Hanoi 2 We were very much in need of a recovery day. We revisited an area in the main square which was set alongside a lake. We liked this area because despite the manic roundabout which appeared to have no rules there was more space than many of the streets and there were a number of nice bars and restaurants set around the square, many of them were on rooftops. We tried a couple during the day and got some awesome views of the lake. We then went to a cafe rec...

Ha Long Bay - Castaways tour The heavens opened as we left the hostel to find the bus. The 10 of us on the tour wore coloured ponchos as we followed one enough through the streets to the main road. The rain was even worse on our next change over where we then had to get on a boat. Luckily it wasn’t long and then we were on another bus. It took us winding round the cliff face of an island, parts of the route were over half built roads. Lush green trees covered ...

Hanoi We arrived early in the morning but for us it felt like the middle of the night. We were picked up from the airport by a driver from the hostel and we had a surreal journey absorbing the new environment. Not to mention the rave Vietnamese music the driver was playing. Many motorbikes sped past, cheaply made buildings and metallic signs lined the sides of the road. Our hostel was in the heart of Hanoi and just walking from the car to the hostel we thought w...