Blogs from Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia

We left Hoi An and headed to Hue, it was very hot there (nearly unbearable). Hue is home to the perfume river so we took a tour along the river and visited some royal tombs and temples. We also met a couple of people that we met at the tunnels on the tour so we hung out with them at the Why not bar in the evening. There are so many Why not bars/hotels etc, i think i may have to get the tshirt if i can actually find one. We then travelled on the over night bus to Hanoi (capital). We spoke to a couple of children at the bus stop along the way. I think they were practising their english. They spoke english very well. They asked what languages i spoke and I had ... read more

After leaving Sapa we went back to Hanoi for one night and then took a local bus to Cat Ba Island. We decided to go to Cat Ba Island instead of Halong because we have heard good things about it and it's basically Halong minus the tourist crowds. It's really easy to arrange the trip by yourself without booking with an agent. Just go to the Loung Yen bus station and there you can buy a ticket for VND220000 that includes the bus, a minibus to the ferry port, the ferry and a minibus to Cat Ba Island. The journey takes about 4 hours door to door and is really easy. All the accommodation is pretty much on the sea front and they offer good deals. We found a nice one for $10 with lovely sea ... read more

We hadden een Halong Bay trip geboekt, 2 dagen en 1 nacht op de boot slapen. Dus we werden vroeg opgehaald om vervolgens 4 uur met de bus naar Halong Bay te rijden. Aangekomen werden we naar de boot gebracht. Eerst lunch om vervolgens de grot te bekijken, een mooie grot maar na de grotten van Laos was ik toch niet gewend aan al die toeristen en aan trappen in een grot! Maar ja dat krijg je met georganiseerde tripjes. Die dag ook nog gekayakt in halong bay. Ik moet zeggen dat het wel een erg mooi stukje natuur is dus logisch dat al die toeristen daar op afkomen. s'Avond leuk feestje gebouwd op de boot want we hadden een gezellige groep mensen bij elkaar. Om middernacht was Kim jarig dus dat hebben we ook gevierd! ... read more

So tonight is my last night in my 'transition' hotel which I booked in advance to ease myself in to the crazyness that is Vietnam. Tomorrow I'm out on my ear and the only plan is to get myself over to Halong Bay...I have two options... 1.) Taxi to Gia Lam Bus Station to get myself a bus over to Halong City for a night in a hostel and then get myself on a Halong Bay tour the following day. Or.. 2.) Get myself booked in to a hostel in the old quarter and then arrange a 1,000,100d tour for the following day from a travel company based in the OQ of Hanoi. The tour I've enquired about is a two day trip with one night on either a junk boat or onshore hotel. My current ... read more

My second day in Hanoi, Vietnam has been been brilliant. 0730: Tried to have a relative lie-in today (but this was quickly made impossible due to the roaring sound of Hanoi traffic) so a quick bannana pancake and a couple of cups of coffee and I'm good to go! 0815: Off to Hoan Kiem Lake in the old quarter, beautiful green lake that stands as the heart of Hanoi. The surrounding benches and grasses are already teaming with locals utilising the all important shade. I was approached by several hawkers and after some friendly conversation with a 27 year old Vietnamese lady I decided to purchase a Lonely Planet Vietnamese phrase book (for a very reasonable haggled price :) 0845: On to the temple in the middle of the Hoan Kiem lake 20,000d admission and a ... read more

I arrived in Hanoi after suffering a horrendous night at Bangkok airport due to sun stroke. I don't think I have ever been so ill..imagine the worst migraine ever, as well as constant nausea! But I won't go in to too much detail on that.. Luckily by the time I arrived in Hanoi I felt much better and my lovely friend Steph (that I met in San Diego years ago) met me at the airport. Despite being exhausted we had a fun packed day seeing the sights of Hanoi! She took me down to the lake, to the opera house and to Hanoi prison. Though I have to say the highlight of the day had to be the chocolate buffet! She obviously knows how to keep me happy and took me to the extremely posh Metropole ... read more

Overnight stay at Halong Bay, Vietnam. It was nice, relaxing, just like the brochure really. We did some kayaking, swimming and visited a huge limestone cave. A nice peaceful side trip from Hanoi.... read more