Hoi An - Old Vietnam

Hoi An is a quaint old city, making it to the UNESCO World Heritage List due to the fact that it is virtually unscathed from the wars and retains its old buildings and way of life going back 500 years.  Previously called Faifo, Hoi An was a significant port of call by the Japanese and Chinese traders.  They left their mark on this city with structures such as a bridge and shop houses.  It’s a peaceful place, with trishaws, boats, craftsmen, heritage buildings and great food.

There are a lot of things to see and do in Hoi An with lost of great food, accommodation and shopping.  Both Wikitravel and Lonely Planet have a comprehensive guide on Hoi An.

Hoi An is a jump off point for many tours.  So setup base camp in Hoi An and off to the Marble Mountains, the Cham Islands, My Lai Peace Park, My Son and many other tours.  My Son is an archaeological site full of 4^th to 14^th century temples build by the Champa.  The Cham people of Vietnam are descendants of this civilization. The My Lai Peace Park is a Vietnamese-American dedication to peace in memory of the My Lai massacre.

This video by overlander gives us a glimpse of Hoi An.  Do take of note the short Cham dance snippets contained in this video.

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is the ancient royal capital of Laos.  It sits at the confluence of the Khan and Mekong rivers, where the Khan flows into mighty Mekong.  This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Luang Prabang is sleepy yet majestic with its ancient past.  The royal palace is still intact, and is now a museum, the Haw Kham Royal Palace Museum.  There are many Buddhists temples and daily at dawn, hundreds of monks ritually walk through the city to collect alms with their begging bowls.  Wat Xieng Thong is one of the more prominent temples and a must see for tourists.

This video by Laotian23 gives a pretty good overview of the things to do and see in Luang Prabang.  The audio is a bit crackly, but the words are legible.

Penang - A Victorian Legacy

The Europeans came to Asia looking for riches from spices and trade.  The British created free ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang to get a share of the money of the Chinese traders.  The first of these free ports was Penang, established in 1786.

Armenians, Danes, Germans, Jews, British, Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Arabs, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, Achehnese, Javanese and Malays flocked to this beautiful island and were richly rewarded for their toils and enterprise.

The umbrella of the British Empire ensured that property was protected by law and the thriving community build institutions and shared their food and cultures.  We can see the cemetaries, houses of worship, clan houses, beautiful parks and beaches and taste the mouth watering mix of food and drink that uniquely defines Penang.  This unique melting pot has resulted in the capital city, Georgetown, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a joint listing with its sister heritage city, Malacca. It should be noted that Penang's special home grown dish 'Assam Laksa'  made it to the top 10 (at number 7) of CNN's World's 50 most delicious food.

This video by Alfred and Jasmin Grech from their holiday in Penang sums it all.  Its a colorful montage of the various spots to see and things to do in this cosmopolitan creation of the British Empire.