Vietnam | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

May

Drink in the coffee, Rhone varietals or a Himalayan vista: travel deals 26 May 2013

Drink coffee in Brisbane, Rhone varietals in Rutherglen, or just drink in the view in the Indian Himalayas.

Victoria
Discover the rich reds, Rhone
varietals and sweet muscats of Rutherglen at the Rutherglen Winery
Walkabout, Australia’s longest-running wine festival, on the weekend of
June 8-9 (winemakers.com.au). Stay at Tuileries and save 20 per cent on
Sunday to Friday nights until September 30. They’ll include a country
breakfast and three-course dinner for two at Tuileries Restaurant
including its unlimited wine buffet, which showcases the region’s top
drops. Usually $346 a night, now $276. (02) 6032 9033, tuileriesrutherglen.com.au.

New South Wales
Ski
or board Perisher and Thredbo from the central
location of the Snowy Mountains’ Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa,
which is 15 minutes from either ski resort. Normally studio apartments
cost from $250 a night but the resort has two-night stays with a hot
breakfast, $100 to spend in the spa or restaurant, discounts on ski
hire, day spas, and free shuttles to the Skitube to Perisher. Available
from June 7 until October 6. Costs from $593 for two nights in a studio
apartment (sleeps two), or from $1034 for two nights in a two-bedroom
apartment (sleeps four). 1800 020 524, lakecrackenback.com.au.

Queensland
Check
in to Brisbane’s new Traders Hotel and they’ll give you a coffee
machine. Yes, really. Book a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night stay and
get a Nespresso U machine, worth $299, along with early check-in and
late checkout and a $50 voucher. There’s free wi-fi, too. The hotel is
opposite the Brisbane Transit Centre on Roma Street and within walking
distance of the spectacular Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern
Art. Book by June 30 for stays until December 29. Costs from $298 a
night. (07) 3238 2222, www.tradershotels.com/brisbane.

Thailand
The
new 277-room Pullman Phuket Arcadia is on Naithon Beach, 15 minutes
from the airport. It has sunken lounges with wine libraries as well as a
kids’ lunchtime restaurant by the pool, and spa aficionados will
appreciate the French Payot range. The hotel’s soft-opening special
means you can pay as little as $105 a night, saving 30 per cent off the
best rate on stays of three days or more, with breakfast and wi-fi
included. Valid until October 31. Costs from $315 for three nights. pullmanphuketarcadia.com.

Vietnam
The
coastline of Nha Trang boasts much natural beauty, and then there are
the hotels. The lush Evason Ana Mandara, main picture, sits on its own
stretch of sea, which obligingly issues lobsters for the table. Stay
seven nights and pay for five, with a villa upgrade, breakfast, airport
transfers and an hour-long massage for two in its spa. Includes return
international flights with Vietnam Airlines. Costs from $2032 a person,
twin share. Book by June 15 for stays until December 19. 1300 138 755, travelindochina.com.au.

India
If
exploring the Indian Himalayas in winter does it for you, this new
22-day Zanskar Ice Trek fits the bill. World Expeditions freely admits
this is one of its most adventurous treks, with minus-30-degree nights,
frozen river trekking and remote high passes. The tour departs from Leh
and includes all meals, internal flights, bilingual guides, sleeping bag
and jacket. Save 15 per cent off the second traveller when two people
book together; singles save 7½ per cent. Book by June 21 to depart on
February 2. Costs from $3900 a person, twin share. 1300 720 000, worldexpeditions.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

May

Deep fabulousness in Vietnam, heli-ski New Zealand or frock up in Melbourne: travel deals May 19, 2013

InterContinental Danang Sun peninsula Resort, Vietnam

Is this the most gorgeous photo ever? It was a toss-up between this fabulous shot of the restaurant at the InterCon Danang, designed by Bill Bensley, or the awesome NZ heli-skiing shot below. Reader: I chewed my nails for you. Enjoy this week’s best international and Australian travel deals.

QUEENSLAND
Avoid the queues
and head to the Gold Coast’s Sea World, main picture, out of the school
holidays and save up to 80 per cent on stays at the 4.5-star Broadbeach
resort, which includes unlimited entry to Warner Bros Movie World, Sea
World and Wet’n’Wild Water World. Stay two nights and get a free Dolphin
Discovery presentation at Sea World. You’ll get 25 per cent off food
and drinks, the kids’ club and free wi-fi. Valid until July 14. Costs
from $79.90 a person, twin share, $20 a child. 133 386, seaworldresort.com.au.

NSW
Sydney
Airport just grew up, with its first airport hotel in the international
terminal – Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel opened on May 7. The hotel is
celebrating with an opening special, free wi-fi and $35 to spend in its
Blackwattle Grill and sports bar. The 318-room hotel is one minute’s
walk from the international terminal and includes 24-hour room service.
Costs from $205 a night. (02) 9313 2500, rydges.com/sydneyairport.

TASMANIA
There’s
a rugged beauty to the Henry Jones Art Hotel, pictured above left,
which has had everyone from whalers to jam-makers on its stone floors on
Hobart’s waterfront. Book a night in a deluxe spa room and get
breakfast for two, free wi-fi and $50 towards dinner in Henry’s
Restaurant, saving a cool $178. Stay before September 30 and quote
PT014. Costs from $355. 1800 420 155, puretasmania.com.au.

TOP END

Hawke Dreaming camp

The wet season is
over, the roads are dry and the wilderness camps of the Top End are open
for business, including the Hawke Dreaming luxury tented lodge. Located
near Ubirr in a restricted section of Kakadu National Park, the lodge
has just 12 tents, with en suites and decks. Book by June 30 and save 15
per cent off the regular rate. Normally $265 a night, pay $225.
Self-drive travellers can save 10 per cent when they stay five nights at
any of APT’s exclusive luxury network of lodges across the Northern
Territory and Western Australia, including the Bungle Bungles and
Mitchell Falls. Includes dinner, bed and breakfast. 1800 240 504,
kimberleywilderness.com.au.

VICTORIA
Have
a Hollywood moment in Melbourne, at the Hollywood Costume exhibition at
the Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of the Melbourne
Winter Masterpieces program. The Sofitel Melbourne normally costs about
$450 a night, but the Hollywood Costume package includes one night’s
stay, breakfast and two tickets to the exhibition, which has the
costumes of Scarlett O’Hara, Holly Golightly and Jack Sparrow. The
hotel’s Atrium Bar is shaking up Hollywood-inspired cocktails during the
exhibition, until August 18. Costs from $360. (03) 9653 0000,
sofitelmelbourne.com.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Set
at the start (or the end) of the Great Ocean Road, Mount Gambier is a
great base for wine tourism up into Coonawarra, for exploring the wild
and empty beaches along the Great Australian Bight or just taking in the
classic genteel sight of the town’s astonishing Blue Lake. Save up to
20 per cent on two-night stays in a self-contained apartment in the
4.5-star Precinct on Jardine. Valid on stays until August 5. Costs from
$800 for two nights in a three-bedroom apartment (sleeps six).
travel.com.au.

VIETNAM
One of the
world’s best new hotels, according to Conde Nast Traveler, is the
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, pictured, on the Son Tra
Peninsula, halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. To celebrate the
opening of the new Harnn Heritage Spa, packages include a three-night
stay, breakfast and yoga and 25 per cent off spa treatments, and a
one-hour massage. From $930 a night. 13 83 88,
danang.intercontinental.com.

SWITZERLAND
Switzerland
can be so cliched, and don’t we love it? Trafalgar’s new eight-day
Swiss Delight takes it a step further with a cable car ride to Mount
Pilatus, chocolate making and folklore tales at a traditional “stubete”.
Book by July 10 to save 7.5 per cent. Costs from $1688 a person, twin
share. Book a Singapore Airlines flight to Europe from $1999 with a
Trafalgar guided tour, and your friend flies from $899. Book flights
before July 31. 1300 663 043, trafalgar.com.

THAILAND
Get
four free nights in Phuket when you book eight nights at the five-star,
award-winning Merlin Beach Resort, close to Patong Beach. Facilities at
the resort include a kids’ club and pool, day spas and a range of bars
and restaurants. The deal includes breakfast, airport transfers,
restaurant discounts and a two-hour massage or half-day Phuket tour.
From $466 a person, twin share. Valid until October 31. 1300 883 887,
travelonline.com.

CHINA

The lobby of the new Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai

Just
a few years ago, the glitzy Shanghai district of Pudong was mere rice
paddies: now it’s home to the newest Mandarin Oriental hotel, which
features more than 4000 original artworks. Opening packages include stay
two nights and pay just one with free wi-fi, or the Discover Shanghai
package, which includes one night’s accommodation, free wi-fi and up to
$300 in spa or restaurant use. Valid until September 30. From $661. 1800
123 693, mandarinoriental.com.

SOUTH AMERICA
South
American adventurer Explora has been combining eco-adventure and luxury
for 20 years and celebrates its birthday with a free night on
four-night stays in remote lodges in the Chilean Patagonia, Easter
Island and the Atacama Desert until October 14. Stay four nights at
Atacama, which includes airport transfers, meals and open bar, and daily
explorations via horses, vehicles, boats and foot. From $2720 a person,
twin share. +56 2 2395 2800, explora.com.

TOURWATCH

So you can’t sing, but you can still ski like a rock star
amidst the snowy peaks of New Zealand’s South Island. Southern Lakes Heli Ski’s new all-inclusive,
one-week heli-skiing package gives you unlimited heli-ski runs. “As long as
your legs can keep going, then so do you,” they promise. And if the weather
gods get moody, there are golf pros, bungy jumping and Central Otago wines to
drink. Join a group with an Unlimited Package, which guarantees first and last
tracks each day, or the Private Package for groups of four or more gets your
own chopper and 8,500 square kilometers of heli-ski exclusive terrain to
explore. Includes five-star accommodation, meals and guides. From June 30 –
September 30. Costs from $7500 (Unlimited) or from $13,499 (Private) per
person. +64 3 442 6222, southernlakesheliski.co.nz.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

May

Find beauty in Sri Lanka, Tasmania or Madagascar: island & beaches’ travel deals May 5, 2013

Colours of Tasmania’s Bay of Fires.

Find beauty in a Sri Lankan boutique hotel, in Tasmania’s Bay of Fires or in the bright eyes of a Madagascan lemur.

QUEENSLAND

Save up
to $450 on a three-night stay on the Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches in the
happening QT hotel. The Family Fun package gets you two interconnecting rooms
(hey, no kids sharing your bedroom!), breakfast for two adults and two children
under 12 and a family pass to Dreamworld, worth $230. Psst: starve yourself in
advance for the hotel’s fabulous buffet restaurant, Bazaar. Costs from
$360 a night, minimum three night stay. Available until December 24. (07) 5584
1200, qtgoldcoast.com.au.

NSW

With Tiger now joining Virgin and Qantas
flying up to Coffs Harbour, the NSW north coast just got a whole lot closer to Sydney. The strip, from
Coffs to Nambucca Heads, is a market lover’s paradise, with growers’ markets,
beach markets and even Bollywood markets on the beach at Woolgoolga (coffscoast.com.au).
Book five nights in a beachfront apartment at Smugglers on the
Beach and get a bottle of wine and save $125. For stays until August 31. Costs
from $625, five nights. (02) 6653 6166, smugglers.com.au.

VICTORIA

Cycle the iconic Great Ocean Road, from Mt Gambier’s Blue
Lake, just across the SA border, to Geelong, covering 610km. This is the 30th
year for the RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride and up to 6000 cyclists are
expected to take part in the ride, from November 23 – December 1. You can do a
nine-day, fully catered camping holiday, with medical and bike repairs support,
opt for the three-day leg from Gellibrand to Geelong, or the last day’s day ride
from Torquay to Geelong. Registrations open for the general public on May 20. Book
by July 29 and save $100. Costs from $895 adults, nine days, $460 adults, three
days, or $70, one day. 1800 639 634, greatvic.com.au.

TASMANIA

Keen walkers know that Tassie’s east coast is the home of
the happy hiker. Get your boots on for three days walking the white beaches of
Wineglass Bay, the fossil cliffs and peaks of Maria Island or the glorious Bay
of Fires. Complete the immersion in all things Tasmanian with starlit dinners
with Ninth Island wines and local cheeses. Get in early for next season and
save up to $150. Book by June 30 for travel from September 2013 to March 2014. Costs
from $849 a person for the three-day Bay of Fires walk. (02) 9913 8939, lifesanadventure.com.au.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The epitome of Australian luxury, and constantly voted
one of Australia’s top stays, the Southern Ocean Lodge is on sale. Pay half
price – saving more than $3600 – when
you stay three nights at the 21-suite Kangaroo Island retreat. The
all-inclusive rate covers all gourmet fare and naturalist experiences to show
you the best of KI. Book by May 31 for stays until August 23. Costs from $3600
a couple, Ocean Retreat, three nights. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

At Kahanda Kanda, the order is to drink tea and watch the
peacocks and monkeys at play.

SRI LANKA

One of the country’s top boutique hotels, the eight-suite
villa Kahanda Kanda is on a working tea estate by the serene Koggala Lake and
its stilt fishermen. Stay three nights, pay for two or stay seven nights and
pay for just five, with a free upgrade and spa treatments included. The villa
does not take children under 12. For stays from June 1 – July 31. Costs from
$548, three nights. +94 (0) 91 494 3700, kahandakanda.com.

CHINA

Tagged as the Chinese Riviera, Hainan Island is
officially going off, as Julia Gillard would have noted when she visited
recently. The newest addition is the Raffles Hainan, in Clearwater Bay. There are 299 rooms and 32 villas in the
resort, beside two championship golf courses and a 200-berth marina. Stay three
nights, pay for two from September 1 – December 31. Includes an upgrade to a
Grand Ocean view room, airport transfers, breakfast and checkout at 6pm. Yes,
6pm. Costs from $297 plus taxes. 0011
800 1723 3537, raffles.com.

MADAGASCAR

Madagascar’s nature – including lemurs, chameleons and humpback
whales – makes it a haven for adventurers. Save up to $1440 a couple on Bentours’
eight-day Barefoot Luxury South Explorer journey through rainforests, islands
and bays. Includes stays at Mandrare River Camp, two regional flights, all
transport, park fees, guides and excursions. Book by July 1 for travel June 25
– July 31. Costs from $3490 a person, twin share. 1300 799 783, escapetravel.com.au.

TAHITI

For the quintessential overwater bungalow experience, go
back to where it all began. Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora’s Surf & Turf
packages is no steak-and-prawns affair, it combines three nights in an
overwater bungalow (surf) and another three in two-bedroom beachfront villa
(turf). Included is daily buffet breakfast, a two-hour walk and snorkel with
their resident marine biologist and a reef walk, saving up to $1168. Costs from
$9241, six nights. +(689) 603 130, fourseasons.com/borabora.

VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

Spend 15 days exploring the
waterways and architecture of the Mekong River, Ha Long Bay and Angkor Wat
temples, and get free flights to Asia and two free hotel nights pre-or
post-tour. The tour includes seven nights on the RV La Marguerite on the
Mekong. Book by May 15 for travel between July and September. Prices include
all touring, meals, drinks and guided excursions. Costs from $4,395 a person,
twin share. 1300 300 036, travelmarvel.com.au.

TOURWATCH

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Helen Reddy, but be
prepared to turn the season on its head when the singer leads Christmas in July
on Norfolk Island. Reddy, who has a home on the island, returns regularly to
unwind amidst the island’s serenity. She is opening her house to guests for one
night during the eight-day tour, which covers all the island’s World Heritage
sites. Reddy will spend two nights with the group, including a progressive
Christmas dinner and will perform two concerts and lead the carols singalong,
of course. The package includes return airfares with Air New Zealand and seven
nights’ accommodation. Departs July 8.
Costs from $2055 a person. 1800 645 103, www.norfolkisland.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Dec

Best shopping finds of 2012: Vietnam quilts

Yes, it’s time to look back, so I’m looking at the best shopping finds in 2012, a list topped by the beautiful quilts of Mekong Quilts.

I visited their shop in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a cool, quiet space hung with handmade quilts made in the poorest villages in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The organisation is not-for-profit, and says 50 cents from every dollar spent in its shops provides books and scholarships for school children, and promote health and quality-of-life initiatives amongst what they describe as ‘the poorest of the poor’ through the NGO Mekong Plus, which started in 2001.

The group employs around 300 women in rural Vietnam and the Svay Rieng province of Cambodia to stitch the quilts, and now also to make baskets and other household products. Naturally, all are absolutely beautiful, and well worth the money.

The helpful girls in the shop wrapped my quilt in strong plastic so I could stash it as checked-in luggage, and it was almost as light as a feather.

My ABC quilt, which fits a baby’s cot, cost 1,155,000 Vietnamese dong (about A$50), a beautiful investment in every sense.

Mekong Quilts Hanoi

13 Hang Bac str, Hanoi, Vietnam

Also found in Ho Chi Minh City

Tel: +84-4-3926 4831

Website: www.mekong-quilts.org

Oct

Lemme hear you go Woo! Travel deals 14 October 201

WooBar at the new W Hotel Singapore

Snap up the bargain of the century with six cases of wine when you bed down in St Kilda, or throw your hands in the air like you don’t care at the new WooBar Singapore’s new W hotel in this week’s travel deals.

VICTORIA

If you ever needed a good reason to stay in St Kilda (aside
from it having the town’s best band pub, great pizza cafes, awesome spas,
smokin’ beachside cafes), here’s another. Book a standard non-bayview room at
the Novotel Melbourne St Kilda until October 31, get six bottles of wine, worth
$200, absolutely free. The deal also includes free car parking and breakfast
for two. Costs from $179 a room, a
night, quote ‘wine and wind down’. (03) 9525 6191, novotelstkilda.com.au.

NSW

Revel
in all things Polynesian, without leaving the state. The Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley’s midweek Polynesian
inspired special includes overnight accommodation in a deluxe spa room,
breakfast for two, $50 to blow at the restaurant and two hours of Polynesian
spa fabulousness at its Villa Thalgo. Start with a body scrub, lagoon water
bath and a Mahana massage using sacred oils. Just an hour from the city in the
Hawkesbury Valley, the 4.5-star hotel has been recently renovated. Worth $499,
pay $289 a room, a night, Mondays to Fridays until December 28. 131 515, sebelhawkesburyvalley.com.au.

TASMANIA

If you’ve got the time, then Tassie’s got the deal, with a
five Strange+Wild nights which includes accommodation for two, priority access
tickets to the Museum of Old and New Art’s (MONA) Theatre of the World extravaganza,
car hire, a ferry ride up-river to MONA, a bottle of Moorilla Muse chardonnay,
maps and tourist guides. Save up to $796
a person until April 8, 2013. Costs from $915 a person, (03) 6277 9900,
mona.net.au/short-breaks.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Lovers of the tv series ‘McLeod’s Daughters’ will already
know Kingsford Homestead, a beautiful five-star historic home in the Barossa
Valley, just north of Adelaide. Accommodating just 14 guests in its suites and
cottages, stays at the homestead include three or five-course dinners and big,
hearty country breakfasts, as well as drinks and canapés at sunsets and
lashings of local wine. Costs from $1580 for two nights for two people. 1300
130 483, travel.com.au.

TOP END

Discover some of the most remote beauty spots in
Australia, spending 13 days exploring the Kimberley. The Kimberley Complete
tour starts and finishes in Broome, cruising Geiki Gorge, Emma Gorge at El
Questro and the beautiful Windjana Gorge, staying in wilderness lodges and
taking a helicopter flight over Mitchell Falls. Couples can save up to $1500 on
departures between April and October 2013 when they book by December 31, 2012. Costs
from $7145 a person, twin share. 1800 240 504, kimberleywilderness.com.au.

SINGAPORE

I’d like to show you a room shot, but hey,
this is the ELEVATOR. W Hotel, Singapore.

Singapore
now has its own W Hotel, set on Sentosa Island, the city-state’s super-chi-chi
beach getaway. So naturally, the hotel’s three room types are classed as Wonderful,
Spectacular and Fabulous, normally priced from SGD430++ ($343) room only. Get ahead of the pack and
snap up an Island Glamour Welcome opening package, which includes one night in
the Wonderful guestroom, breakfast for two and cocktails, until March 31, 2013.
Costs from SGD$388++ a room. 1800 325 2525, wsingaporesentosacove.com.

INDONESIA

A magnet for surfers, Uluwatu is at the southernmost tip of the island of Bali and its famous sea temple. Nearby, the family-friendly Uluwatu Surf Villas looks over the high cliffs, down to the surf beaches, prime location for daily sundowners. Normally $290 a night, all accommodation bookings on TravelMob are 20 per cent off until November 10. Costs from $232 a room a night. travelmob.com.

BALTICS

Get off the beaten track with a journey through the
former Eastern Bloc countries of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia,
finishing in the glamorous museum mecca of St Petersburg. Book and pay for the
11-day journey 12 months ahead and save 10 per cent. Book by December 27, 2012
and fly from $1754 a person with Emirates, with a free stopover in Dubai. Costs
from $2319 a person, twin share. 1300 230 234, globus.com.au.

SPAIN

It’s got Gaudi, Picasso, the Alhambra palace and then there’s tapas. Oh Spain, we love you. The 10-day cultural extravaganza, Treasures of Spain, starts in Barcelona, and visits Valencia, Granada, Cordoba and finishes in Seville. Includes accommodation, some meals, transport and tour guide. Book before October 31, save on seven departures between May 19 and October 13, 2013. Past Peregrine travellers also get additional discounts. Normally $5090, costs from $4581 a person, twin share. 1300 854 400, peregrineadventures.com.

USA

The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles

Girls, get your
scarves and sunnies on and hit the road with the ultimate road trip, from LA to
Vegas. The package includes four nights’ accommodation at the Hyatt
Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles,
three nights in the Westin Las Vegas, return flights and eight days’ car hire.
There are also bonus tours including a tour of Hollywood, a helicopter flight
over Vegas, entry to Madam Tussards. Book by October 20, travel November 9-30,
February 1 – March 20, 2013. Costs from $2290 a person, twin share. 1300 000 872, myholidaycentre.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Many Vietnam
tours take you through the Cu Chi tunnels, the elaborate tunnels of the
VietCong, but this is a tour with a difference. The guides are author Jimmy
Thomson and Sandy MacGregor, a former ‘tunnel rat’ serving in the Vietnam War
who led the group that discovered the tunnels and the underground city of Cu
Chi. The tour also visits the Vietcong Caves in the Long Hai mountains and a
few days in the sin city of Vung Tau, a notorious town where troops went for
R&R. Oh, and there’s time for shopping, too. The Tunnel Rats tour departs
October 26, 2012. Costs from $1900 a
person, twin share, land only. (02) 8229 4764, sapperswar.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Sep

War on paper: North Vietnam’s artistic legacy

Independence Day posters on Hanoi’s streets.

A new art tour in
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) traces the work of combat artists in Vietnam’s modern
wars.

[This is a transcript of a World Report for RTE Ireland, broadcast 2 September 2012. To listen, click here: http://www.rte.ie/news/player.html?worldreport#programme=World%20Report]

We’re
familiar with the pictures taken by foreign news photographers stationed in the
south of Vietnam during the Vietnam War, most famously the iconic ‘Napalm Girl’
photo of a nine-year old child, her clothes burnt from her body, as she flees
her bombed village.

But at the same time, the Communist north of
Vietnam was cut off from most of the world, its supplies coming from Russia and
China, and such luxuries as cameras and film were hard
to come by. Instead, artists sketched the days of Vietnam’s involvement in two
Indochina wars, from 1954 to 1975. They depicted frontline
combat and developed information posters that became Vietnam’s propaganda posters,
in a Soviet style that is still used today.

The second of September is not only Vietnam’s National Independence
Day, it is also the 43rd anniversary of the death of Communist leader and Vietnam’s first
president, Ho Chi Minh, in 1969, so the country is spattered
with its flag – a yellow star on a red background – and banners and posters
celebrate both events.

Sophie Hughes explains a propaganda poster, Saigon
sophiesarttour.com

Art guide Sophie Hughes takes me through
Saigon’s galleries, explaining the posters’ history, and their ancestry, and
Vietnam’s transition from colonialism to independence.
The simplistically styled posters began as an information campaign from
communist North Vietnam’s battalion of artists, to inform a largely uneducated
population about the perils of Vietnam’s enemy.

They documented the girl soldiers of the so-called
‘Long-Haired Army’, the fall of
Saigon in 1973, and the harsh life on the jungle tracks of the Ho Chi
Minh trail that traversed the country, from north to south.

As we walk past the
charcoal sketches and watercolours that document two Indochina wars, Sophie
recounts how artists resorted to making paint from gun oil and crushed stone,
used berries and leaves to create their colours, and how the metal flare cases
from the US Army became impromptu carriers for their artwork, much of which was
hidden in friends’ coffins for the journey back from the front lines to the
cities, where it was copied and distributed among a suffering population.

As the wars
dragged on, sketches of the front lines morphed into propaganda, and it’s not
subtle: in one poster, bloodied bombs fall onto a sleeping baby with the question,
“Is this Nixon’s target?”
Much is aimed at raising national pride with such slogans as “What the
ancestors started, the children will continue.”

In the propaganda
poster shops on Saigon’s streets, you can pick up an historic print from as
little as 6 American dollars.

A Saigon resident leans on a 2012 Independence
Day poster while he texts.

There are plenty
of posters of the South American guerilla leader, Che Guevara, and a whole wall
devoted to Uncle Ho, as Ho Chi Minh is lovingly, and respectfully called. In
every school in the country, there is a portrait of Ho, and every morning the
schoolchildren pay their respects. And
on Independence Day, when the country’s Uncle is revered even more than in
daily life, it’s clear a picture can speak a thousand words.

For World Report,
this is Belinda Jackson in Saigon.

TRIP DETAILS:

Sophie’s Art Tour, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: costs from 950,000VND/A$43 a person (four or more people), includes air conditioned transport, entrance fees and refreshments. All tours are given by art guide Sophie Hughes in English, sophiesarttour.com

Getting there: Vietnam Airlines flies daily from Melbourne and Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), costs from $1180 return, vietnamairlines.com

Staying there: The five-star Caravelle is the grande dame of Saigon’s hotel scene, and will be relaunching a new look over the coming year. Costs from VND660,000++/A$299 deluxe room/night (84-8) 3823 4999 caravellehotel .com Newest kid on the blog, the four-star Novotel Saigon Centre, has an opening
deal which includes free wi-fi and 10 per cent off spa treatments until October
30. Costs from USD$100++ superior room/ night. +84 (0)8 3822 4866,
novotel.com.

Photos: Belle Jackson

Sep

Strange and wild ghouls and snow: travel deals 2 Sept

Morning at Machu
Picchu, Peru (Intrepid Travel)

It’s all strange, wild and ghoulish in Tassie and Dracula’s Romania, and the locals say it’s puking in Victoria’s Falls Creek (translation: it’s snowing heavily, so get on down!)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mantra on Frome, in the centre of Adelaide, is throwing
open the doors on its new balconies, with a weekend package that includes
dinner for two and a bottle of wine at Mantra Hindmarsh Square’s Sq
restaurant as well as late check-out,
saving $197. Costs from $219 a night for stays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
nights until December 2. 131 517, mantra.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

Melt the ice in your bones with a quickie getaway to Palm
Cove, a hop-skip north of Cairns. Stay four nights at the Reef House, a
colonial-style beach house, pay for only three. You’ll also get 20 per cent off
hotel meals, free wifi, breakfast, and a sunset Brigadier’s Punch in its Brigadiers
Lounge as well as free DVDs. Mention this page and get $25 credit in the
hotel’s spa. Stay until October 1. Costs from $129.50 a person per night, twin
share. (07) 4080 2600, www.reefhouse.com.au

NSW

Hit the big smoke with a budget stay in town and catch
one of the many festivals keeping the city alive including Crave food festival
throughout October. Stay three nights at the 3.5-star Travelodge Hotel, near
the Thai strip on Wentworth Ave, close to Hyde Park and Oxford St, and save 20
percent when booked by October 7. Costs
from $95 a night, minimum three-night stay. 1800 846 835, hotels.com

TASMANIA

Eerie Port Arthur, Tasmania

It’s a strange and wild corner of the world, down there
in Tassie, and the Theatre of the World, a collaboration between the Tasmanian
Museum and Art Gallery’s Pacific bark cloths and Museum of Old And New Art’s
(MONA) treasures should have you panting to head south. A four-night Art &
Place package includes accommodation at the Mercure Hobart, priority access to
MONA Theatre of the World tickets, 30 per cent off its catalogue (normally
$80), Mona Roma fast ferry tickets, a bottle of Moorilla Muse chardonnay and a
Tasmanian Attraction ticket. Save $793, costs $662 a couple. (03) 6277 9900,
mona.net.au/short-breaks.

VICTORIA

The snow has been falling thick and fast in the ski-in,
ski-out Falls Creek resort. Catch the last few weeks until the season ends and
save up to 50 per cent on peak season rates. Stay five nights at Trackers
Mountain Lodge White Space for $1130 an adult including bed, breakfast,
dinners, ski lift pass, ski lessons and snow equipment hire. Kids up to 14
years cost $720 and also get free Kids Club from 6-9pm. Also includes afternoon
tea, Winter Christmas on Wednesday nights (with turkey, eggnog and all the
trimmings) on stays September 7-30. 1800
453 525, skifalls.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Shoot the breeze in Broome, with sunsets over Cable Beach
and the Indian Ocean at your doorstep. Stay seven nights in a Shinju studio the
Pinctada Cable Beach resort and get airport transfers, welcome drink, daily
buffet breakfast, a five-course spice trail dinner and a one-hour couples’
treatment at the resort spa. Save up to $525 on stays before September 30.
Costs $2086 a room for seven nights. (08) 9193 8340, pinctadacablebeach.com.au.

Novotel Saigon Centre

VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is a city of extremes,
with a wild street food scene and ultra-glam sky-high bars. The 4-star Novotel
Saigon Centre is the newest digs in town, with a gorgeous open-air pool and
breakfast buffet worth the trip alone. Snap up an opening deal which includes
free wi-fi and 10 per cent off spa treatments until October 30. Costs from
USD$100++ for a superior room a night. +84 (0)8 3822 4866, novotel.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Pop in on the neighbours and see what’s going down in
Auckland. Stay three nights, pay for two at the five-star Langham Hotel
Auckland in a Classic room. The hotel is a short amble from the waterfront and
the main shopping areas. Includes buffet breakfast each day as well as a free
tour of Auckland’s city sights and wineries as well as airport transfers. Book by January 17, 2013, travel until
September 30 and December 14 – January 20, 2013. Costs from $489 a person for
three nights, twin share. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

ROMANIA

Brasov, Romania

Explore an untouched corner of Europe on a Taste of
Transylvania’s six-day private tour. Sleep with Dracula in medieval Sighisoara,
lunch with local farmers, visit the castles of Bran and Peles, explore the
gothic charms of Sibiu and Brasov and lunch at Romania’s two top wineries. In crazy
Bucharest, your address is the historic Athenee Palace Hilton. Book by
September 30 to save $150. Costs $2032 a person. 1300 668 844, eetbtravel.com

PERU

Home of Machu Picchu and
Paddington Bear, Peru gets all the South American gems: tracts of Amazon
jungle, ancient civilisations and roasted guinea pig. There’s pisco sours to be
drunk, sand dunes to be climbed and the tour includes a homestay with a local
family on Lake Titicaca. Sign up for Intrepid Travel’s 21-day Peru Encompassed
journey, departing Lima October 18, and save $952. Costs $2828 a person, 1300 018 871, intrepidtravel.com.

ITALY

If the blue waters of Capri are beckoning, answer the
call on an 11-day Bellissimo tour that starts in Rome then works its way down
to Pompeii and the divine coastline of Capri and Naples before delving into the
mysteries of Assisi, Venice, Florence and Siena. Includes first-class hotels,
dining in a Tuscan olive grove and a farewell dinner to say ‘ciao’ in Rome.
Book the September 24 tour to save $485 a person. Costs $3050 a person. trafalgar.com

TOURWATCH

Chelsea Flower Show

Next year, the Chelsea Flower Show celebrates its 100-year
anniversary. Australian-owned Botanica World Discoveries takes you to the show,
with five and 10 day tours of London’s premier floral display. “While the site
at the Ranleigh Hospital gardens is compact, the displays are just
sensational,” says Botanica founder Judy Vanrenen, who has been taking
Australians to Chelsea since 2005. “It’s a full-on floral experience.” The
five-day tour starts in London on May 20 and includes tours of London’s private
gardens, as well as four nights’ accommodation in the four-star Crowne Plaza
London, St James. The 10-day tour includes entrance to eight other beautiful
gardens in southern England and Wales. Costs from $2,655 a person, twin share (5
days) and $5795 a person, twin share (10 days) 1300 305 202 botanica.travel.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Aug

Vietnam on famil, en famille

Playing with restaurant staff at Temple Club, Saigon.

Last week, I travelled in Saigon and Hanoi for work, with a 17-month-old in tow. News flash: we survived.

It’s not often I do a blog about the family, mainly because the term ‘mummy blogger’ makes me cringe, and also because I think most people would be bored with twee tails of my junior assistant. But if you’re not, here goes:

Living in Australia and wanting to holiday with kids, conventional wisdom says you holiday either at your local beach, in Queensland or, further afield, in Bali or Fiji. Lovely places all of them, but hello? How limited is that?

What little advice I read about babies and Vietnam was a truism in the Lonely Planet that the main problem is controlling what they put in their mouths.

So true, especially when I watched her throw her dummy onto the ground in Saigon’s main wet (very wet) fish market. A kind trader hosed the dummy down with cold water and then watched carefully to see if I’d reinsert. I diverted the awkward situation by pausing to give the baby a drink of water after thanking the trader and walking off, mid-drink.

Fiji trades on its affinity with children: the same should be said for Vietnam. The staff on Vietnam Airlines played with her curls incessantly, taking lots of photos and trying to stuff her with chocolate cake, and it was no different throughout the country. As another traveller said to me recently, “Asia is far more patient with children than our Western countries.”

Chilling out in a bassinet aboard the Vietnam
Airways flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

The minute we walked into hotels, restaurants, galleries or shops, a smiling person would drop to their knees and say hi to the baby, leaving me free to shop, check in, or check out the menu. Baby chairs were everywhere (compared with the icy reception I received from a Sydney maitre’d recently: ‘No, madam, we do NOT have high chairs’), and people, you could order off-menu to suit the child!

I stayed in four and five-star hotels, so paid accordingl: the going rate for babysitters was $8/hour, comparable to Bali’s five-star hotel rates. Thanks to the three-hour time difference, the baby slept around 7 or 8pm, as the sun was going down, and I organised babysitters to co-incide when she’d be sleeping: easier on her, easier on them. I also spotted plenty of shops in the big cities selling bottles, dummies, wipes and nappies: babies are big business in Vietnam.

The main issues were the same ones we adults encounter: keeping hydrated and avoiding the hottest and most humid times of the day. In August, Saigon was cooler and drier, whereas the noise and heat of Hanoi’s Old Quarter meant two hours outside at the most. Any more than that, and there were tears. I thought rooftop cafes would be a good, breezy escape, except there were so many escape routes – mainly over the side of unfenced terraces. Not so good.

A few pointers:
Most milk sold in Vietnam is sweetened, so ask for non-sweetened for babies’ bottles.
I have had success with night flights, as the baby is so exhausted, she’ll sleep all the way home, unless another kid starts bellyaching (which happened recently coming home from Bali. No fun for anyone, especially his parents).
In Hanoi, I used our pram for cool, early morning walks around the lake to watch the locals play badminton and do martial-looking exercises. Otherwise, the sidewalks are almost non-existent, so baby carriers make more sense, though kids do get hot if squished against you for a long time.
Gorgeous tropical fruit is everywhere – the usual rule applies to peel everything.

Essential packing items:
Dummy cord (see fish market above).
Baby food tubes (Rafferty’s Garden etc – they’re not packed in glass so they’re unsmashable, and sometimes kids like a taste of home such as spag bol or lamb casserole, no matter what the age. They’re great squirted over rice for a bigger meal.)
A toybag with short colouring-in pencils, books for the plane and favourite soft toy. 101 Dalmations, on Disney Channel, was invaluable, with plenty of time spent woofing at the screen.
Photos of family from home, so she didn’t miss her papa or nana.

(PS: if you’re wondering about the headline, ‘famil’ is short for ‘familiarisation’, slang for a press trip.)

Aug

Midnight marathons and trekking in Bhutan: travel deals 19 August

Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, Maldives

Midnight marathons, trekking in Bhutan and the London Design Festival; great international and domestic travel deals.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The great thing about Adelaide is the wineries on its
city fringe including the granddaddy of them all, Penfolds’ Magill Estate,
where you can stop for a drop or dinner. Book two nights at the Oaks iStay Precinct,
in the centre of Adelaide, and get an upgrade to a one-bedroom, fully
self-contained sky view apartment with free parking. Costs from $119 a night,
two night minimum. Book by August 31, stay by September 30. 1300 721 514, oakshotelsresorts.com.au.

VICTORIA

Footy fever is about to hit Melbourne in earnest, when
the AFL grand final wraps up in September. Stay at Melbourne’s designer sports
hotel, the Middle Park Hotel, and they’ll serve up a pre-footy frothy, a
counter meal by the city’s top meat man, chef Paul Wilson, and a gourmet brekky
to set you to rights, the next morning. The Finals Fever package is available
throughout September. Save $49, costs $209 a night for two people. (03) 9690
1958, middleparkhotel.com.au.

Skyview apartment, Oaks iStay Precinct, Adelaide

TASMANIA

With snowy Mt Wellington overlooking Hobart, it may be
cold, but it’ll always be picturesque. A destination in its own right, the
harbourside Henry Jones Hotel has been a jam factory and a whaling station and its
current reincarnation is as a sleek art hotel. Stay until September 30, save 28
per cent on your room rate. Costs from $234 a night (standard room) or $328
(deluxe spa harbour view room). 1800
420 555, thehenryjones.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

Far North
Queensland is one of the best vantage points to view the total solar eclipse
that will take place around 14 November, when the sun is completely blocked by
the moon. Stay at Peppers Beach Club & Spa in Palm Cove, and save 20 per
cent on your room. Book until September 9, stay from November 12-15. Costs from
$1530 for three nights in a lagoon spa room, includes breakfast for two daily.
1300 737 444, peppers.com.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Just 170km south of Darwin is one of Australia’s natural
gems: Kakadu National Park. Explore the
eerily beautiful landscapes, from croc rivers to ancient galleries of
Aboriginal rock art, and the floodplains spread below you at Ubirr. The
three-day Kakadu and Litchfield small group tour includes 4WD transport, guide
and a stay at the Wildman Wilderness Lodge. Book before September 7, travel
from August 31-November 3 and get $600 toward your airfares. Costs $1559 a
person, twin share, land only. 1800 228 546, aatkings.com.au.

15th annual midnight run, Bangkok

THAILANDTake to Bangkok’s streets at night, when the temps are
cool and the traffic’s taken a breather, with the 15th annual charity
midnight run, to be held on October 20. Runners in the 6km and 12km races will
raise money for local causes. Stay two nights at the Amari Watergate, get two tickets
to the marathon (worth $11 apiece), an upgrade to a Grand Deluxe room, free
wifi, 2pm checkout and 20 per cent off spa treatments and food. Costs $347 a room
for two nights. +66 (0) 2653 9000, amari.com.

BHUTAN

Trek to Taktshang Monastery, 900 meters above the valley floor, where it’s said Buddhism came to the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Gay tourism operator Gay Globe will lead a 10-day tour of the Kingdom of Bhutan from January 5, 2013, exploring the cultural and natural aspects of this secretive land. Book before September 30 and save 10 per cent. Includes accommodation, meals and private guides. Costs from $2691 a person. (02) 8005 1690, gayglobe.com.au

VIETNAM

Chen Sea Resort & Spa, Phy Quoc, Vietnam

Detox in style at the four-star Chen Sea Resort & Spa Phu Quoc, on the
southern holiday island of Phu Quoc. The deal, valid until September 30,
includes an hour-long Vietnamese massage for two people, daily breakfast, a
three-course lunch or dinner for two, free meditation and private tai chi
classes. Costs from USD$552 for four nights. +662 101 1234, centarahotelsresorts.com

ENGLAND
Glowing London is still hot, post-games, with the London
Design Festival (September 17-23) the next cab off the rank. Get in on the good
vibes and stay five nights in a Falconers two bedroom suite at the five-star 51
Buckingham Gate, a Taj hotel. Stay until September 30 and save 20 per cent,
that’s $1339. Costs from $3495 for five nights. (02) 9331 9000, tajhotels.com.

MALDIVES

Have the kids been good? Treat them with a holiday in the
Maldives. The Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa is every kid’s dream, with one
Dining by Design dinner, a dolphin cruise, unlimited ice cream (for genuine kids
only!), babysitting, kid’s cooking classes and seaplane airport transfers.
For travel until January 9. Costs from $5368 for two adults and two children
under 12, for four nights. +66 (0) 2365 7500, anantara.com.

TOURWATCH

Singapore sizzles to the sound of smokin’ engines from
September 21-23 when the 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix hits town.
It’s not all about crazy cars, the entertainment includes Katy Perry, Noel
Gallagher and Maroon 5. If you’re an 80s tragic, Bananarama, The Proclaimers
and The Pretenders are also strutting the stages. A three-day Premier Walkabout
ticket costs around $115 a day with access to all zones, singaporegp.sg. Or stay in four-star accommodation and get
transfers, breakfast and a three-day Grandstand ticket. Costs from $892 a
person, four nights. 1300 747 400, creativeholidays.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Aug

Frogs in the belly get you the jump on Saigon

Saigon’s jumping chicken: high in calcium.

I can’t even really look at this photo any more: not after knowing that one of these beasts is now part of me.

In a life spent putting weird things into mouth, Saigon’s ‘jumping chicken’ was a fairly thoughtless decision. It’s only now, afterwards, when I look at the photos, that I’m feeling the qualms.

The frogs (apparently, though they look like toads, they’re definitely frogs) are part of an after-dark tour on the back of vintage Vespas through the streets and alleyways of Saigon.

It’s a wind-in-your-hair, frogs-in-your-belly extravaganza, made moreso because of its simplicity: restore a few gorgeous old Vespas, grab a handful of punters and take them to a few out-of-the-way eating haunts and bars around the city, experiencing life as the locals live it.

The locals cruise the streets, shoulder-to-shoulder with their mates, slowing down for a chat. Long-haired girls in hot pants gossip and do phone. Mums charge determinedly between with kids in front. I even saw one family – mum, dad and a boy about 18 months, who was seated on a wicker chair, its legs wedged across bike’s the petrol tank to keep the little fella from toppling into the traffic.

Knee to knee with the rest of Saigon, cruising the streets on the back of a bike thrashes sitting in a sealed taxi, though a facemask would go down well in peak hour. Preferably one with a pirate’s skull-and-crossbones on it.

And if the thought of a little traffic bingle has your knickers in a knot, the frogs are allegedly high in calcium: so at least your bones would knit back quickly.

Trip details:
Saigon After Dark tour costs US$72 a person for four hours, includes Vespa, driver, guide and all food and drinks, Vietnam Vespa Adventures

Getting there: Vietnam Airlines flies daily from Melbourne and Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), costs from $1180, vietnamairlines.com

Staying there: The five-star Caravelle is the grande dame of Saigon’s hotel scene, and will be relaunching a new look over the coming year. Costs from VND660,000++/A$299 deluxe room/night (84-8) 3823 4999 caravellehotel .com Newest kid on the blog, the four-star Novotel Saigon Centre, has an opening deal which includes free wi-fi and 10 per cent off spa treatments until October 30. Costs from USD$100++ superior room/ night. +84 (0)8 3822 4866, novotel.com.

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