2 weeks in vietnam

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Soooooooo, its sophie this time, thought we would give an update on our 2 weeks in vietnam which we both have really really really enjoyed.
The week before we came to vietnam we were in cambodia, which was also really good. the difference between the 2 is pretty obvious though... vietnam seems to be a much more developed country, the roads are not quite as mental, people acutally wear helmets on the motos and abide some kind of rules on the road. there isnt as much rubbish and generally things are cleaner and seem to work better. The roads are better as well, in cambodia they were horrendous, there isnt even a bus service there, here the roads are still bad but they are getting better. We had 3 very long very boring overnight trains whilst travelling the however many miles it is right from the south in ho chi minh up to here the very north in hanoi. We were with a couple of people we made friends with, in a little cabin for about 12 hours! The journeys weren't quite as bad as we expected, although the ac broke on one of them and we thought we were going to die!

So our trip up through vietnam was basically over the border in to chau doc, not much to say about that place, just a little border town tbh. Then a bus over to HCMC, which we both fell in love with! It was a lovely city, not too big to be overwhelming like phnom penh but big enough to have some kind of atmosphere, nightlife (importantly!) and general feel to it. It was win's last night on our trip, an american girl so we hit a few bars forgetting we had raaather a lot to do the next day! Dil and stuart came with us, and convinced us to buy a bottle of vietnamese whisky between us. that was the worst idea they have ever had i think! It tasted like bleach and soap, so i tried to stick to my margaritas! All in all a good night though. Next day us and the boys had arranged to go to the cu chi tunnels, separate from the group not realising how far away it was!! We decided to take a moto, well a few motos, and with help of my awful awful bargaining skills and jess's amazing relentless bargaining skills we got a gd price! What we didnt realise was that it was an hour and a half, on the back of a bike, with a hot wind like a hair dryer blowing in your face and a helmet which literally PERCHED on top of my head. It was winnie the pooh thats all im gonna say. Add a hangover to this concoction and it was DELIGHTFUL! My moto was a rickety thing, I was amazed it could carry the fat old vietnamese in front of me, let alone me. Lovely ride though, through the depths of vietnam, past rice paddys little villages... We couldn't complain. The tunnles themselves were gd as well, a pretty interesting day!

That night was our first overnight train, which took us up to Nha Trang. Nha trang is basically a beach resort, an absolutly beauuuutiful one! You can see the pictures. A huge beach, amazing sea food, jess and I were in paradise. There were also a wideee range of watersports we could have done but we were very good and stuck to our budget! Little old ladies selling lobster they had just caught, cooking it on a bbq and serving it with mango was the highlight! We didnt spend long there which was a shame, only one night and then it was another train ride up to Hoi an.
We didnt really know what to expect here. We arrived very early in the moning, about 7am. Our rooms weren't ready, which was annoying, so I decided to go up for a nap by the pool - (using my talent of being able to sleep ANYWHERE unlike jess, this annoys her, a lot!) Anywho, I tried to sleep but little vietnamese man decided to talk and talk and talk at me for about an hour and a half so I left. Hoi an turned out to be a really lovely little town. Its traditionally famous for making tailormade clothes, suits coats, dresses you name it they make it. In that way it was pretty touristy, on the other hand all the lanterns that lit up the restaurants along the river were so pretty, it had a lovely vibe. Jess and I had a lovely romantic dinner there! We had some white rose, the speciality which was soooo goood and jess had wonton soup - 2 dollars for the whole meal! We also took a boat up the river for sunset, went past the fishing market - there were so many boats on the river all hauling in their nets and the like - some good photo moments!

Next day a bus, 4 hours which now seems like down the road to us, to Hue. Again Hue was a little unknown to us we weren't really sure what to expect. It was a relativly small town/city so we joined in the 4 hour motorbike ride to see the main sights. We saw conical hats being made. a pagoda, a temple, incense being made... And some really breathtaking scenery. We took a beautiful back road though rice paddys and fields for sunset, and it really was awe inspiring! Moto really is theee way to travel i have decided!
That night we went for dinner (in ANOTHER horrible place our tour guide somehow manages to find bless him). Jess thinking she would be cool and adventurous ordered Le Banhs, as we pointed out later - a french sounding dish was probably never going to be good. She got some glutinous, sticky concoction, laced with a slight fishy shrimp taste, and the look and smell of gungy feet.... of course she loved it....
We then decided to go for a drink with the others. Buy one get one free never does any good. The bar was so cheesy, raining men was danced to, I will survive... many others. Jess had an eventful night, among OTHER THINGS she went to an atm, i quote her, "got bored walking" and decided to run. Somehow she managed to fly across the pavement - she only has a graze but it was the highlight of my night! Hilarious! Sometime in the early hours we thought it best to go home (stuart had already been wheeled home in a cyclo - he didnt survive the night!). We were lazy and got cyclos home but jess thought she would mix things up a bit and cycle the vietnamese man home. and then pay him. he loved it.

Next morning was VERY painful we had a 14hour train at 2 oclock. It was delayed 2 Hours. Once we got on the train the AC broke and we were lying in a pool of our own sweat with a bad hangover. I loved it.
We arrived in Hanoi the next morning and made a beeline for Halong Bay. This was another 4 hours bus journey where I made use of my sleep anytime anywhere skill and jess was stuck in a horrible uncomfy seat hating me. That day the trip had arranged a junk trip around Halong Bay and lunch, it was a bit of a let down - it was POURING with rain. The visiblity was really bad as you'll see in the photos. The lunch on the other hand was SO good, fresh seafood, crab shrimp fish spring rolls... We could never have afforded it if we were paying! It was a shame about the weather, as we had been really looking forward to it, jess in particular - but hey ho I suppose thats the way it goes.

Following day we headed back to the capital, Hanoi where we are now. To the last of our relativly luxury hotels! We were just saying how we will miss having a tv and nice duvets and bathrooms for the next 2 months as we expect to be staying in much worse places... just when we started to get used to it....
We have hired some bikes for a couple of days and I can honestly say it is THE best way to see Hanoi. Despite getting lost for 2 HOURS and ending up 10km from where we wanted to be the other night we love it. Once used to the roads its so good! At first it was so nerve racking, the only rule seems to be if you have a horn beep it, if there is something bigger than you trying to get past - move, and never, ever, ever give way. As were obviously on the bottom of the food chain on push bikes, me and jess learnt to push your way across a junction/ cross roads, and to shout abuse if necessary when someone beeps at you to move when THEY are coming down the wrong side of the road. I haven't past my driving test yet but if i can conquer the roads here Im sure i can conquer them in England! We have seen most of the sights on our bikes. The old quarter is so lovely, full of character, we've seen a great market, and Ho chi MInh's mausoleum although we are still debating whether to go see his pickled body in there. We have today and tomorrow left, checking out of this deluxe place and into some hole in the old quarter today! $4 a night! Yay! Flying into Bangkok early Monday morning to start our adverntures on our own. Down to partyland south of thailand! Vietnam has been a really tiring yet amazing experience, I can honestly say I can't wait to come back!!

Next time we write on this we will be in sunny south of thailand! 😊 Lots of love xx

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