Landed in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City at about 6:30 at night after a nice airconditioned flight!!

I had read in my lonely planet that the taxi drivers really try to rip you off and they will tell you a hotel has closed down so they can take you somewhere where they get comission. So when we got outside sure enough they tried to charge us $25 for a taxi ride to a hotel i had picked from the book, and also that the hotel had closed down! We got them down to $15 dollars and I lied and said i had rung the hotel only that afternoon and it wasnt closed then!!

Anyway we arrived at our destination and the hotel, and it was now a Vietnam bank...oops!! Luckily a lady said she had a nice hotel so we started to follow here!! We walk fro about 5 minutes through the dodgiest alleyways and were greeted by a vietnam midget who said this was his hotel could he have our passports and if we wanted to take any day trips speak to him. We both felt really uneasy about the place so when we went out to get dinner we found another hotel on the main road and said we would check in first thing tomorrow morning!

The next day we did a walking tour of the city using our free city map!! WEnt to the Notre Dame chuch, the Saigon Post Office, Renumerfication building (where ho chi minh passed over power, i think) and then the War Museum. The museum is really distressing, but also very one sided as you can imagine! They had mocked up the different torture chambers the Americans used and there was obviously a lot of photograp, and stats about the war! It was really interesting but i think i have had my fill of the Vietnam war as we were both so depressed when we left!!

We decided to go an get a drink in the famous Saigon Saigon Bar which is at the top of the Caravelle hotel! As we were walking there to our amazment and delight we say a French Connection....with a sale on! Excellent!!! So we went and both bought a new top, and we have now worn everything about a hundered times and everything is looking a bit grotty!!

All the nice hotels are in District 10 and this is obviously where the rich people live as there was a Gucci, Chloe, Marc Jacobs; they also had a sale on but still slightly out of our price range.

The Saigon Saigon bar was great. I had a Miss Saigon and Gemma had a Good Morning Vietnam, and then we had some wine!

On the way back to the hotel we booked our night train to Nha Trang a beach resort up the coast! and then headed for the River for dinner. They have boat restaruants that leave at 8pm and go up and down the river while you eat your meal and then watch the entertainment. We could afford that so we found a nice hotel nearby and treated ourselves to a glass of champagne!!

The next day we went to FEDEX to post some gifts home only to be told it would be $70 dollars. we politely refused and went to the main postoffice who charged us 14 pounds!! And the presents got home within 6 days so i am very happy abou that.

We got to the train station at 7:00pm and boraded at 7:30. I couldnt belive how nice the bunks were. Proper bedding, free water a TV and plenty of room. We both pretty much slept the whole way there and arrived in Nha Trang about 7:30 the next morning!