A few days ago we set off from our Homestay for a trip to Halong Bay and Monkey Island. It took about 3 hours on the bus to reach Halong Bay City, where we arrived at our boat and checked into our cabin. It was surprisingly luxurious! We had a spacious room on the second deck with panoramic windows, a huge ensuite and a private balcony. After lunch with the rest of the group, we arrived at the picturesque Halong Bay. As we expected, there were plenty of ot...

A happy hello from Hanoi! After a bumpy first day including a delayed flight and our hostel overbooking, meaning we had to stay in a dodgy prison-like twin room in a hotel round the corner for our first night, we are now thoroughly enjoying Hanoi. When we stepped off the plane, we were shocked by the weather - the drop in temperature to around 20 degrees feels huge and we've had to wrap up! We're staying in the Old Quarter of the city, which has a great feel ...

Chuc Mung Nam Moi 2015! Happy New Year 2015! Today we did a day tour of the Mekong Delta. Leaving at 7.30, we had a two hour coach journey with a stop half way for the 'Happy Room'. The first place we visited was Ben Tre to experience a live Vietnamese band with instruments we have never seen before. We saw a love story sung out and our tour guide joined in with his guitar adding some comedy. They also added in Auld Lang Syne! Whilst there, we had a plat...

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where we are enjoying being millionaires! ($50 is 1 million Vietnamese Dong). We arrived safely yesterday after a long arse bus journey. Getting off to a bad start, we got ripped off by a taxi but only lost $10 and have had our whits about us since. Ho Chi Minh City is crazily busy! The roads, and even the pathways, are filled with motorbikes. You can tell it is much wealthier than Cambodia; the streets are clean and ther...