Vietnam

We arrived in Saigon to a terrential downpour after however a very smooth border crossings!! On the bus with us was another British couple and we knew where we wanted to go so we thought we would share a taxi. After being told we were at the bus station we asked the taxi driver to put the fare on the meter and we were away. After about 5 minutes we realised the fare was going up very quickly but still adjusting to the Vietnamese currency we thought it just might have been us!! We eventually stopped and definately realised we'd been scammed with the dodgy meter as we should have paid a lot less!! Not only that, the taxi driver short changed us saying sorry he didn't have any change!! After I had a bit of a go we eventually got our change and met a man who showed us to a guesthouse which turned out to be very nice for $10!



Later that evening we went out for dinner with the couple Rich and Jen but on our way back to the guesthouse we realised there were lots of buses stopping at this one place then jen realised she saw the cash point where she'd got money out!! So bascially the taxi driver took us for a little ride around the block with his faulty meter!!



Other than the first mishap Saigon couldn't have been more different to Cambodia it was a lot more built up and VERY busy!! The only danger about it was trying not to be hit by the 3 million mopeds driving around town!! Crossing the roads was bascially suicidal!! The following day we headed out to look around town and we found a cafe with lots of pastries! (the only good thing the French has done is bringing french baguettes to Vietnam!!)

We had crossaints for breakfast and a cup of coffee, as we'd read vietnamese coffee was meant to be really good!! Well whoever said that was lying!! It was incredibly sweet and had very strange milk!! After breakfast we headed to a market and it wasn't like any market we'd been in before as the Vietnamese were very friendly in that they liked to touch you!! We were grabbed more times than we could count to stop at their stalls. Nic had trousers held up to him and it was a fatal mistake asking how much something was because then they wouldn't let you go!! Literally!! We did however purchase a few things!!

After that we went to a musuem of all places!! But when we turned up it was closed for lunch which was just our luck so we had to occupy ourselves in a cafe for an hour!! The musuem was the war musuem which had lots of US army aircraft still there which was quite cool!! After lunch we headed to another market and we found even more dvd's to add to how growing collection and we both bought brand new ski jackets!! We couldn't get over why they were selling ski jackets in a hot country like Vietnam but we also didn't care as both of our ski jackets came to 40 pound!! Bargain!!

That night we went out for dinner again with our new found friends and had a few beers and to our surprise beer was even cheaper than in Cambodia as a big bottle of Saigon beer was only 35p!!

The next day we had booked on a trip for $4 each to go to Cui Gui tunnels which were 2 hours out of town. They were the tunnels the Vietcong built in the war. We learnt a lot about the war and stopped off at a handicrafts place where injured people from the war made souveniars! We didn't buy anything but later found out the name for the place was "handicapped handicrafts"! Not particualrly PC!!

We arrived at the tunnels and walked around and learnt more about the war! We even tried to fit into the tiny holes the vietnamese made! I got in fine but had a bit of struggle getting out! Further on you could follow one of the tunnels for 100 metres under the ground we all followed in a line until I reached the entrance and looking down the tunnel I was thinking once I'm halfway there's no way of getting out so I decided against the tunnel but Nic caried on and came out sweating buckets!! How the vietnamese lived down there for month on end we do not know!! The informative day came to an end and we had dinner and went to bed!

The next day we were heading to Saigon Water park!! Which we thought would be a nice break from the heat of the city!! We turned up not expecting much but were pleasantly surprised to find loads of slides!! So we headed around the park!! Not long after reaching the top of one of the slides I realised that I was a little bit underdressed in my bikini as all the other vietnamese girls were wearing shorts and T-shirt!! So the rest of the day we were stared at!! Also Nic was a little overdressed as the Vietnamese Men were wearing speedos!! But the water park was really good but we did come away with a few injuries! We headed back to the centre and that day we were getting a bus up the coast so we made our way to the next place!

We arived in a place called mui ne which was by the coast! We got then again in terrential rain! We headed out for dinner to then find that the whole town was completely dead and were told that September was their quietest month of the year!! We eventually found a little place and because we were the only ones in there they let us pick any movie and watch it!! So we were happy for the night!!

The morning after we gave the town the benefit of the doubt that we had arrived at night but still there was no-one around!! Not even the beach was particularly nice!! So instead of hanging around we thought we'd book a bus and head further up the coast! On the bus we met our friends again and were now heading to Nha Trang further up the coast!

We arrived again to guess what MORE RAIN! We were prepared for the rain however in that we'd bought waterproofs and after checking into our hotel we headed out to dinner with our friends!! We found a pizza place and were more than happy when the beers were buy one get one free!! Following dinner we were sat there and then our canadian friends who we met in Cambodia walked past and they then joined us for a drink!! A few bars later we headed home to wake up to a bit of a hangover the next day!!

The sun was shining which had proved to be a rare sight in Vietnam so far so we made the most of it and hit the beach!! We hired some beach beds for a pound with our friends Rich and Jen! The beach was really nice and to begin with the sea was nice too. But after about an hour the sea had obviously been churned up and all we found in it was lots of rubbish!! At that point Rich had found a water park up the beach and as they missed out on the one in Saigon! We joined them and were slightly disappointed when it didn't live up to the one in Saigon! We went on a few of the slides to then realise there was a severe lack of health and safety! On one of the slides you had to fight your way on to even go down it but then half way down the kids thought it was funny to block the slide so no-one could get down!! After a lot of cuts and bruises we left the park with the worry we might get septesiemia!!

That evening we headed out again for dinner then onto some bars!! One bar we played a bit of pool and there was the smallest puppies I'd ever seen! Later I realised they were Chewawa puppies but we also got offered to buy one for a pound!! In the one bar we had had 11 beers between 4 of us and the bill came to 3pounds!! You wouldn't even get one beer for that back home!!

The next day we went on a trip around the islands off the shore! The boat wasn't quite what we were expecting but our first stop was at an aquarium which was pretty good! We then went onto a place where there was supposed so be coral and we could snorkel but having had a look with our masks on you couldn't really see more than a metre in front of you as the vietnamese don't really have any awareness for the environment!!

We had lunch and was bought out noodles, rice, spring rolls and various vegetables and soup but the only thing was we had to eat it with chop sticks and there was no option for a knife and fork!! We were laughed at a lot by the vietnamese on the boat as we just had to resort so shoveling the food down!! After lunch we were treated to some music from the crew on board I say "treated" but it was more like deafened!! Following this it was then a floating bar! I had read on the advertisment about a floating bar but didn't really know what it meant. But it's exactly what it says on the tin in that we all jumped in the water and a guy had some bottles of wine on some polysterine blocks and we all had rubber rings floating with a glass of wine!! However the wine tasted more like vinegar and excuse my french but all the guy could pronounce perfectly in English was "this wine is fucking minging!"

After a few sips we all reaslised there was something stinging us and the guy said yes this is a jelly fish area!! We soon got out of the water and then started our cruise back to shore!! That evening our friends left us and we thought it would be best to have an early night!

The next day we chilled out by the beach but this time were by a bar which had a swimming pool so we didn't need to go in the sea and that evening we headed on the night bus further up the coast to Hoi An. We had been told it was a sleeper bus which was true but the only thing was was that it was made for Asian people and nic was far too long for it and couldn't strech his legs out!! After a very bumpy nights sleep we met up again with our friends who told us that they had been out shopping in Hoi An, as this was the place with lots of tailor shops!! Shortly after breakfast we walked around town in search for clothes!!

We stopped off in many places Nic trying on suits and I was trying on dresses and coats!! They took our measurements for everything then all we had to do was wait for the following day to go back for our fittings!! The next day we thought it would be best to hire a bike to go to all of our fittings so there we were pedalling around town stopping off in the different shops! After our first fitting we were both a bit disappointed as it wasn't quite how we imagined but the beauty of it was was that they would change it until it was perfect for no extra charge!! So later that day we went back and all the clothes fit like a glove!! But then we thought how on earth were we going to fit the 2 suits, 3 trousers, 4 coats and 2 dresses into our rucksacks so then we had to buy yet another bag which meant that in total now we had 4 big bags between and two small rucksacks!!

Other than the tailor shops Hoi Ann was a very quiet, pretty little town and it was a nice change not to be hassled all day long!! The following day loaded with our new wardrobes we headed on the bus to Hue.

Hue is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. However we failed to see any of these sites. After our not so good first impressions of what looked like a dirty town we decided to only stay a day and booked our bus to Hanoi, Hue was a first for me as we went to the market in the afternoon and I didnt buy anything!!! And Finally to top of our visit to Hue we went out eat in the evening, We both ordered our food. Ten minuters later Nic recieved his food which was very good, however he had finished his meal and had another beer before I got mine, (which I didnt like).

The next day we headed for the capital Hanoi. After a short 15 hour bus journey we arrived. Getting off the bus in a strange place is not fun when you are very tired and grumpy and you have 20 touts all shouting in your face pushing past each other to show you their guesthouse. We finally chose one man and got in the taxi. However when we asked to look at the hotel leaflet, the man had very craftely stapled his guesthouse's card over the name of the real guesthouse on the leaflet, which was one of the most expensive in Hanoi. So when we got out and saw that the rooms actually looked nothing like the rooms on the leaflet we made a quick escape next door to a nice clean room.

After a couple of days looking around, we were ready to leave for Halong Bay. Hanoi was very dirty, bustly and we found the people no way near as friendly as the south of Vietnam, which was a shame as we really enjoyed Vietnam.

We booked onto a 2day one night trip to Halong Bay which was 3 hours from Hanoi. We got picked up early in the morning to then find we were the last ones onto the very cramped mini bus and this meant we had to sit bolt upright for the next 3 hours and didn't even have a headrest to sleep!! We arrived at the port and were then asked to hand over our passports to check us onto the boats!! We handed them over and then saw the guy leave with about 50 passports in his hand!! We were then shued onto a boat where we had lunch which was more vietnamese food which we had to eat with chopsticks!! After lunch we sailed around and stopped at some caves we were very impressive despite the bright coloured lights they had put up inside which apparently took the artist years to design!!

That afternoon we sailed further and the views were something out of this world The bay features thousands of limestones karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Unfortunately we have reaslised that photos we take never do the sight any justice so you'll have to take our word for it. The amazing thing was how peaceful the place was and that you'd see people in their fishing boats as some people actually lived out in the bay on floating houses!! That afternoon we stopped at a place where we could do some kayaking and later then stopped to sleep on the boat for a night where we had the chance to jump off the top of the boat into the luke warm water!! More vietnamese food later we called it a night and had a particularly hot sleep in our cabin!

The following day it was a case of heading back to port and getting the bus back to Hanoi. The only thing was that the tour was extremely disorganised and whilst moving we had to change boats twice and back at the port we had 1 and half hours to wait before the bus picked us up but we were happy to wait when we sampled the Vietnamese fresh beer for 10p!!We arrived back in Hanoi at 6pm and headed out for dinner and the following day we would head to Laos!!

Hope all is well!!

Lots of Love

Jen and Nic

xxx