Michael Portillo boards Vietnam’s spectacular Reunification Railway to make a 1,000-mile journey from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the capital, Hanoi. Michael visits the vast container port of Haiphong and finishes in the turquoise waters of Halong Bay.\n\nMichael’s 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide unlocks for him the traumatic 20th-century history of today’s Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a former French colony. On this leg, he braves the streets of Saigon - as locals still call Ho Chi Minh City - on a motorbike, one of 8.5 million to do so daily. He attempts the national sport, da cau, and samples French-Vietnamese fusion food. Michael discovers how to make the quintessential Vietnamese condiment of fish sauce and joins modern Vietnamese people on holiday in a replica medieval French village in the Annamite Mountains, west of Da Nang. \n\nIn the tailoring capital of Hoi An, Michael learns how the region’s silkworms feed on the Champa mulberry tree and how the Cham people weave their distinctive brocade. Can he resist a colourful new jacket?
Source: BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 10. Singapore
Michael Portillo’s south east Asian railway tour reaches its final stop - Singapore. The island city-state at the southern tip of Malaysia is one of Asia’s biggest s ...
23-03-2024
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 9. Kuala Lumpur To Johor Bahru
Following his 1913 Bradshaw’s guidebook, Michael Portillo continues his exploration of the Malaysian peninsula. Beginning in its dynamic and diverse capital, Kuala Lumpur, ...
09-03-2024
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 8. Penang To Cameron Highlands
Michael Portillo’s south east Asian travels reach Malaysia - once a British colony. Michael’s journey begins on the island of Penang, Britain’s first stronghol ...
09-12-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 7. Yogyakarta To Surabaya
Michael Portillo’s railway journey following his 1913 guidebook continues in Indonesia. Beginning in Java’s royal city, Yogyakarta, Michael visits the Sultan’s ...
25-11-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 6. Jakarta To Borobudur
Michael Portillo’s 2500-mile railway tour of south east Asia reaches its southern most point in Indonesia. Michael's journey begins on the island of Java at the heart of t ...
18-11-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 5. Hue To Halong Bay
Michael Portillo continues his thousand-mile journey aboard the Reunification Railway from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the capital, Hanoi, and on to the vast northern port ...
11-11-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 4. Ho Chi Minh To Hoi An
Michael Portillo boards Vietnam’s spectacular Reunification Railway to make a 1,000-mile journey from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the capital, Hanoi. Michael visits t ...
28-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 3. Bangkok To Hua Hin
Michael Portillo continues his exploration of Thailand by rail, steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s guide. He steps into the ring under the guidance of champion trainer Master ...
21-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 2. Chiang Mai To The River Kwai
Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a two-part rail adventure through Thailand, from the northern city of Chiang Mai to Kanchanaburi on the R ...
14-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 1. Hong Kong
Michael Portillo is in south east Asia, armed with his 1913 Bradshaw’s Handbook. Published at the height of European imperialism, it leads Michael on a spectacular 2,500-m ...
07-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 4. Ho Chi Minh To Hoi An
Michael Portillo boards Vietnam’s spectacular Reunification Railway to make a 1,000-mile journey from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to the capital, Hanoi. Michael visits t ...
28-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 10. Hanoi To Ha Long Bay
Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael continues his thousand-mile journey through what was then French Indochina and is today the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. \n ...
24-04-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 2. Chiang Mai To The River Kwai
Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a two-part rail adventure through Thailand, from the northern city of Chiang Mai to Kanchanaburi on the R ...
14-10-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 4. Ayutthaya To River Kwai
Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Thailand from Lampang, stopping to help at an elephant hospital, where they care for animals wounded by landmines.\n\nIn the ...
05-04-2023
BBC 4
Series 1 (60-minute Versions): 6. Jakarta To Borobudur
Michael Portillo’s 2500-mile railway tour of south east Asia reaches its southern most point in Indonesia. Michael's journey begins on the island of Java at the heart of t ...
18-11-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 8. Da Nang To Hoi An
Michael Portillo continues his thousand-mile journey through Vietnam aboard the Unification Railway from Ho Chi Minh City to the capital, Hanoi.\n\nLeaving what locals still cal ...
12-04-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 14. Ambarawa To Surabaya
Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s guidebook on a 2,500-mile rail tour of south east Asia, Michael Portillo is in Indonesia, today one of the biggest coffee producers in the w ...
02-05-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 3. Chiang Mai To Lampang
Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a four-part rail adventure through Thailand from the northern city of Chiang Mai to Kanchanaburi on the R ...
04-04-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 12. Jakarta To Borobudur/kutoarjo
Michael continues his journey across the largest island of the Indonesian archipelago, from the capital, Jakarta. His seven-hour railway journey takes him through rainforests an ...
26-04-2023
BBC 4
Series 1: 15. Penang To Kuala Kangsar
Michael Portillo’s 2,500-mile rail tour of south east Asia reaches Malaysia.\n\nOn the island of Penang, Michael traces the origins of the former British colony in Georget ...
03-05-2023
BBC 4