Emerging into a new city at sunrise is something's that has become a norm in the last two months, yet it never gets old. A new place appearing from the darkness. Especially in Nha Trang, where the beaches and surrounding streets are filled with people exercising at before six am. Young and old. Agile and not. Hostel found, we spent our first day in Nha Trang at the mineral mud baths. Thap Ba Hot Springs and Mud baths charge as little as a few pounds to wade aro...

Hoi An. Vietnam, China, India, France and The Netherlands, all in one small coastal town. Similar in name to Hanoi, but the weather (the main appeal of the place) couldn't be more different. For those that have the dollars and space in their backpack, you can get a tailor made suit for under $50 here. Seen the Top Gear Vietnam special? Well you've seen this place. Arriving on our North-South open ticket bus, we wondered around without much avail until we finall...

We arrived in the ancient capital of Vietnam in not so ideal conditions. Our 12 hour bus journey actually took 23 hours (even to this day, we have no idea why) and a heavy rain storm was in full force. Within a few seconds of our bags been taken off the sleeper bus and been moved to cover, they were soaked. Our initial hostel of choice was full and the day (not ideal in these conditions) and the day was quickly fading, thankfully the hotel next door was available...

Back in Hanoi, we spent the next couple of days exploring again, this time with Dave and Laura, the English couple from Wigan we met on the boat. Night 1 - lets have some beer and noodles. What could go wrong... Has that saying ever been used and drama not followed? A big portion of street food cost £1. We paid the correct amount (this bit is important) and left - both us and the local woman happy. A few minutes later, the same local woman was running after ...

Perfect blue skies, warm tropical waters and the glistening green of one of the natural wonders of the world. This wasn't our Halong Bay experience, but it must have been someone's. It was cold, grey, dull and rainy, but that wouldn't damped our spirits. It is paradise after all. We left our hostel in the early hours and drove all over Hanoi picking people up before we finally began the journey east - why we walked around the previous day I don't know as we saw...