Going back to the topic of photographing kids in Asia, I always felt very uncomfortable doing this, especially as a white male. There are some amazing kids around Asia with so much personality that you can’t help but photograph many of them. I found another set on Flickr with pictures from Laos, and some far more provocative photos of kids playing in the river. By provocative I mean close detail of the kids — the photographer was merely documenting the kids the same way I was. But the photographer here was female, and this is another interesting thing I picked up on while travelling — and that is that for women to take photos of kids is rarely noticed, yet with men its very different. Often I would be with other female travellers taking photos of cute kids playing or trying to sell things, and while they would snap some terrific photos, I always felt very cautious about doing so, in case someone misjudged my intentions.

Unfortunately I don’t think things here will really change. Of course men aren’t the only ones who are sexual predators, but the vast majority are, and everyone knows the appalling situation with child exploitation in Asia. So next time I’m on holiday and we see a bunch of kids splashing water or jumping off water buffalo, I might just pass the camera to my girlfriend — and make sure that ‘naked kids’ don’t appear in the title on Flickr.

The backpacker area in Pham Ngu Lao is surprisingly laidback. Sure there are a few hawkers selling books, cigarettes and fruit, but they take no for an answer very quickly and generally leave you be. We had some beer and some local whiskey (sorry I should’ve written methylated spirits) outside by the main corner and had a great time just soaking up the atmosphere and cool, wet, humid air.

So that’s the myth dispersion out of the way. Today we went to the Ben Thanh markets, which had basically anything you could want from chopsticks to calculators to fake Manchester United tops (not that I would want one of them). We got half a kilo of dried mango for about $5, which is delicious, and will hopefully last until past tomorrow.

After that we headed to the Reunification Palace, which at first looked a bit dull, but inside was a different story. Opulent meeting rooms, lavish 60s go-go style gambling dens and war rooms covered with maps of Vietnam made up the insides of the Palace, once populated by the South Vietnamese President until the commies crashed through the gates on April 30 1975 and ended his little party. The tanks remain inside the gates, although unfortunately only copies.

Just up the road is the infamous War Remnants Museum. The courtyard is full of old American war relics – tanks, Huey helicopters and fighter planes. Inside there are hundreds of amazing photos showing the horror of the war in its uncensored brutality. The most powerful part of the museum is undoubtedly the three babies sitting deformed inside formaldehyde-filled jars: two jars, three babies – two were Siamese twins.

So tomorrow we’re off to see the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai temple outside the city – not sure what Friday will hold, but on Saturday we’ll be off to Dalat in the mountains for some cooler weather.