Vietnam

We arrived into Saigon very late at night and went with a Dutch couple in a taxi to the backpacker area. They'd booked a place and a sleepy guy opened the door to them - but wouldn't let us in. It's a labyrinth of alleys full of private 3-4 storey houses, but all with rooms to rent. We rang the bell of another place and a guy came out in his boxers and showed us inside. Then, he went into a room at the back and got his wife out of bed (well, Angel said they were sleeping on towels on top of the bed.. but still) and gave us the room! I wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but he insisted and we didn't have many other options. The room was like 5 star luxury with ensuite, wifi, tv and even a fridge. Nice, but we moved to a cheaper one the next day.

The first few days in Vietnam were a constant surprise. I had visions of paddy fields and murky rivers, but what we found was that everywhere was really developed; even more so than Thailand, which was very surprising. First we went to Ho Chi Minh, which the locals still call Saigon. The street food was great. The Pho Bo (Beef noodle soup (very typical) was really tasty and so was spring roll with noodles! There's also barbequed pork everywhere and lots of stews with rice. They always serve it with a bowl of soup and iced or hot tea.

We also even did a bit of shopping. The small Vietnamese designer labels are really original and great quality.

The buses are also amazing. They have wifi everywhere and they give you free bottled water and wet towels. All the seats have neck pillows and the waiting areas have fridges full of free fresh sliced fruit and free coffee. The coffee here is also smooth and chocolatey, but soooooo strong. It's literally like have five espressos in one glass. I don't know how they don't start twitching after all that caffeine! For some reason, these buses are also cheaper than the cramped crappy minibuses (which I'm wedged into as I write). Other one was fully booked! These can be much more entertaining - but not for 7+ hours as I think we'll end up being on this one for!


After a couple of days in Saigon, we decided to head to Mui Ne, to quote the Lonely Planet SE Asia 2004 'a charming but undeveloped fishing village'. Well, that's the last time I travel with an old edition! Mui Ne turned out to be the key destination for Russian tourists: 7km of huge hotels and restaurants! Even the beach was so windy that it was like having a particularly vigorous exfoliation every time you stepped onto it. It was great for kite-surfers though! Angel really wants to learn how to do it - maybe in Hong Kong.

The next place we went was Dalat, a place in the hills to see if we could find somewhere a bit more rural. It was a bit - we hired a moped
(which I learned to ride in a carpark in Dalat!) and spent the day riding around, but even the Minority villagers seemed to be having a day off from their cloth- weaving and traditional costume.

It wasn't until we went back to Saigon and met a local guy who spoke excellent English (and man, absolutely nobody speaks any English whatsoever in Vietnam - and fair enough, why should they? But not even the basics like the word 'hotel'! Even in tourist areas they don't know any numbers at all. It certainly makes you realise how much you take communication for granted!)
Anyway this very helpful chap recommended a couple of rural undeveloped villages to us, so we set out again a few days later.

Finally we found rural Vietnam! Back in Saigon now - baring the thousands of motorbikes which come at you everytime you try and cross the road. had a bit of a disastrous haircut on my birthday but I suppose it serves me right for trying to get a haircut for two dollars! Went out that night with a French Canadian couple and an Aussie guy who had planned a birthday dinner for me at a local Barbeque restaurant and a few beers afterwards! Heading excitedly to Thailand now - after changing our plane tickets again! We're going home a month early - miss everyone back home too much and only 6 weeks there before we head back out to Hong Kong to find a somewhere to live. Bring on Thailand!