It was still raining when we left Hue on the bus, bound for Hoi An. We'd heard that there was both a normal and a scenic route between the towns, with the latter available if you took a private car. We opted for the bus as it was cheaper and we didn't think the views would be that great with the constant rain and overcast skies. However, despite the dismal weather the view from the 'normal' route was lovely, what we could see of it through the rain anyway. W...

After being dropped at Haiphong bus station after leaving Cat Ba island, we had a few hours to kill until our connecting night bus to Hue. With our big bags on our backs, we wandered up the main street of the city, alongside a long lake or canal which seemed to run the length of the street. We kept our eyes out for a cafe which might be a nice place to sit for a while, and would hopefully have wifi. We tried one place but the staff spoke no English and they ...

On our last morning in Hanoi we enjoyed a nice breakfast in our hotel before nipping outside to catch the bus which would take us to Halong Bay. We were soon picked up and on our way in a large minibus. After stopping to pick up some other people, including a group of the most annoying English idiots I have ever encountered, we set off from Hanoi. Once on the motorway the guide accompanying us gave us a bit of commentary, getting off to a mediocre start by t...

Our flight from Vientiane, despite leaving a whole minute late, was another blessedly short and uneventful one, and we soon found ourselves in Hanoi airport. We were able to pass through security in the relatively quickly as we already had our visas in place after our eventful application in Bangkok. At least something good came of the whole affair. We had booked a hotel for the night in advance from Vientiane, and thought to avoid any hassle that we'd bo...

After our last night in Kong Lor, it was time to head back to Vientiane. In the morning we got up at 6am, packed our stuff and checked out of our guesthouse, before walking up the street in the hopes of catching the VIP bus which we had heard leaving at 7am the previous morning. We passed numerous villagers heading out to work in the fields who all greeted us cheerily. However, we didn't find any bus. A driver of a passing sawngthaew stopped and informed us tha...