After spending the night on the overnight sleeper train we arrived at around 5am - 6am. Looking completely disheveled after our night on the train(thank goodness I was with a great tour group as I had been put in a cabin with 3 men - luckily one of our gentlemen swapped with me!!) we were met by our guide and taken for breakfast. There is little to see or do in Lao Cai - it really is a stopping off point for the train or for those crossing the VN-Chinese border....

Leaving Hanoi by bus we traveled through the Red River Delta to the infamous HaLong Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin. Arriving in Halong Bay City we were quickly taken to the docks where we boarded our "junk" for our overnight cruise around the karst islets. Where does one start trying to describe this place.........Majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious, surreal and stupendous: words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is HaLong Bay. It is eas...

Hanoi is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and is often referred to as the ‘Paris of the Orient’. Filled with lakes, tree lined boulevards and French designed villas, this romantic city cuts a distinctly different style of life to that in Saigon. A visit to the old quarter in Hanoi is a must; comprised of trading streets where traditional and modern goods are traded from centuries old ‘tunnel houses’ and narrow streets are...

It was time to bid farewell to Hoi An as we headed over the scenic Hai Van Pass to the historic capital and cultural centre of Vietnam called Hue which was home to Vietnam’s last emperor dynasty. This ancient city is bisected by the Perfume River, given its name by the smell created from the fallen flowers which drift down the river each year. Our visit to Hue included many historically significant sights such as the Imperial Citadel and the UNESCO World ...

A return to this wonderful paradise........wishing my Vn travel buddy was here....we have so many fantastic shared memories..........I cant wait to get out and about. For those who have not heard of Hoi An it is known as the ‘Living Museum of Vietnam’, this UNESCO World Heritage listed town is a place lost in time. Once a major trading port of southeast Asia from the end of the 16th Century to the early 19th Century but was forgotten once the river s...