Raj & Vikki: Over the past 3 days we've been spoilt on a 5-star cruise in Halong Bay. This was the highlight of Asia and will no doubt be one of the most memorable parts of our trip. We only experienced a little of the bay which is 1,553 square kms and made up of dense clusters of 1969 monolithic islands mostly topped with thick jungle vegetation which rise spectacularly from the sea. We struck perfect conditions, met heaps of interesting people from diff...

Vikki: Following our overnight journey on the train we have arrived in Hanoi. The 12 1/2 hour trip, which arrived at 5.30am, was pretty much as expected, 4 smallish bunk beds in a small "suite" (yeah right), wobbling around most of the night in between trying to get patches of sleep, on dirty sheets. Mmmmm, again all part of the experience, and nothing a hot shower as soon as we got to our hotel couldn't fix. Glad to have done it to say we've tried all modes of t...

Raj: We've been chilling in Hue after our earlier day long excursion across the city and its outskirts. Yesterday we just hung by the pool, went to the Post Office, had a lovely meal across the road at a French restaurant followed by a visit to the night market. There was lightening in the distance which looked pretty cool in the dark sky (have a look at the video which only sort of captures the effect). Today we made an effort to get out and went to Cua Tung ...

Vikki: Today we did a day tour of Hue city, which took us around a number of the local historical sites that the city is well known for. Another 40 degree day, which started at the Citadel (Imperial Palace) where the emperors lived when they ruled the country. A huge area with much now in ruins, but lots of interesting history learnt about emperors, concubines and how they lived/worked. A lot of restoration work is underway there, but you can get the feel of how ...

Vikki: Today we left Hoi An for Hue. We hired a private car (7 seater) with driver which was great, plenty of room for us and all the luggage. It was a 4 1/2 hour journey stopping at a few sites along the way. First, we continued along the coast line, following kilometres of golden sand beaches and miles of blue water. The beach just continues all along the coast, both north and south of Hoi An. Just stunning and so much of it. Lots of large resorts are being de...