An 8:00am checkout and a four hour drive with our guide Mr Tom and driver took us to Ha Long bay. The journey stretched through through rice fields, industrial areas (including a huge Canon factory), and towns of various sizes. We shared the road with all kinds of vehicles (cars, lorries, bicycles, walkers and the ubiquitous scooters) all disregarding the rules of the road with great tolerance for other drivers. We also had a range of fellow-travellers, including cows (some oin foot, one strapped securely to a scooter), pigs (at least three per scooter), boxes of chickens and ducks, as well as fruit, bread and veg of all kinds all moving along at speed. Mr Tom was a fount of all knowledge, explaining Vietnamese history, culture and language, while pointing out various exciting or interesting sights
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