Our final 2 days in Vietnam have been great - on THursday we spent the day on the Mekong Delta - after a 2 hr drive (which doesn't get you very far here!!) we stopped at a brick making factory and then boarded our boat for a trip along the delta. The area is a major coconut growing area so we saw hundreds of people hulling them along the delta. We stopped off to watch how it is done and have a go - also tried the coconut shards. Back on the boat and then stopped ...

After the calm and peace of Hoi An, we're now in Ho Chi Minh city - the exact opposite!! It's big, brash, loud and extremely fast moving - even trying to cross the street is a major adventure!! Once we arrived at our hotel it was off to a local restaurant for noodle soup - delicious! The chicken and stock is served in the bowl and then you are given plates of fresh herbs, lime, greens and noodles to add. Very tasty!! Well fed and watered we then started our after...

After enjoying our imperial banquet on Sunday night it was time for a leisurely drive along the coast from Hue (pronounced Whay) to Hoi An via Danang. It is a beautiful coastal drive with the China Sea on the left and the mountians that run from north to south Vietnam on our right. We climbed our way up Cloudy pass - a winding road leading upwards to the Hue/Danang pass summit. The view from the top was stunning - sandy beaches, an island off Danang and the city...

A day full of adventure today as we headed into the countryside around Hue on motorbikes - a few of us left at 8am so that we wouldn't be in a big group and would have more time to see around. Our drivers took us through back alleys, along rivers, through villages, up through forest to stunning views over the Perfume river and lots of historic buildings too. Our first stop was a village market where we wandered around and took in all the smells and sounds - from ...

From the hectic and chaotic Hanoi to the much more peaceful, compact and rather regal Hue. It lies on the Perfume river and is home to the Imperial Citadel, the royal residence of the kings of Vietnam. In 1993 it was listed as a world heritage site - and seeing around I can understand why! After a local vietnamese lunch we headed to the Imperial city for the afternoon - royal palaces, courts, houses for the family, library, temple...some are the original buildin...