailand, and written accounts of Chinese emissaries and
travelers. Excavations have shown that buildings were constructed on piles
and the city was connected by a complex network of irrigation and
transport canals. Like many of the ancient empires of the region, Oc-eo
built its wealth on controlling trade between the east (China) and the
west (India, Mediterranean). 

The site is near the village of Tan Hoi, and is only accessible by boat,
which you can hire from the riverfront beyond Vinh Tan Van Market. You may
need special permission to visit the area, so ask at the local Vietnam
Tourism Authority.


Accommodation

The 1 Thang 5 at 38 Nguyen Hung Son has rooms from VND 70000, some with
airconditioning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHU QUOC

Only a few tourists venture this far in Vietnam. There are nice beaches
and the sea is calm and clear.


Accommodation

The Hoang Bien Hotel in Duong Dong is government run and located directly
at the beach. Doubles with private bath are VND 150000.

About 2 km south of Duong Dong is a new private place, the Kim Linh Hotel.
Nice and clean rooms cost VND 120000. There are two restaurants on the
beach. One of the staff, Tony, speaks very good English and knows a lot
about the island.

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4. LITERATURE AND OTHER INFORMATION

4.1 GUIDEBOOKS

ENGLISH

Vietnam - For Travellers By Travellers. Tales From the Other Side. Stuart
McDonald and Danielle Karalus. 9 Oct 1995. 350 p. 56 maps.
ISBN 0 646 25524 X
An excellent book, fun to read! While it caters mostly to the individual
tourist, it offers a vast array of detailed information of all kinds about
Vietnam. It is well structured, with a big block of general information
about history, culture, country, visa, money, health, getting in and out
of and around within Vietnam, followed by descriptions of the actual
sites. These include, besides general information, sections about useful
addresses, orientation, arriving and departing, accommodation, food, and,
of course, things to see. Some nice features: proposals for various tours
of differing length, a Vietnamese language section and as a specialty some
'Brain Teasers' (puzzles for long journeys).

Moon Publications, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, 1st Ed. Dec 1995
This book will have 650 pages and 75 maps.

Lonely Planet. Vietnam - A Travel Survivel Kit. Robert Storey. 3rd Ed.
Nov 1995.  512 p, 65 maps. ISBN 3-86442-316-0.
The second edition (I haven't had the chance to look at the third) of this
guidebook was aimed at the individual traveller. It covered a large number
of places and had excellent information about hotels, routes, schedules
and fares.

Maveric, by Len Rutledge
The author probably didn't relly enjoy Vietnam very much because he seems
to like creature comforts. Still, this can be a handy book if you're not
sure you're up to "basic accomodations".

Eurasia Guides, by Barbara Cohen
This one's by Barbra Cohen, an army psycologist during the war. It's by
far the best source for business and returning veteran travel. Full of
addresses. Some good cultural information.

Fielding
It's got some good thoughts on how long it takes to get places.

Travel Bugs
This one's full of georgous pictures and interesting info in boxes. Its
usefulllness in the area of hotels and restaurants may be a bit
questionable (and certainly is not extensive.)

Insight
Even better pictures than Travel Bugs with the same format in which
nuts-&-bolts travel info is relegated to the back sixth of the book. This
one was written by a team which included some Vietnamese, so you get a
"local" or "native" angle. It provides a good feeling of the ambiente and
the history of Vietnam.

"Vietnam, Laos and Cmbodia Handbook" from Trade & Travel Publications (UK)
and Passport Books (US)
Seems to have more historical and cultural background than Lonely Planet,
especially on the background of current affairs. Not as good on
accomodation and maps, though.

West, Helen, ed.  Vietnam, revised edition (Hong Kong: APA Publications,
1994).

Lonely Planet. South-East Asia on a Shoestring. 8th Ed. ISBN 0-86442-226-1
Covers the whole region of South East Asia, and is thus not too detailed.

Moon Publications, Southeast Asia Handbook, Carl Parkes
This book covers the whole region, including Vietnam.


GERMAN

Stefan Loose, Vietnam, Kamboscha, 1994, ISBN 3-922025-47-1
This is the German translation of the first edition of the Lonely Planet
Travel Survival Kit.

Merian, Vietnam, Laos, Kambodscha, ISBN 3-7742-9510-7
This is more a nice picture book. It makes a nice souvenir and can
certainly help in preparation, but I would not recommend to carry it with
you during travelling.

DuMont, Vietnam, Kunst-Reisefuehrer.


FRENCH

Lonely Planet. Vietnam. 2e Ed. ISBN 02-84070-014-X. 413 p, 52 cartes.

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4.2 TRAVELLERS TALES

Hayslip, Le Ly.  When Heaven and Earth Changed Place. (1990, Penguin
Books)

Lewis, Norman.  A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
(1951; current reprint by Eland Books).

Shawcross, William.  River Journeys  (1983).

Stewart, Lucretia.  Tiger Balm: Travels in Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia
(London: Chatto & Windus, 1992).

Theroux, Paul. The Great Railway Bazaar. It is not exclusively about
Vietnam, but includes some chapters on it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3 LANGUAGE

PHRASEBOOKS

Lonely Planet. Vietnamese Phrasebook. Nguyen Xuan Thu. 2nd Ed. Dec 1995.
ISBN 0-86442-347-0. 160 p.

Kauderwelsch Band 61. Vietnamesisch fuer Globetrotter. Monika Heyder.
1992. ISBN 3-89416-125-6. 140 p.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 HISTORICAL/POLITICAL BOOKS

Butler, Robert Olen.  A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. A collection
of stories about the American War and the Vietnamese people.

Fall, Bernard B.  Street Without Joy: Indochina at War 1946-54
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Company, 1961).

Fenn, Charles.  Ho Chi Minh: A Biographical Introduction  (London: Studio
Vista, 1973).

Griesenfeld, Guenter.  Land der Reisfelder. Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea,
Geschichte und Gegenwart  (Pahl-Rugenstein, 1988). This is an excellent
history book on the three Indochinese countries.

Hammel, Eric.  Fire in the Streets.  Details the battle of Hue.

Karnow, Stanley.  Vietnam: A History  (New York: Viking Press, 1983).

Marr, David G.  Vietnamese Anti-colonialism 1885-1925  (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1971).

McCoy, Alfred W.  The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global
Drugs Trade  (New York: Lawrence Hill Books, 1991).

Morrocco, John.  Thunder from Above. The Vietnam Experience. Air War
1941 - 1968.  (Boston Publishing Company).  A good book detailing many
events of the Air War in Vietnam.

Patti, Archimedes L.  Why Vietnam?  (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1980).

Sipri.  Ecological Consequences of the Second Indochina War  (Stockholm:
Almquvist & Wiksell, 1976).

Sheehan, Neil.  A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann & America in Vietnam
(New York: Random House, 1988). A Bright Shining Lie and Two Cities: Hanoi
and Saigon.

Stahl, Sabine/Ulrich Mihr (Hrsg.) Die Krallen der Tiger und Drachen.
Wirtschaftsboom und Selbstbewusstsein in Asien. Droemer Verlag 1995. An
excellent book about the current political and economical developments
in Asia.

Taylor, Keith Weller.  The Birth of Vietnam  (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1983).

Tran Ky Phuong.  Cham Ruins. Journey in Search of an Ancient Civilazation
(Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 1993). The standard work about the Cham
ruins in Vietnam.

Truong Nhu Tang. Viet Cong Memoirs (1985). An autobiography by a former
VC cadre.

Turner, Robert F.  Vietnamese Communism: Its Origins and Development
(Stanfore: Hoover Institution Press, 1975).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5 NOVELS

Baker, Mary.  Nam. The Vietnam War in the Words of the Soldiers Who
Fought There. 1981

Bao Ninh.  The Sorrow of War. The story of a Vietnamese soldier's trouble
of reintegration long after the war.

Berent, Mark.  Rolling Thunder. Steel Tiger. Phantom Leader. A pilot
himself, the auther describes the war seen from an American pilot's
position, in a captivating way.

Duras, Marguerite.  L'Amant (The Lover). A young French girl (born in
Indochine) falls in love with a rich, much older Chinese.

Greene, Graham.  The Quiet American  (London: Heinemann, 1954). The most
famous Western work about Vietnam. Set in the last days of the French
rule.

Grey, Anthony.  Saigon. The story of an American family that visit Vietnam
as tourists, soldiers and correspondents. The rescue of the Ameircan pilot
during WWII by Ho Chi Minh is based on reality.

Herr, Michael.  Dispaches (1977). The American War from the perspective of
an American war correspondent.

Ho Chi Minh.  Prison Diary  (Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 1994). Poems
written by Ho Chi Ming during his imprisonment in China.

Lansing, John. The Black Eagles. (Zebra Books). This is actually a series
of some 15 books on the American War in the style of Rambo films.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.6 MOVIES

Cyclo. (France 1995). Director Tran Anh Hung shows today Vietnam using
the example of youth gangs. It's a very violent and romantic picture at
the same time. The movie received the Golden Lion of the 52nd Film
Festival in Venice.

The Scent of the Green Papaya. (France/Vietnam 1994). By Tran Anh Hung. A
beautiful movie telling the story of a young girl that works as a servant
in the house of a rich Vietnamese family. Not much action, but very
beautiful pictures and giving some insight into the domestic life of rich
people in old Vietnam.

Indochine. (France 1992). The love story of a Vietnamese princess and a
French soldier before the background of the communist revolution.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7 INTERNET

The newest version of this guide is available on WWW at
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/vietnam/
The archive for this guide is at
rtfm.mit.edu in /pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/vietnam-guide/

An excellent WWW server with a lot of information on Vietnam is at
http://sunsite.unc.edu/vietnam

Doug Skeggs created a good Vietnam picture archive. It can be found at
http://www.vianet.on.ca/pages/skeggsd/vnam/vnam.html

Bob Bowley has collected a lot of excellent information about Vietnam at
http://www.goodnet.com/~rbowley/a1.html

Lonely Planet has a page on Vietnam at
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/sea/vietnam.htm

The site by Tales From the Other Side is at
http://www.usyd.edu.au/~bdrewnia/tales/tales.htm

There is a site directly in Saigon, Vietnam at
http://www.saigon.com/

A comercial service in Hong Kong that also markets a CD ROM on Vietnam.
http://www.theblackbox.com/~whatsup/products/vietnam/vietnam.html

**************************************************************************

A. CONTRIBUTORS

Apart from my own personal experiences I have been able to include a lot
of information from other people and sources. Where it is necessary to do
so, I put the author in front of the paragraph, mostly so when personal
experiences/feelings are important. Whenever possible I tried to contact
the author of the information to get permission and I include his/her
e-mail address for reference.

Anna Kettle                  Anna@altern8.demon.co.uk
Brigitte Wirtz               brigitte.wirtz@zfe.siemens.de
Doug Skeggs                  skeggsd@govonca.gov.on.ca
Gunter Schramm               planwerk.gs@t-online.de
Howard Marc Spector          hms@fohnix.metronet.com
John Lauderdale              eelauder@ee.ust.hk
Lars Falting                 eualfg@eua.ericsson.se
Lotta Lindquist, Johan Eker  lotta@atomos.fysik.lth.se
Michael G Newman             mnewman@shell.portal.com
Nguyen T. Lam                lam@cptca.neep.wisc.edu
Rick Green                   rick@theblackbox.com
William Bangs                wbbangs@u.washington.edu
Edward Hasbrouck             ehasbrouck@igc.apc.org
Hans and Mirjam Damen        cp@dataweb.nl

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The homepage of the Internet Travel Guides is at
http://www-students.unisg.ch/~pgeiser/itg.htm

Please send your comments, suggestions and contributions to the address
below. For questions, please see my note in the introduction.

e-mail:peter.geiser@student.unisg.ch

Peter M. Geiser
Seeblickstr. 10
9010 St. Gallen
Switzerland

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