The shock we had on arriving in Hanoi, Vietnams capital, was enormous. Nobody could create chaos like that which exists on Hanoi's streets if they tried. Bangkoks streets are crazy but at least junctions are controlled by traffic lights and road users stay on the right side of the road. In Hanoi, there are no rules. A Compact City of 4 million people with no decent public transport system means that there an estimated 2 million mopeds. They are supposed to ride on the right but they don't, one way streets exist but are ignored by everyone. This makes it very tricky to cross the road, in fact it is a complete nightmare. The guide books tell you that you should not wait for a gap in the traffic (it doesn't exist) and walk across the road confidently and swiftly. This way the mopeds will judge where you are going and hopefully steer around you. In theory, this is easy, but in practice it is the most frightening experience and I was convinced I was going to die on many ocassions. Our first few attempts were successful and we were beginning to feel confident. But, on one attempt I lost my nerve in the middle of the road. There were hundreds of scooters whizzing past me in every direction and I was stuck in the middle of the road with my head in my hands, squeeling and frozen to the spot. Simon was calling to me from the other side of the road to just go for it and eventually I made it across the road with my nerves in tatters. If getting around on foot wasn't dangerous enough, there is always the option of a motorbike taxi. But, there was no way that I was going to get on the back of a bike without a helmet in this crazy place. In Vietnam as a whole, there are an estimated 30 deaths per day caused by motorbike accidents and who knows how many people are injured from them. Our most interesting day was spent wandering around the Old Town area. Here, it is just street after street of low rise buidlings that are used as shops, homes and workshops. Each of the 36 streets has a particular function. The shops follow the ancient guilds, and all sell or manufacture exactly the same things. There is a lantern street, towel street, DIY street, pants and socks street and so on. We checked out Vietnams traditional water puppet show which was excellent! We also went to the usual Museums and took a trip to see 'Uncle Ho' - Ho Chi Minh - at his Mausoleum in the city. This guy died 30 odd years ago, and despite his wishes to be cremated, they embalmed him and turned him into a tourist attraction! We visited the day before his would be 115th birthday and the place was heaving with Vietnamese people paying their respects to their idolised former leader. We were lucky to have visited when he was there because for three months of the year he goes on a holiday to Russia to get a makeover and a touch-up! From Hanoi, we took a 2 day, 1 night trip to the magnificent Halong Bay. This world heritage site has some 3,000 limestone islands rising from the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. We spent the duration of the trip on a gorgeous boat, touring the bay in first class luxury. We had an en-suite, air-conditioned cabin and were served a 7 course meal for lunch and dinner. The scenery was fantastic and it was a truly worthwhile trip to do. From Halong bay, we travelled back to Hanoi to board the overnight sleeper on the famous Reunification express train South to the former kingdom capital of Hue. Lisa xxxxx