Summary of Vietnam

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When we left China we were excited to be tackling another country and the new challenges and experiences it would bring. From other travellers accounts of Vietnam we had heard differing views of the same places so entered with little to no preconceptions about what we would find.

It was first the friendliness of the people that captured our imagination. Coming from what could often be a confrontational environment in China we were amazed by the openness and interest of the locals. Yes, everyone wanted your business and there was almost always a sale involved in the approach, but it was done with a big smile and when you said no - on most occasions it was taken with a smile and acceptance of the fact that we were not going to buy the product.

Over and above this - we found on a number of occasions the generosity and openness of the Vietnamese people to be overwhelming, giving so much and expecting nothing in return

We liked the country very much and could see it as a country that we would revisit in the future.

What we liked

- Being able to hire motos for very little
- Friendly, smily people
- Fresh fruit - delicious (and yummy fruit smoothies)
- Bia Hoi
- Learning to cross a road vietnamese style
- the cheap open bus ticket
- Vietnamese iced coffee
- Fresh lemon juice - so refreshing
- Rooms with air-con!
- Being able to watch Wimbledon on our satellite TV in our rooms
- Gekkos

What we didn't like

- Overnight trips on the open bus
- The DMZ tour with Anphu Travel
- Being run off the road by a coach on our moto
- Leeches and massive spiders in Cat Tien

Our highlights

- Getting clothes tailor made in Hoi An
- Swimming amongst the islands in Halong Bay
- Snorkelling in Nha Trang
- Being invited home for dinner and kareoke with My Phuong
- Riding around the Sapa Hills on our first moto day
- Trekking through the rainforest in Cat Tien and seeing a monkey
- Crawling through the tunnels at Cu Chi


What we didn't know / learnt

- That matching trouser/top combinations are the height of fashion (the women here all wear them)
- More about the Vietnam war
- How to ride a moto

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