On Monday (7th) David and I took a day trip to the Mekong Delta where we spent several hours on the water in various size boats! It was interesting to visit the delta area as we spent 2 days cruising the Mekong in Laos - this was very different. Today we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Viet Cong in the war We had a very informative visit and went right down in the tunnels which they've had to make larger for Western tourists! Later we had a very so...

On Friday 4th April we drove back to Danang to catch the train to Nha Trang which is another beach destination. Again our boat trip around the islands was marred by overcast skies and some rain. However, we still managed a trip in a small bamboo fishing boat, snorkelling off one of the islands, where we saw lots of different corals and fish, and a wonderful seafood lunch. The following day we hired bicycles again, took our life in our hands and tackled the Vietna...

In the afternoon of the 2nd we drove along the coast to Hoi An. We passed through the modern port of Danang and drove the length of China Beach, which was used for R&R by the American troups. Hoi An was formerly a port and is now a major tourist destination where the architecture in the old town's narrow streets has been preserved. We spent a pleasant couple of days here admiring the architecture, trying out the local cuisine and Susan had an outfit ma...

The pace is much slower here in Hue - we were even two hours late arriving on the train! We enjoyed a cruise on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda where we saw the novice monks,and the tomb of Tu Doc. We then braved the traffic on our bicycles on a hairraising trip back to town - not to be attempted by the faint hearted! On 2nd David and I toured the citadel in Hue,visiting the Forbidden Purple City which is being restored to its former glory with the aid of UN...

On 28th we stopped for a few hours in the port of Vinh before catching the overnight train to Hanoi. The Vietnamese trains are not as comfortable as the Malaysian and Thai trains. We had 6 berths to a compartment. We arrived in Hanoi at 5.30 a.m. Quite a shock- Hanoi is VERY hectic - motor scooters everywhere all sounding their horns constantly. On 29th we travelled by bus to Halong Bay where we had an overnight cruise. I'm sure Halong Bay is stunning when the su...