steel city scribblings

March 26. I’m at it again. Sipping my favourite drug – having long since renounced the illegals and, with more difficulty, tobacco – at a pavement cafe in downtown Buon Ma Thuot. A street photo­grapher and caffeine addict does not … Read More »

Viets have an earthy, robust humour that reminds me of my native Sheffield. On arrival in Kon Tum I found a hotel that seemed OK and told Slim, the lad on the desk, I wanted a motorbike in the morning. … Read More »

Another hard day’s riding in the Central Highlands. I’ve clocked more than a hundred miles – no small thing on these roads – in the area north west of Kom Tum, epicentre of Vietnam’s coffee operation, now the biggest in … Read More »

Kon Tum, Central Highlands, the French-in-Indochina’s answer to the British-in-India’s Oota­c­amund: a hill station where Europeans could take temporary refuge from summer’s heat and white man’s burden, a town awash with handsome colonial architecture said to be the best in … Read More »

One of the first sights I registered on arriving a few days ago in Hoi Anh was a low, attractive building. It stands close to the river and old town, fronted by a leafy courtyard, and is clearly institutional; a … Read More »

How much d’you want for that? (I’m goin’ to the store). Man says three dollars. I say alright – will you take four?  Bob Dylan, Love & Theft Five men, amputees all, sit by the roadside hawking cheap fans. I’m … Read More »

Two small porcelain trays have caught my eye. Their rectangular bases and shallow curving sides are painted delicately; Cham patterns in muted greys. Now the fun begins. “How much?” The girl smiles. “Sixty thousand dong each.” I look thoughtful. “Forty … Read More »

Absolutely the way to go here: typically 125cc, and that’s enough. Two things are needed. One, you must know how to control the bike. (If unsure, find a way of practicing at home first.) Two, forget all you know about … Read More »

With a few exceptions I try to avoid writing on my travels of things you can find out your­self in books or online. For instance the walls of Hue’s Forbidden City are ‘crumbling’ due to ferocious US mortar fire in … Read More »