We spent my birthday on the bus, but for a change it was through the day so we actually got to see some of the scenery of Vietnam - or at least I did as Nina falls asleep as soon as we get on any mode of transport! From Nha Trang the scenery is a lot like the South of France - pastel villas with bougainvillea everywhere, although the cows and chickens on the side or the road are a little different! There was even a haphazard graveyard on a hillside - the graves painted in vibrant colours making it a lot different to any at home. It's difficult to describe the scenery as we went down the coast, the variety of the verdant, lush greens in the passing fields defy description, and are more like what you would see in a film not reality. As we got further down the coast and towards HCMC (I'm going to call it Saigon as the locals do) it gets more rocky and has sand dunes with rocky outcroppings moving inland. At risk of overusing the word, it is just beautiful.

We arrived at Saigon at 5pm and luckily were dropped off at the end of the road our hostel was on - no need to fight with a taxi driver this time! The traffic here is even more mental that Ha Noi, if I ever believed it were possible, luckily Nina and I are now experts at crossing roads and could probably cross the motorway with no bother. Emily came round later with the lovely surprise of a cake for me, and we went to pizza hut. So my birthday wasn't a total bust after all!

The next day we had lots of sightseeing to get through so were up and about early to get through it all. First up on our list was the reunification palace. It was was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates. You can see some tanks in the grounds, although they aren't the originals, just the same models as the ones used in the final attack. It was a pretty swish building though, with a gambling room, dancefloor on the roof, helipad, war rooms in the basement, and massive kitchen with a cocktail sink - just what every self respecting kitchen needs.

We stopped off for frozen yoghurt before moving onto the war remnants museum. Now this is not an easy museum to visit, it's a sobering reminder of the atrocities of war, and whilst I'm sure it has some pretty biased reporting it doesn't make the photographs and exhibits any more palatable. The people affected by Agent Orange - including US Soldiers - are still affecting later generations as problems caused by the chemical stay in the water table and tissues of infected people. Through their use of it the Americans were found guilty of genocide of the Vietnamese - a chilling thought. The preserved foetuses were the last straw for Nina, and she proclaimed herself ''all warred out", unsurprisingly. As an interesting sidebar the tuk tuk drivers will tell you anything to get some custom, including the insight that 'walking is bad for you', if only I had known this before I would never have gotten colds or anything!!

We had a relatively early night as I had booked to go to the Cu Chi tunnels on our last day in Saigon - Nina passed as needed a break from war history before our trip to Cambodia. It was Emily's last day travelling before moving to Leeds from her home country of Australia so we had a couple of drinks and said our goodbyes *sniff*.

I arose bright and breezy to get my minibus to the Cu Chi tunnels, a network of tunnels the Vietcong used to break the spirit of the US soldiers, and where a whole village was moved underground. The group of us who went was relatively small and there were some very interesting insights from the guide - I've come to the conclusion that it is much more worthwhile to get a guide to fully understand and appreciate the history behind these kind of places. We got to clamber through some of the tunnels - 'made big for western size'- and still small, cramped and slightly claustrophobic. The original tunnels were only 1m high and 16cm across - the Vietcong must have been the size of children, how they coped in those tiny spaces for 10 years I do not understand. The traps they set for the US solders were nothing short of barbaric and it is no wonder a lot of veterans suffer still with their memories of the war. Apparently of the 22,000 US soldiers who died at Cu Chi, 11% were killed by the bamboo trapdoors alone. A chilling thought. The place as a whole is pretty dark - hearing about ''American killer heroes'' is never going to be pleasant, but then war never is.

On a happier note I tried cassava - or tapioca - in it's native form, and it is delicious! Cambodia tomorrow...I'm preparing for a much less advanced country.

Views from Vietnam

• Driving on the wrong side of the road here is positively encouraged, as is driving on the pavement.
• I'm pretty sure all dogs here are half sausage dog as they are really low and long.
• The honking of horns at any other road user or pedestrian is a matter of course - I can recommend ear plugs!
• ANYTHING can be carried on a scooter - glass, whole families, chickens, pigs, flower decorations...the list goes on...
• Pineapple here is the best so far.
• There are a lot of Russian visitors.
• Queueing is unheard of.
• Cao Lao (noodle soup) is the best ever - pity it's only available in Hoi An.
• The women like to wear pyjama like outfits, and socks with big toes built in they can wear with flip flops.
• You only ever see men smoking.

Becca x