Hoi An - Hue (01.07.2012): Today we spent the morning in Hoi An. First of all we made some purchases. After visiting the Handicraft Museum, we couldn't leave Hoi An without buying a lantern. Thankfully it folds up! It cost only 60,000 dong (£2.00, we are millionaires here - it is strange drawing out 4 million dong). We also ended up buying two Hammocks (Andy you are in luck this time). There was also a wood carving man making 'lucky' faces out of Bamboo which A...

Hoi An Day 2 (30.06.2012): Wow I can't believe it is the end of June. We have been travelling just over one month. Actually it does seem like we have been away ages. We have done so much. Today we awoke refreshed and headed out to properly explore Hoi An. We both really like it here. The Ancient Town of Hoi An is a World Heritage site - it's easy to see why. This morning we bought a pass to go to see some of the town's sites including the Japanese Bridge, the...

Hoi An Day 1 (29.06.2012): Our sleeper train pulled into Da Nang train station an hour behind schedule at around 12:45pm. We had been on the train since 18:15 yesterday evening. The journey was ok. We had soft beds in a 4 berth cabin. The train was very loud and jerky though + the locals were very noisy. Not much sleep to be had on the sleeper trains but it was an experience in itself. Vietnam is much less set up for tourists than in Thailand. We struggled to g...

Ho Chi Minh City Day 3 (27.06.2012): Today we headed on a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tour was organised by the hostel. We set off at 8:30 arriving at the tunnels around midday. Our tour guide was an American Navy officer - today we heard the story from the other side so to speak. He had been based by the tunnels and was able to tell us of his first-hand experience. By way of background: "The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting undergrou...

Ho Chi Minh Day 2 (26.06.2012): Fantastic day in Ho Chi Minh city. We headed down for breakfast at 8:30am (free hostel breakfast, I had noodles). We then hit the streets following one of the suggested walking tour itineraries. First stop Ben Thanh Market. The market was amazing. We purchased way too many things: pictures, noodle bowls, place mats.. We have now realised we are going to have to send a box of goodies home. Apparently it will take 2 - 3 months to g...