Vietnam тАУ From Hoi An to Hanoi
very nice pics I did not try and post, are with the article
https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/travel/25464 ... -to-hanoi/
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16:00 28th January 2016 by GT
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TRAVEL > DESTINATIONS
While Hoi An is a touch of the past, Hanoi thrusts you into the future. It makes Vietnam the best of both.

Bustling Hoi An, with its streets of 19th century wood-beamed shophouses, Thu Bon river almost feels like an oasis of calm compared with the growing modernity and dynamism of VietnamтАЩs cities. The charm of Indochina seems to be fading as the spark of industrialisation burns bright in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi, still destinations in their own right. Yet itтАЩs in places like Hoi An where a sense of a bygone Asia remains, one that hasnтАЩt been bombed or bulldozed.

Food glorious food

With direct flights from China, Korea and Singapore to this region, itтАЩs easy to understand the profusion of planned resorts and golf courses but Hoi An, the Unesco World Heritage site, a bustling port from the 17-19th centuries is still a delight, a real gem. The old town is traffic free and at night is adorned with multi-coloured lights as though visitors have stepped into Wonderland.

ThereтАЩs a profusion of local businesses catering to visitors, which have thrived since Vietnam opened back up to the world in 1986. The food alone is a reason to visit, with myriad restaurants to choose from, one of the best being the family owned Miss Ly, featuring local specialities like cao lau (flat noodles with sliced barbecued pork) and тАЬwhite roseтАЭ (steamed shrimp in rice paper). For under a third of the price youтАЩd pay in London, Mango Rooms is a real pleasing spot overlooking the river, although a little on the expensive side. Aside from the usual tourist tat, thereтАЩs shops selling authentic Asian artefacts to put on your mantelpiece and a number of galleries featuring local work.

Open to anyone

At least the shores of the picaresque Hoan Kiem lake mark a serene focal point for this frenetic city, offering the chance to wander among the lovers and the loners, feeling ever the stranger in a strange land but never threatened or intimidated. In fact itтАЩs a tribute to the Vietnamese and their spirit how warm the welcome afforded to Western visitors is, not the somewhat jaded response offered in more established destinations such as Thailand.

Surrounding the lake is the тАЬgay-friendlyтАЭ GC pub (which legend has it stands for Golden Cock). A claustrophobic one-room watering hole that when we visited was literally shaking to Lady Gaga with a procession of young, fashionably dressed Vietnamese guys lined up like debutantes at a tea dance. The ready smiles of the all-male clientele indicated this was not just gay friendly, it was gay.

Serving the T

While Vietnam is still lacking in gay venues, it has no laws against homosexual activity, with the government even reportedly considering legalising same-sex marriage. In a recent move to lift the visibility of gay people in the nation, a local LGBT group organised three тАЬflash mobтАЭ dance events held simultaneously in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Danang attended by more than 1,000 people.

Nowhere is this new-found confidence more prevalent than in Ho Chi Minh City, still referred to as Saigon, undoubtedly one of the engines of growth of the new Vietnam and boasting such a vibrancy that thereтАЩs a feeling people can be who they want to be, without fear of the government interference of old.

But you canтАЩt come to Vietnam and avoid the history of the place, since around almost every corner there seems to be something of significance. What locals term the American War (1965-73) may be seared into the Western consciousness, but being here, surrounded by Vietnamese, makes exhibits like the War Remnants Museum all the more resonant. There is a harrowing section called Requiem, which is a photographic journey through the war, with accompanying and unbiased commentary.

Fit for a Queen

The Reunification Palace is a wonderful piece of 60s kitsch smack bang in the middle of District One. It was here in 1975 that the tanks of the Hanoi-based Communists smashed through the gates to herald the countryтАЩs тАЬliberationтАЭ and reunification, marking the start of more than 30 years of autocratic rule.

Other sights include such French-built gems as Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Post Office (no, really!), Hotel de Ville, Ben Thanh Market and the Municipal Theatre тАФ a place that was restored for the 2002 movie, The Quiet American.

As for nightlife, the aforementioned Q Bar is the only place in Saigon where staff scowl at you rather than smile, but this venue in the bowels of the Municipal Theatre screams cool. For something old Vietnam, try the brilliantly tacky rooftop bar of Rex Hotel up the road, which used to be a favourite spot for US army officers and their admirers during the war.

In terms of a surefire way to meet a local mate to accompany you for the evening, the appropriately named Apocalypse Now is a bar/disco thatтАЩs an odd mix of whiskey-fuelled Vietnamese and goggle-eyed Westerners. ItтАЩs quite a commercial scene, so beware of those pronouncing тАЬlove you long timeтАЭ, but itтАЩs fun, while it lasts, like any trip to this fascinating country.

Vietnam Airlines now flies direct from London Gatwick to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, while flying several times daily from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh to Danang.
GT stayed at The Nam Hai, Hoi An тАУ ghmhotels.com, the Sofitel Metropole тАУ sofitel.com in Hanoi and the Bong Sen in Saigon.
Robin NewboldтАЩs novel, Bloody Summer, is available on amazon.co.uk

Words Robin Newbold