Nha Trang was pretty but has become a bit brash. And Russian! There are 2 direct flights from Moscow per week and it shows. Hard to warm to them, particularly the 2 fat naked men in the steam room, one of whom stole B's towel! Nevertheless the service at the Novotel was excellent and breakfasts historic. Caught the 12.15 flight to DaNang and a taxi to Hoi An. Taxi driver predictable (agreed a price then pretended we were going by meter - yawn). Was quite pe...

Left DaLat on the 3pm bus after a wonderful morning walking round the lake - about 7km.  Air was crisp and the temperature perfect - a bit like the French Alps in summer.  The previous evening had been a bit unsatisfactory as we decided to have supper with 4 others we'd met on the day tour.  Company was fine but the meal (at Vbar) dreadful - ah well, win a few lose a few. Arrived in Nha Trang at around 7pm & checked in to the oasis that is Novotel.  They...

In Dalat now having flown from the hubbub of Ho Chi Minh and into clear mountain air with flower farms, coffee plantations, silk factories etc and very few tourists. Good street food so far with Saigon beer at 50c and Dalat wine at $4 a bottle. However schoolboy error 1st night straight off the plane ordered 4 Bbqd 'shrimps' -how were we to know they would weigh well over a kilo and we were being charged by weight? Think they saw us coming but they tasted good!

Slept in& nearly missed the tour! Led by a redoubtable 23 year old called Zoom we went to a silk factory where they breed the moth, spin, weave & sell finished products (though not to us). Strangers to health and safety though!

Highland Coffee Shop in Saigon. Grown in DaLat (we saw the coffee plantations on Monday) and fantastic quality. We were the only foreigners there (though strictly all the others were the foreigners as we're British!).