I arrived by air from Bangkok to Phnom Penh at 8:30 AM. Visa on arrival: 20 US$. Took a taxi (7 US$) to Narin II guest house where I am staying when I am connecting by bus to Vietnam. Cheap (4-12 US$) and convenient from where you can take a tourist bus to Ho Chi Minh (4 US$)
Spent the day revisiting Phnom Penh, taking pictures and meeting some friends. At night walking along the riverside, eating, drinking, taking pictures…… 
Phnom Penh international airport. Formerly Pochentong International Airport
Narin II guest house
From http://wikitravel.org/en/Phnom_Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Despite its reputation as a 'rough' city, Phnom Penh is easy to get around and is a great introduction to Cambodia. For western visitors, even those who have visited other Asian cities, Phnom Penh can be a bit of a shock. It can be very hot and (in the dry season) dusty, its infrastructure is lacking, and it is a very poor city - much poorer than, for example, Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). In the past the visitor who could not adjust to rubbish filled streets and large numbers of beggars could give Phnom Penh a miss. But things are changing. The infrastructure is improving rapidly - fewer power outages, streets are paved, rubbish is collected more frequently - and the city retains much of the beauty that made it a Paris of the east before 1970. Beautiful wide boulevards, fine colonial architecture and a parklike riverfront with cafés and restaurants aplenty help make Phnom Penh a worthwhile destination. Not necessarily for its standard tourist sights, which are few. But as a place to relax, watch the streetlife and absorb local color Phnom Penh rates very high among Asian cities. The beggars are still there, along with a great number of street kids and kids selling tourist paraphernalia, but this is most visible in heavily touristed areas. Situated at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonlé Sap Rivers, Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, has a population of approximately 2 million people. Despite the dilapidation resulting from decades of war, the city retains its traditional Khmer and colonial charm. French villas along tree-lined boulevards remind the visitor that the city was once considered the gem of Southeast Asia. Recent political changes have triggered an economic boom of sorts, with new hotels, restaurants, bars, and residential buildings springing up around the city. Phnom Penh's wealth of historical and cultural sites makes it a very popular tourist destination..
The city takes its name from the Wat Phnom Daun Penh (known now as just the Wat Phnom or Hill Temple), built in 1373 to house five statues of Buddha on a man made hill 27 meters high. It was named after Daun Penh (Grandma Penh), a wealthy widow.
Phnom Penh was also previously known as Krong Chaktomuk meaning "City of Four Faces". This name refers to the junction where the Mekong, Bassac, and Tonle Sap rivers cross to form an "X" where the capital is situated. Krong Chaktomuk is an abbreviation of its ceremonial name given by King Ponhea Yat which was "Krong Chaktomuk Mongkol Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Sereythor Inthabot Borei Roth Reach Seima Maha Nokor".
Phnom Penh first became the capital of Cambodia after Ponhea Yat, king of the Khmer Empire moved the capital from Angkor Thom after it was captured by Siam a few years earlier. There are stupa behind Wat Phnom that house the remains of Ponhea Yat and the royal family as well as the remaining Buddhist statues from the Angkorean era. There is a legend that tells how Phnom Penh was created.
It was not until 1866 under the reign of King Norodom I that Phnom Penh became the permanent seat of government, and the Royal Palace was built. This marked the beginning of the transformation of what was essentially a village into a great city with the French Colonialists expanding the canal system to control the wetlands, constructing roads and building a port.
By the 1920s Phnom Penh was known as the Pearl of Asia and over the next four decades continued to experience growth with the building of a railway to Sihanoukville and the Pochentong International Airport.
During the Vietnam War, Cambodia was used as a base by the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, and thousands of refugees from across the country flooded the city to escape the fighting between their own government troops, the NVA/NLF, the South Vietnamese and its allies and the Khmer Rouge. By 1975 the population was 2,000,000, the bulk of them refugees from the fighting. The city fell to the Khmer Rouge on April 17, the Cambodian New Year, and was evacuated by force, its residents being made to labor on rural farms as "new people". Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's forces and was turned into the S-21 prison camp, where Cambodians were detained and tortured. Pol Pot desired a return to an agrarian economy and therefore killed anyone who was educated, who wore glasses, or who did not have calloused hands to cleanse the population of the taint of westernization. Many others starved to death as a result of failure of the agrarian society and the sale of Cambodia's rice to China in exchange for bullets and weaponry. Tuol Svay Prey High School is now the Tuol Sleng Museum in which Khmer Rouge torture devices and photos of their victims are displayed. Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), 15 kilometers away, where the Khmer Rouge marched prisoners from Tuol Sleng to be murdered and buried in shallow pits, is also now a memorial to those who were killed by the regime.
The Khmer Rouge were driven out of Phnom Penh by the Vietnamese in 1979 and people began to return to the city. Vietnam is historically a state with which Cambodia has had many conflicts, therefore this liberation was and is viewed with mixed emotions by the Cambodians. A period of reconstruction began, spurred by continuing stability of government, attracting new foreign investment and aid by countries including France, Australia, and Japan. Loans were made from the Asia Development Bank and the World Bank to reinstate a clean water supply, roads and other infrastructure. The 1998 Census put Phnom Penh's population at 862,000; by 2001 it was estimated at slightly over 1 million.
Origin of Phnom Penh. Wat Phnom Daun Penh (known now as just the Wat Phnom or Hill Temple), built in 1373 to house five statues of Buddha on a man made hill 27 meters high. It was named after Daun Penh (Grandma Penh), a wealthy widow.
Monivong street.
Central market
Royal palace. The Royal Palace and the two magnificent pagodas in the Palace Grounds, the Silver Pagoda and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, are among the few public buildings in Phnom Penh really worth seeing. They were built in the 19th century with French technology and Cambodian designs
National museum. The National Museum (opposite the Royal Palace). Contains an excellent collection of art from Cambodia's "golden age" of Angkor, and a lovely courtyard at the center.
Ordinary typical cambodian scenes on the river bank. Buy a bird and let him free, lotus flowers, a drink or anything else....
On the river bank
Sisowath Quay boulevard along the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap
Restaurants and bars on Sisowath Quay boulevard.
Nice old french style houses
Need some renovation
Early evening meditation near the river
Some chattings near the river
Independence and Liberation memorial commemorating the departure of the French in 1953
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King Norodom Sihamoni
Nice house in night time
De luxe tuk tuk in Phnom Penh
Khmer smile
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. More than 14,000 people were tortured in this former school before being killed at the Killing Fields south of Phnom Penh; only 8 prisoners made it out alive.
Pol Pot regime (double click on the picture)Below pictures taken in the museum
In the way to the killing fields, Cheoung Ek, about 15 km south of Phnom Penh, where the Khmer Rouge killed many thousands of their victims .
Mass graves in killing fields.
Buddhist stupa in commemoration of the killings
Inside the stupa
January 25: Departure at 8 AM by bus to Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. 8 hours trip (for 4 US$) including 2 hours stop at both Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrations.
On the way to Vietnam
Crossing the Mekong river. Neakloeung ferry
Crossing the Mekong Neakloeung ferry
Leaving soon Cambodia for Vietnam. Two last pictures of Cambodia from another trip (travelblog soon). Two pictures of Khmer golden age heritage.
Angkor wat, Siem Reap
Bayon, Siem Reap
Crossing by foot now the Cambodian-Vietnamese border at Bavet/Mocbai
bye bye Cambodia_____Good morning Vietnam
January 25 February 13. Vietnam.. I arrived to Ho Chi Minh (Sai Gon) in the afternoon. It was my 14th visit to Vietnam. This time I spent my time in Sai Gon, Vung Tau and Nha Trang.
January 25-February 3rd, February 5-7th, February 11-13th Sài Gòn. I Stayed in a mini hotel on Bui Vien in Pham Ngu lau area, district 1. Passed my time quietly, visiting friends, eating drinking.......enjoying the time on motobike with my friends who were very kind and helpful for showing me around on motobike and finding nice delicious local vietnamese restaurants and specialities
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam and is located near the Mekong River delta. 10°45′N, 106°40′E Population (Mid-2005) 6,239,938
Under the name Prey Nokor (Khmer: ), it was a hamlet of Cambodia before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 16th century. Known as Saigon (Sài Gòn) until the end of the Vietnam War, it was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina, and later of the former state of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. In 1975, Saigon was merged with the surrounding province of Gia Định and renamed Ho Chi Minh City (although the name Saigon is still frequently used).
The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 km from the South China Sea [and 1760 km (1094 mi) south of Hanoi.
The metropolitan area which consists of Ho Chi Minh city metro area, Bien Hoa, Thu Dau Mot and surrounding towns has more than 9 million people,[citation needed] making it the largest metropolitan area in Vietnam and Indochina.
After Prey Nokor was settled by Vietnamese migrating from the north, it became known as Sài Gòn. There is much debate about the origins of the Vietnamese name Saigon, the etymology of which is analyzed below.
Before French colonization, the Vietnamese name of Saigon was Gia Ðịnh. In 1862, the French discarded this official name and adopted "Saïgon", which had always been popular as Sài Gòn.
On May 1, 1975, after the fall of South Vietnam, the now ruling communist government renamed the city after the alias of their leader Hồ Chí Minh. The official name is now Thành phố (meaning city) Hồ Chí Minh, often abbreviated TPHCM. In English this is translated as Ho Chi Minh City, abbreviated HCMC, and in French it is translated as Hô Chi Minh Ville (the circumflex is sometimes omitted), abbreviated HCMV. Still, the old name Sài Gòn/Saigon is widely used by Vietnamese and is found in company names, book titles and sometimes on airport departure boards (the code for Tan Son Nhat International Airport is SGN). The district 1 (downtown) is still called Saigon.
Ho Chi Minh City began as a small fishing village known as Prey Nokor. The area that the city now occupies was originally swampland, and was inhabited by Khmer people for centuries before the arrival of the Vietnamese.
In 1623, King Chey Chettha II of Cambodia (1618-1628) allowed Vietnamese refugees fleeing the Trinh-Nguyen civil war in Vietnam to settle in the area of Prey Nokor, and to set up a custom house at Prey Nokor. Increasing waves of Vietnamese settlers, which the Cambodian kingdom, weakened because of war with Thailand, could not impede, slowly Vietnamized the area. In time, Prey Nokor became known as Saigon.
In 1698, Nguyen Huu Canh, a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyen rulers of Huế to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. He is often credited with the expansion of Saigon into a significant settlement. A large Vauban citadel called Gia Dinh has been built, which was later destroyed by the French over the Battle of Chi Hoa.
Conquered by France in 1859, the city was influenced by the French during their colonial occupation of Vietnam, and a number of classical Western-style buildings in the city reflect this, so much so that Saigon was called "the Pearl of the Far East" (Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông) or "Paris in the Orient" (Paris Phương Đông).
In 1954, the French were defeated by the Communist Viet Minh in the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, and withdrew from Vietnam. Rather than recognizing the Communists as the new government, they gave their backing to a government established by Emperor Bảo Đại. Bảo Đại had set up Saigon as his capital in 1950. At that time Saigon and the city of Cholon (Chợ Lớn), which was inhabited primarily by Vietnamese Chinese, were combined into one administrative unit, called the Capital of Saigon (Đô Thành Sài Gòn in Vietnamese). When Vietnam was officially partitioned into North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam), the southern government, led by President Ngô Đình Diệm, retained Saigon as its capital.
At the conclusion of the Vietnam War, on April 30, 1975, the city came under the control of the Vietnam People's Army. In the U.S. this event is commonly called the "Fall of Saigon," while the communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam call it the "Liberation of Saigon."
In 1976, upon the establishment of the unified communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including Cholon), the province of Gia Ðịnh and 2 suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Hồ Chí Minh City in honour of the late communist leader Hồ Chí Minh. The former name Saigon is still widely used by many Vietnamese, especially in informal contexts. Generally, the term Saigon refers only to the urban districts of Hồ Chí Minh City. The word "Saigon" can also be found on shop signs all over the country, even in Hanoi.
Today, the city's core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The most prominent structures in the city center are Reunification Hall (Dinh Thống Nhất), City Hall (Uy ban Nhan dan Thanh pho), City Theater (Nha hat Thanh pho), City Post Office (Buu dien Thanh pho), Revolutionary Museum (Bao tang Cach mang), State Bank Office (Ngan hang Nha nuoc), City People's Court (Toa an Nhan dan Thanh pho) and Notre-Dame Cathedral (Nhà thờ Đức Bà).
Ho Chi Minh City is home to a well-established ethnic Chinese population. Cholon, now known as District 5 and the parts of Districts 6, 10 and 11, serves as its Chinatown.
With a population now exceeding 7 million (registered residents plus migrant workers), Ho Chi Minh City is in need of vast increase in public infrastructure. To meet this need, the city and central governments have embarked on an effort to develop new urban centers. The two most prominent projects are the Thu Thiem city center in District 2 and the Phu My Hung New City Center in District 7 (as part of the Saigon South project) where various international schools such as Saigon South International (The American School), the Japanese school, Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, the Taiwan and Korea schools are located).
Ho Chi Minh City is the most important economic center in Vietnam. Some 300,000 businesses, including many large enterprises, are involved in high-tech, electronic, processing and light industries, also in construction, building materials and agro-products. Currently, the city has 15 industrial parks (IP) and export-processing zones (EPZ), in addition to the Quang Trung Software Park and the Sai Gon Hi-tech Park (SHTP). There are 171 medium and large scale markets, tens of supermarket chains, dozens of luxury shopping malls and many modern fashion or beauty centers. Over 50 banks with hundreds of branches and about 20 insurance companies are situated inside the city. The first Stock Exchange of Vietnam was opened in the city in 2001.
In 2005, the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at USD 11.6 billion, or about USD 1,850 per capita, (up 12.2% on 2004) and accounting for 20% GDP of the country. The GDP calculating Parity Purchasing Power method (PPP), attained USD 56 billion, or about USD 8,900 per capita (approximately 3.5 times higher than the country's average). The city's Industrial Product Value was USD 5.6 billion, equivalent to 30% of the whole nation. Export - Import Turnover through HCMC ports took USD 29 billion, or 40% of the national total. Ho Chi Minh City has also contributed about 30% to the national budget's revenue annually.
Visitors can also enjoy various non-local cuisines, from Japanese sushi to Texas barbecue. The city has hundreds of ranked hotels with over 18,000 rooms, including ten luxury 5 star hotels. However, backpacking travelers can easily get cheap menus and rooms in the "Western Quarter" on Pham Ngu Lao street in District 1.
Corner De Tham/Bui Vien in Pham Ngu Lau area. district 1
De Tham street
My hotel room on the top of the tallest building shown on the picture,Bui Vien street..10 US$/night balcony, cable TV, air con....
Sài Gòn from top floor
Narrow buildings in some districts.
Music school in district 1
Villa in district 1
Park along Pham Ngu lau street
New developments
City hall
Diamond shopping mail and entertainment
Sài Gòn Cathedral
Post office
Inside the post office
Opera house
Reunification hall. Formerly presidential palace. 
Boulevard on the river bank. Tran Hung Dao statut. Tran Hung Dao was a figure of almost legendary proportions in Vietnamese history, a brilliant military strategist who defeated two Mongol invasions and became a cultural hero among modern Vietnamese.
Sài Gòn river bank
Famous Ben Thanh market, district 1. Ben Thanh market has long been one of Saigon's most famous landmark. The market has been in existence since the French occupation. 
Inside Ben Thanh market
Majestic hotel. French architecture.
Rex hotel adjacent to the city hall.
Pasteur Institute, Pasteur street.
Pho at Pasteur Hoa Pho, opposite Pasteur Institute.
Pagoda in the suburb of Sài Gòn. Chua Chau doc 2
Indian temple near Ben Thanh market
Enjoying Cafe Đen (black Vietnamese coffee)
Street restaurants and coffee bars
Breakfast time
Cyclo transportation
Motobike traffic. The best way to cross the street is to close your eyes. Don't hesitate and walk. Let the motobike drivers handle in an elegant and safe way the situation.
Night and day. Motobikes everywhere
Wedding in Sài Gòn.
Any place is perfect in Sài Gòn to make home works
Moving time
Fruit stand
Quite good fruit when mixed with sugar syrup
Local restaurant
BBQ and Sai gon beer
Yummy Banh xeo
Delicious Bun Reu Ng Huu Hao
Bun Bo Hue
I ended several times in Chợ Lớn, China town for a delicious and cheap ice creams
Pig restaurant
Party with friends
Chuc Mung Nam Moi. Happy new (pig) year
Celebrations for lunar new year
Flower stands on Pham Ngu Lau park for the new year
For new year
Thanh long . Dragon fruits for new year
Friend flower stand on Pham Ngu Lau park
Decorations for lunar New year in Chợ Lớn, China town , Sài Gòn
February 3nd and February 4th, Vũng Tàu .Two days in Vũng Tàu to visit friends; my 6th visit. The first one was in 1974 when I drove a car from Sài Gòn to Vũng Tàu with my Montreal University friends.
Vũng Tàu is a city in Vietnam. Population in 2005: 240,000 It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and is the petroleum center in Vietnam. During 14th and 15th centuries, the cape that would become Vũng Tàu was a swamp which European trading ships visited regularly. The ships' activities inspired the name Vũng Tàu, which means "anchorage". The Portuguese navigators passed Vũng Tàu many times and named it after Saint Jacques. The French invaded Vietnam afterwards and called it Cape Saint Jacques. The cliff of Vũng Tàu is now called Mũi Nghinh Phong (literally means “Cape of breeze welcome”).
Vũng Tàu was originally referred to as Tam Thắng ("Three Boats") in memory of the first 3 villages in this area: Thắng Nhất, Thắng Nhị, Thắng Tam. It was within the province of Biên Hòa under the Nguyen dynasty. Under the reign of king Gia Long (1761-1820), when Malay pirates built a base here and subsequently became a danger to traders in Gia Dinh city, the king sent 3 troupes of army to crack down on the pirates. The pirates were ousted and solders of these troupes were given the land as a reward.
10th February 1859 marks the first use of cannons by Nguyen’s army, when they fired at French battleships from the fortress of Phước Thắng, located 100 m from Vũng Tàu's Front Beach. This marked an important period in Vietnam’s war against French invaders in South Vietnam (then called Cochinchina).
In 1876, according to a decree by the French colonialists, Vung Tau was merged in Ba Ria county, a part of Saigon administration (French: circonscription de Saigon).
On May the 1st 1895 the governor of Cochinchina established by decree that Cape Saint Jacques would thereafter be an autonomous town. In 1898, Cape Saint Jacques was merged with Ba Ria County once again but was divided again in 1899.
In 1901, the population of Vũng Tàu was 5,690, of which 2000 persons were immigrants from North Vietnam. Most of the town's population made their living in the fishing industry.
On April 4th 1905 Cape Saint Jacques was made an administrative district of Ba Ria province. In 1929, Cape Saint Jacques became a province, and in 1934 became a city (commune).
The French governor of Indochina, Paul Doumer (who later became President of France), built a mansion in Vũng Tàu that is still a prominent landmark in the city.
During the Vietnam War, Vũng Tàu was home to the Australian Army and American support units, and was a popular spot for in-country R&R for U.S. combat troops. After the war, Vũng Tàu was a common launching place for the Vietnamese Boat People fleing the communists.
On May 30th 1979, Vũng Tàu town was made the capital of Vung Tau-Con Dao Special Admistrative Zone.
On August 12th 1991, the province of Ba Ria-Vũng Tàu was officially founded and Vũng Tàu town officially became Vũng Tàu city.
The city is located in the south of Vietnam, and is situated at the tip of a small peninsula. It has traditionally been a significant port, particularly during Vietnam's period of French rule. Today, the city's importance as a shipping port has diminished, but it still plays a significant role in Vietnam's off-shore oil industry. Vung Tau is the only petroleum base of Vietnam where crude oil and gas exploitation activities dominate the city's economy and contribute principal income to Vietnam's budget and export volume.
To most tourists, however, Vũng Tàu is more interesting for its extensive beaches. Tourists always prefer sightseeing at Front Beach (Bai Truoc) but go swimming in Back Beach (Bai Sau). Back Beach is well-known for its over 10 km of fine sand seaside. As Vũng Tàu is only 130 km away from Ho Chi Minh City, it is a favourite resort destination for those wishing to get away from the city. In recent times, the number of foreign tourists visiting Vũng Tàu's beaches increased. Vũng Tàu is also home to one of Vietnam's most well known golf courses. From Ho Chi Minh City, one needs two hours to reach Vung Tau by road (51A Expressway) or an hour and fifteen minutes by hydrofoil express ferry.
A big resort project has just been licensed by the Vietnamese government - the Saigon Atlantis. Upon competition, this entertainment project which requires USD 300 million in capital investment will include resorts, shopping, sailing. Two other noteworthy entertainment projects awaiting licensing are Vung Tau Aquarium, which will cost USD 250 million, and Bau Trung, a Disneyland-like entertainment park which will cost USD 250 million.
Cuisine here is characterized by fresh seafood (loster, crab, fish), German beer, and Russian cuisine.
Vũng Tàu is also of interest for religious reasons. It has about 14 catholic wards with active services. A notable monument in the city is a large statue of Jesus, constructed on a hill-top by Vietnam's Catholic minority. It was completed in the early 1970s. The Thich Ca Phat Dai pagoda and Niet Ban Tinh Xa temple, both Buddhist sites, are also significant, drawing pilgrims from around the country.
There has been a Russian village in Vũng Tàu ever since the Soviet Era; these Russians generally worked for the Russian-Vietnamese joint venture Vietsopetro. It is believed that these "Russians", or "citizens of the former Soviet Union", were once the most dominant group of westerners in Vung Tau. Some have remained in Vũng Tàu after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Hydrofoil to Vũng Tàu
Arriving to Vũng Tàu
Vũng Tàu opposite side
Jesus Christ over looking Vũng Tàu
Buddhas
Last Emperor Bao Đai house in Vũng Tàu
Trung Hung Dao
One of one the beaches in Vũng Tàu
Me again
On the beach
Sunset in Vũng Tàu
February 7-11th Nha Trang. I took a night bus(8US$) from Bui Vien street in Sai gon to Nha Trang. I arrived early morning. I usually take the same bus to come to visit a Vietnamese family I met in 2002, to relax in Nha trang or to travel around by motobike with my Vietnamese friend. A trip of 1200 km on the Highlands on motobike in 2006 will be the next subject of a travelblog.From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nha_Trang
Nha Trang is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa province, Vietnam. It is well known for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving and is fast becoming a popular destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers on the Southeast Asia circuit. It is already very popular with Vietnamese tourists. Nha Trang Bay is amongst the world's most beautiful bays. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is projected to increase to 500,000 to 600,000 inhabitants in the year 2020[citation needed] according to estimation of Nha T 
