Vietnam has to be my favourite Asian country so far...even if it took the bus ride from hell to get there!  Once we had arrived after 24hrs it was like breathing a sigh of relief arriving in Hanoi!  It was such a bustling city and so much fun too.  We stayed in the old quater near the lake which is just beautiful!  We spent our time wandering the streets and soaking up all the culture.  We also went to the Ethnology Museum which was very interesting. 

 From Hanoi we went on a 2 day boat trip at Halong Bay which was great fun.  It was a big of a shock when we first arrived as it was soo busy it was a tourist trap but once you got on the boat and out on the water you forgot all about it.  We visited some caves which were very impressive and the biggest we have ever been to...the colourful lights and fountains made it all the more entertaining!!!  I was telling a couple of girls we met how funny it was in China when lots of people wanted there picture with me when a group of Chinese men came over and all asked for my pic!  Comedy!

We then got to visit a floating fishing village and then spent the night on the boat where we passed the time with lots of card games!  The next day there was the opportunity to swim but seen as it was raining only the boys braved it and ended up jumping off the top of the 3 storey boat!

After Hanoi we took an overnight bus to Hue.  It was so much hotter down there and we only ended up spending one full day there!  It was a funny coincidence as when we arrived I checked my email sand received one from gareme recommending us to go to a cafe where they did motorbike trips for the day.  Our guesthouse just happened to be opposite so we went in and I found Graeme's booking and comment he wrote from a year ago!  Nick and i ended up booking on the trip and it was great fun!  It was also the first time we had been on a motorbike and we certainly go the bug after that!  It was great driving through remote villages and stopping off at sites of interest...our guides were great too as they told us lots of the history of Vietnam and it started getting me interested in the country's history.

From Hue we went to Hoi An which is famous for its tailor made clothes.  So of course we utilised this and ended up getting lots of work clothes made for our return and we shall look the bees knees at any interviews we have!  I went for the day and visited my friend from Uni who is working at an orphanage so I got to spend the afternoon cuddlinmg babies and playing with toddlers...I absolutely loved it and was in my element!  I wanted to take them all home!