Q A

Q We are a party of five travelling to Vietnam in June. We have heard there is a five-star express and unification railway. We thought we would fly to Hanoi after arriving in Ho Chi Minh, cruise on Halong Bay, then catch trains back to Hoi An and Nha Trang. Which planes-trains do you suggest? Plus, where can we fly to from Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh (preferably not back to Ho Chi Minh)? We then go to Phuket. Can we avoid Bangkok?

Beirut To Hanoi Express

A stroll around the streets of Bankstown takes you through a whole world of flavours

Q&a

Q I plan to travel from Hanoi to Beijing by rail in early December and would appreciate any tips or advice.

Odd Spot

Police have detained two men who were about to harvest a cannabis crop in a cemetery in Hanoi. Police took in Nguyen Manh Hung, 44, who heads the cemetery's caretaker team, and Ho A Lau, 46, after authorities found pot growing on a 25-square-metre patch.

In The Herald: 1966

* The US secretary of state, Dean Rusk, said continued infiltration of men and supplies from North Vietnam to the South, indicated by improved roads on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, justified bombing oil installations in Hanoi and Haiphong. The prime minister, Howard Holt, defied criticism Australia was in the pocket of the US, declaring it was fully justified in being "fulsome" in its support of its ally. It was the week of his "All the way with LBJ" declaration.

In The Herald: 1968

* Preliminary peace negotiations on Vietnam seemed headed for deadlock. Hanoi emphasised that the United States must unconditionally halt bombing and other acts of war against North Vietnam before any other questions were considered. However, the US position was that North Vietnam must undertake to scale down military activity in return for a halt to the bombing. The Americans were known to be concerned that the heavy infiltration of men and supplies into South Vietnam had been taking place since ...

If The Polls Are Right, Gillard Is Set To Kiss Normality Goodbye

IN THE disappointed days after the 2004 election, a depleted Julia Gillard and an old girlfriend boarded a plane to Vietnam and the distracting, blessed anonymity of a holiday starting from Hanoi.

Death Sentence For Smuggler

A SYDNEY man was sentenced to death in Vietnam yesterday for trying to smuggle almost a kilogram of heroin to Sydney in his underwear, as two other Australians prepared to face trial in Hanoi tomorrow on unrelated heroin trafficking charges.

Aussies Survey Hanoi Wreckage

HANOI: Australia's performance at the Asian Cup fell well short of expectations as they crashed out to defending champions Japan on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Minnows Steal The Show - And Hearts - As Heavyweights Struggle

VAST crowds in some arenas, pitiful attendances in others. Supporters in Jakarta, where Indonesia played in front of a sell-out crowd of 88,000, and Hanoi, where the Vietnamese national team has packed out the My Dinh National Stadium, have done the Asian Football Confederation proud by creating an electric atmosphere and generating the passion to inspire their teams.

Whitlam To Hold Talks In Us

* The Australian embassy in Washington confirmed the US president, Richard Nixon, had agreed to meet the prime minister, Gough Whitlam, to discuss a wide range of issues. The meeting had been agreed to despite Whitlam's recent public criticism of US foreign policy and US bombing of Hanoi.

She Fought Disease Despite Risks

AILEEN PLANT 1948-2007 EARLY in 2003 much of the daily news was dominated by revelations of an apparently new respiratory disease that had broken out in Hanoi. People around the world were asking if this was the "new flu" destined to surpass the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that killed more people than World War I.

Time To Up The Anty

IT WAS the nonchalance of ordering stewed pork, two Carlsbergs and, oh yes, a couple of grilled scorpions that made a recent meal in Hanoi rather thrilling. The scorpions were suitably black and hook-tailed but found themselves slipped - metaphorically at least - into my mental file marked "things that sound exotic and rugged but aren't worth the bother or the guilt of eating". There they will forever live alongside whale meat, caramelised crickets and Froot Loops - their slightly earthy offal ...

Encountering The Foreign Tongue

It's not fancy but dining out like a local on the streets of Hanoi offers a world of flavours, writes Emma Chamberlain.

Global View Shoves Regional Deals Aside

GLOBAL trade, not regional free trade, dominated the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum agenda in Hanoi yesterday, with leaders committed to "moving beyond our current trade positions" to break the deadlock. On North Korea there was less consensus.

The Distant Shadow Of Past War

When John Howard and George Bush discuss Iraq, their hosts in Hanoi will relish the irony, writes John Button.

Setback For Hanoi As Us Trade Bill Blocked

IN AN EMBARRASSING setback for the economic ambitions of Vietnam, the US Congress has surprisingly refused to authorise a bill to permanently normalise trade relations with its old foe.

Stalled Trade Bill Blow For Hanoi

IN A setback for Vietnam's economic ambitions, the US Congress has refused to authorise a bill to permanently normalise trade relations with its old foe.

Australia To Push Energy Security At Apec

AUSTRALIA will urge Asia-Pacific leaders to fast-track a regional plan for cleaner and more secure energy when Prime Minister John Howard visits Hanoi this week.

Season In Red Serves Up A Rich Tapestry

Good Morning Hanoi: A Year On The Airwaves In The New Vietnam Iain Finlay and Trish Clark (Simon & Schuster, $29.95) A Season in Red: My Great Leap Forward Into The New China Kirsty Needham (Allen & Unwin, $24.95)