Travelfish #253: Some Vietnam updates, visa whining + Laze

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi everyone, All about Vietnam this week, with updates to Quang Ngai (where?), Ly Son (double where?) and Qui Nhon (que?). Sticking to theme, this week's film is a quick ditty from Vietnam. More below the fold. Travelfish premium members are growing like mushrooms in the wet season. [Learn how you can become one now! »]( The week that was [Quang Ngai]( is the jumping off point for the site of the My Lai massacre, and you'll find a complete update of it now on the site. We've also got new coverage of a little-known island called [Ly Son]( (actually there are two islands, but you'll need to read our coverage to find out about the second one). Also new online is [Qui Nhon]( a lowish key beach town that more people should know about—especially the hippy chic beach stretch a few kilometres south of town. For premium members, we have a fresh PDF guide online for Quang Ngai, Ly Son and Qui Nhon. Not a premium member? It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year for access to more than 190 guides (among other things). [Find out more here](. The more premium members we have, the more coverage we can keep fresh for you on the site. This week gone, Sally walked the streets of Bali's very own Bondi, yes Canggu. We'll be bringing online a vast range of great places to stay in the coming week. As the counterpoint to Canggu, we'll soon have new coverage for Salavan, Southern Laos, which doesn't have a Bondi bone in its body. Mark meanwhile is in southern Burma, eating mostly it seems, while David has made it across to the southern Thai islands of Ko Kradan and Ko Muk. Updates for those coming soon. Sam is eating all of Hanoi for the next week or two. Keep an eye on the [Travelfish instagram feed]( if you're missing your pho. The soapbox is the somewhat tired expat whine about visas. We do wonder, why don't they just call them admission fees? Our newsletter theme this week is “laze”, because who doesn't deserve a good laze during their travels? As always, please feel free to forward this newsletter on to your friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers and somtam ladies. Good travels, Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team Soapbox Ditch the visa and just start charging admission Your newsletter is a little late this week in part because I got to spend this morning rambling around a variety of offices trying to register for a service I don't need or want in order to be able to begin the drawn out process of renewing visas, work permits and what not. I came away empty-handed (waves fist, I'll be back!), but during those hours spent sitting waiting for a person to add more confusion to an already confusing situation, I got more generally thinking about visas. Sam is in Hanoi at the moment, and late last week there was a hand to mouth moment “Oh God, I need a visa” followed by a bit of panic while we established what to do and how to do it. She’s now scoffing pho and a visa agent and the Vietnamese immigration authorities are richer by a few dozen dollars. But for what? I get that governments want to be able to check who is coming in and out of their country, how long they've been there and what they've been up to, but aside from keeping a few stamp-bashing bureaucrats employed, what purpose does a visa really serve other than to raise a bit of dosh? If you're flying to Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam (for example) many nationalities can choose between a visa beforehand or a visa on arrival. That a visa on arrival is even available seems to infer that whatever (if any) checks are actually made when you apply to enter can be done on arrival. So why don't foreign embassies and consulates remove their tourist visa processing facilities entirely? I mean, what is the point? Why don't they stop calling it a visa and start calling it an admission fee? If you've served time on a stamping desk and can enlighten us as to what is actually checked when a visa is processed, please do! Good travels, Stuart Travelfish partners We work with a number of partners on a commission basis and this helps keep us in business. Please consider using the following links to make any reservations as a commission may end up being paid to us, with no impact on what you pay. Thank you! Places to stay: [Agoda]( [Booking]( Tours and activities: [TourRadar]( [GetYourGuide]( Ground transport: [12Go Asia]( (Thailand), [Camboticket]( (Cambodia), [Baolau]( (Vietnam) Travel insurance: [World Nomads]( Featured Ly Son Island [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on Ly Son Island. Located off the coast of Quang Ngai province, small Ly Son Island (also known as Cu Lao Re) is a growing holiday spot for Vietnamese tourists yet somehow it has eluded the foreign travellers' radar. A ferry from the mainland takes about an hour and Ly Son can be an interesting little getaway for [fresh cheap seafood, photo ops and cultural insight](. Film of the week Vietnam // 2016 Two travellers look to be having fun as they cover [some of the highlights of Vietnam](. Film by Gert // Sels. What we're reading Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne Cambodian-set Hunters in the Dark, by Lawrence Osborne, received rave reviews when it was published in 2016. We didn’t love it, as much as we wanted to: It’s a brooding, masculine book that relies somewhat on tired Southeast Asian tropical tropes of monsoon rains, jungle, the shadow of the Khmer Rouge and drugs. There’s simply not much new or freshly rendered here. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how Cambodia is brought to life on the pages of [a literary page-turner set well after the war years](. Notes from the road BURMA: Lookin’ lazy at the sea [BURMA: Lookin’ lazy at the sea]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on BURMA: A train circle "By the old Moulmein pagoda lookin’ lazy at the sea…," wrote Rudyard Kipling on his 1889 visit and we reckon probably not a lot has changed since in [this rather sleepy and charming old town](. CAMBODIA: A lazy week at Lazy Beach? [CAMBODIA: A lazy week at Lazy Beach?]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on CAMBODIA: A lazy week at Lazy Beach? Lazy Beach is an enviable location for a quiet getaway, offering a winning combination of [seclusion, wonderful food, sunset views](. INDONESIA: Lazy time at Kalala [INDONESIA: Lazy time at Kalala]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on INDONESIA: Lazy time at Kalala Now THIS is a beach. On the southeastern coast of Sumba, tremendous Kalala Beach is an expansive stretch of sparkling white sand, [just the ticket for anyone who wants to get away from everything and everybody](. There’s swimming, and okay snorkelling, fishing and surfing, but you’ll have to wait a bit for the Instagramming and Facebooking as the 3G signal isn’t great — bliss. ISLANDS: A lazy island? [ISLANDS: A lazy island?]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on ISLANDS: A lazy island? The latest of the "secret gilis" to begin to see some development, Gili Layar lies just to the west of the considerably more developed Gili Gede and to the east of Gili Asahan, but offers far superior off-the-beach snorkelling and a decidedly laid back beachside vibe. [We liked it here. A lot.]( LAOS: Lazy river [LAOS: Lazy river]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on LAOS: A 450km circle Far larger than Don Dhet, [Don Khon offers the laidback riverside vibe without the unruly development]( and general trashiness that has befallen Don Dhet. The southernmost tourist destination in Laos, Don Khon also holds the majority of Si Phan Don/the 4000 Islands’ natural and historic attractions. MALAYSIA: A lazy beach village [MALAYSIA: A lazy beach village]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on MALAYSIA: A lazy beach village There are other attractions, including firefly boat tours in the mangroves on the Cherating River and a visit to a nearby turtle hatchery — both of which would be popular with kids — but this is a beach village [and the focus is on the sea and sand](. The left point break gets going in December and January and both rental gear and lessons are available and affordable. SINGAPORE: Take a lazy stroll [SINGAPORE: Take a lazy stroll]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on SINGAPORE: Take a lazy stroll With its bustling markets, fascinating architecture and mouthwatering food, Singapore’s Chinatown is not to be missed. It’s possible to rush through this walking tour of Chinatown in a few hours, but we’d advise setting aside most of the day so that you can take it at an easy pace. A lot of walking and sightseeing is involved, but we’ve added in eating too [just to keep everything all balanced](. THAILAND: Just laze [THAILAND: Just laze]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on THAILAND: Just laze Every now and then we come across a place that [makes us want to drop our bag, throw our feet up and lose a week]( Moon Dance Magic View is such a place. VIETNAM: Lazy beaches [VIETNAM: Lazy beaches]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( on VIETNAM: Lazy beaches Qui Nhon fills in the much needed beach niche between Hoi An and Nha Trang. The city doesn’t have the tourist buzz of those two but the government is making concerted efforts to put it on the map, [and so far we like what we see](. News from the region REGIONAL: One of the world's biggest fisheries on verge of collapse The South China Sea is one of the world’s most important fisheries, employing more than 3.7 million people and generating billions of dollars every year. But after decades of free-for-all fishing, [stocks are dwindling]( threatening the food security and economic growth of the rapidly developing nations that rely on them. BURMA I: The muzzling of the Myanmar Times Myanmar’s English newspaper of record has outlasted the jailing of one of its founders for contrived offences, a suffocating censorship regime not lifted until 2012 and a controversial early connection with the junta. [It may not outlast its current management](. BURMA II: War elephants still exist. But only in one forbidding place. “You’ll mostly find them in remote areas. Places where cars and trucks cannot go,” says Col. James Lum Dau, a foreign affairs specialist who has served in the KIA for decades. “In the deep jungle, an elephant is the only way to bring in supplies. [There is no other way]( BURMA III: Following the pagoda money trail "The vast sums donated to pagodas are managed by boards of trustees but investigations at two of the nation’s most revered pilgrimage destinations have [uncovered discrepancies involving millions of kyat]( CAMBODIA I: The bucolic life of a Cambodian grandmother accused of mass killings "But Im Chaem, the woman enjoying this apparently idyllic retirement, is accused of overseeing the killing of tens of thousands of people as a Khmer Rouge official in northwestern Cambodia in 1977 and 1978. In 2015, a United Nations-backed tribunal charged her with crimes against humanity, [including mass murder, extermination and enslavement]( CAMBODIA II: Wealthy Middle Eastern donors bring uncertainty to Cambodia’s Cham Muslims "Farina So, head of the Cham oral history project at the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, said the rise of Isis [could widen a rift between Muslims and Buddhists in Cambodian society]( INDONESIA I: The blood of dragons could destroy antibiotic resistance "No, this isn’t an analogy or a plot line from Game of Thrones. The devil-toothed Komodo dragon – [the devious beast from Indonesia]( – has a particular suite of chemical compounds in its blood that’s pure anathema to a wide range of bacteria." INDONESIA II: Bali meeting tackles ocean pollution by plastic "In Indonesia, there is a lack of awareness when it comes to trash, which is why a national education programme is being introduced into the curriculum as one way to tackle waste. [But the problem goes far beyond education]( and starts at a much higher level in business and politics." INDONESIA III: Indonesia's four richest men worth as much as poorest 100 million "The charity said the Hartonos – who own a clove cigarette company – could earn enough interest on their fortune in a year to eradicate extreme poverty in Indonesia." [Staggering numbers](. INDONESIA IV: Authorities storm Gili Trawangan, crack down on businesses "It seems the administration has kept its word. On Sunday, February 26, the Indonesian Military Police and National Police arrived on the famous tourist island [and started tearing down structures]( LAOS: More on that shooting on a bus... A peculiar story [to say the least](. THAILAND: Months after raid on infamous Tiger Temple, plans for offshoot zoo forge ahead Just when you thought it was [over](. Travel writing Flying: How to survive long haul "From booking to boarding and deplaning, here are [coping strategies]( from frequent travellers who rack up hundreds of thousands of miles each year." BURMA: Sunset temple favourites in Bagan A trip to Bagan, Myanmar would not be complete without a morning watching the sun peak over the mountains and dye the sky a rainbow of colors. After watching a magical sunrise, a good sunset is also a must! On my recent trip, I spent lots of time researching where to watch the sunrise and sunset that would give me [unforgettable views]( without a ton of people pushing me out the way. CAMBODIA I: Reawakening A foreign journalist and aid workers recall a ‘country in shock’ when they began their lives [in Cambodia during the 1980s](. CAMBODIA II: Eating spiders in Cambodia. Gimmick or gourmet? [Gimmick](. INDONESIA: Indonesia wakes up and smells its own coffee — then drinks it "Anomali sells coffees from nine single origins at a time. Irvan reckons he has [sourced coffee from about 100 single origins]( since founding his company a decade ago." LAOS: Paradise lost to Unesco "Since Unesco helped lay down the town's welcome mat, its long-time residents have been replaced by wealthy Lao outsiders, an ever-growing influx of tourists and enough French, Australian, American and other expatriates catering to their needs [to have locals rhyme Luang Prabang with "Meuang Falang"]( - meaning either French or Western town." THAILAND I: Nong Khai landscape of dreams "I was in awe of the lush green countryside, especially seeing the fog rolling in through the mountains during the early morning. The scenery around Nong Khai was [spectacular]( THAILAND II: Thailand’s new sleeper trains. Good, but no cigar... "And the verdict? They’re good, but they have a couple of design niggles that someone, somewhere, [should have picked up on]( VIETNAM I: The changing face of Saigon – 2017 edition A year in [transition](. Interesting site Eat Drink Laos If you're going to Laos, this [excellent site]( belongs on your reading list. Travel shot [Exploring the beaches south of Qui Nhon.] Exploring the beaches south of Qui Nhon. Till next time [Sam and Stuart.] That's it from us for now. As usual, enjoy the site's new additions and drop us a line if there's something in particular you'd like us to cover in Southeast Asia. Travel light! Stuart, Sam & the Travelfish team [( You're receiving the Travelfish newsletter because you signed up at Travelfish.org. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe Instantly](. Make sure you're getting our emails! If you're a Gmail user and would prefer your Travelfish newsletter in your Primary in-box rather than Promotions, just drag this email from the Promotions tab to the Primary tab, and click "yes" when it asks if you want to do that for all of our emails. 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