Good Morning Vietnam...

And so after 31 long and exhausting hours of switching countless trains/ buses and taxis and going through border control we arrived in Hanoi, the capital of the north. It was hot and muggy and as usual we were so tired after yet another painful journey! We headed straight to a backpackers hostel that we'd heard about, booked ourselves into a mixed dorm, showered and got downstairs in time for happy hour! We had a few drinks and got chatting to the other backpackers before giving into an early night.

The following day we thought we deserved a treat and so we went to a spa where we had aroma therapy massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. It was the perfect cure after a stressful couple of days! To make sure we didn't completely waste the day away being pampered, we went to the 'Hanoi Hilton', Hoa Lo Prison. This has now been turned into a museum, so you can walk through it and see the conditions in which the Vietnamese prisoners were kept by the French, it was pretty horrendous stuff.

With not a lot else to do in Hanoi (aside from loads of drinking) we booked our boat trip, which is 3 days visiting the surrounding islands. Every backpacker in Hanoi does this trip, and we were lucky to have such a good crowd on ours. We headed to Halong Bay which is a beautiful collection of islands (i think just under 1900 altogether) and visited the caves which are apparently natural but looked like giant water features! Back on the boat we had the first of many tasteless and boring Vietnamese meals (these were all included in the price of the trip so were very basic) and sailed through the islands, generally chilling out, having a few beers on the top deck and taking in the surroundings. We arrived at Cat Ba island that evening where we were spending our first night in a hotel (again, very basic). Our guide took us round the local bars on the island where we stayed for a few, but being hungover from the night before we thought it best to save ourselves for the night on the boat! We spent the next day on the back of a motorbike being taken around the mountains on this lovely little island while the others went trekking (didn't fancy it)! Back on the boat it all began and the group of us started drinking til the early hours, ignoring the 10.30 curfew from the captain and then taking our quilts up and sleeping on the top deck rather than our rooms. Downside though was that we had to be up for 06.30 to go kayaking, which isn't the best thing to do with a hangover! I think Keeley and I only lasted about 20mins before we'd had enough, along with everyone else!

They took us to floating villages where people actually live. They have their little shacks and washing lines and even pet dogs - at least i hope they were pet dogs. They came up to our boat on their rowing boats selling us fruit, god knows where they got it from as we were so far out at sea.

After a day of jumping off the side of the boat into the sea and messing around we had to shoot straight back to the hostel to get changed and ready for our night bus to Hue... we don't like to waste any time!

It was on this bus journey that Vietnam decided to show we were still in the rainy season. The heavens opened and we had the scariest 12 hours driving in the dark on bumpy roads in the torrential rain. Unfortunately it was so bad that when we arrived in Hue the raincoats had to come out and the place started to flood so we moved on straight away. Jumping on the next bus we arrived in Hoi An later that night, still pouring down and still in our raincoats. Hoi An is 'the place to go' to get tailor-made everything! Whatever you want just show them a photo and they'll make it to fit you like a glove! It's meant to be the cheapest place in SE Asia for this. Not wanting to carry anymore than we already had in our backpacks we had our measurements taken. They then keep these on file for 5 years, so i can then send them pics of things i like and they will make it and deliver it to me wherever i am in the world... good or what?! I did get some sandals made there... i couldn't leave with nothing! Hoi An is a beautiful place (mum i think you and dad would like it). They have an old town that's really quaint and peaceful, but there's also cool restaurants and a nice beach and plenty to do and see.

Next stop and another overnight bus later we arrived in Nha Trang...this is the party town of Vietnam and we got there just in time for Hallowe'en! They really overdo it here, purely for the tourists sake. Everything was decorated and the staff in every restaurant and bar were in fancy dress offering all sorts of drink deals. So Keeley and I, and an English girl and a Canadian girl we'd met went for dinner in a restaurant where the drinks are served in jam jars and are completely free!! After a couple of jars of stupidly strong rum and coke we headed straight for the bars where I had my face painted like a big kid. Everyone was in costume so we felt a bit unprepared but it was a good night out (from what i remember)! Our hotel in Nha Trang (called Nice Hotel, and that it was) was in a central location and we managed to get the price of a seaview room knocked down a few dollars, so we stayed in real comfort and even had a bath! (You really take the luxuries for granted at home)!

On someone's recommendation, the next day we got the chairlift (the longest chairlift across the sea in the world) over to 'Vin Pearl land' which is quite possibly the most ridiculous waterpark i've ever known. None of the flumes were open at the same time, so after going on one we had to wait at least an hour before we could go on one more and so on. The place was empty and the whole time the likes of the Spice Girls, Boyzone and Ricky Martin were blaring over the loud speakers. It was funny stuff, and i'm convinced the girl who recommended it was doing it for a laugh. A good day for an amazing (man made) beach for catching some rays, but i wouldn't go back in a hurry!

We went on yet another boat trip, this time to the islands around Nha Trang. A bit worried that we woke up to rain, it ended up being a day of beautiful sunshine and great entertainment from our tour guide Loc aka 'Funky Monkey'. This guy was brilliant, he got everyone on the boat of all nationalities to introduce themselves, and then spoke to them in their language. At the end of the day he even sang a song for each country, and these included France, Oz, New Zealand, Argentina, Canada and Israel. He was so funny and really made the day for us. On the trip we went snorkelling and visited all the islands. Then to finish it off they had a floating bar in the sea that we swam out to for Pineapple vodka shakes. It was a perfect day, and our last day in Nha Trang before moving on to Ho Chi Minh City, aka motorbike city.

We met a Vietnamese guy called Qui who's home doubles up as a guest house. He took us in to live with his wife and son! The room is cheap and has everything we need. On our first day here he took us on the back of a motorbike (risky in this city) for a city tour. We just got started, going to Independance Palace and Notre Dame (whick looks exactly like the one in Paris) when we decided it was too hot to be driving through the city, and not wanting to risk our lives anymore, we decided to go to a waterpark instead. Why didn't we learn from the last time?! This place was even worse than the one we went to before! It was so small that we were over and done with in about 20 minutes, and then it started to rain! Stuck there without Qui to take us back we had to stick it out for the whole day in the pouring rain...not the best way to spend the afternoon when we could have been somewhere having a beer! That night we met up with the girls from Nha Trang for dinner at a local Vietnamese market which was an experience. It's not somewhere tourists go, and so we really got to see how these guys live, and i love it! The people down south are much friendlier than the north. Everything is said with a smile and they are so much more polite and genuinely helpful. You really can notice the divide.

Today, we got up early and the 4 of us went to the Cu Chi tunnels, which is quite a moving place. During the war the Vietnamese built tunnels over 220km long with 3 levels underground where they spent most of their lives for nearly 30 years. They cooked down there and even had their children there. We got a chance to go in, but i only lasted 20 metres before i had to get out. They are only just over a metre high so it was so difficult to walk. There's no air and it's so claustrophobic that i couldn't go any further. The other girls couldn't even go down there because the passages are so dark and narrow. I braved it, but never again! It was an experience though. After the tunnels we went to the War Remnants Museum, which was much much worse than the museum in Hanoi. All i can say is i'm dreading the museums in Cambodia, they are all yet to come.

Anyway, i've left the girls getting ready for our last night in Vietnam. We have chosen an alternative route to Cambodia as we cannot face another night bus, and so we are spending 2 days sailing up the Mekong river to Phnom Penh, i can't wait!

Will update soon.