Up at the crack of dawn for breakfast in our hotel; "hold the full English and just an omelette for us this morning", followed by a bus ride to Ha Long Bay. 4 hours of pot holes, dusty roads, and the bus overtaking a lorry overtaking a car over taking a water buffalo we arrive in Ha Long City. The sun is definitely with us this week; a hazy mid 30's from 8am to 8pm :) At the dock, we hop onto a small boat that gets us to our junk (big boat), of which is home fo...

Arrive in Hanoi, purchase visas ($95usd each) and get 40min hotel transfer to city. It's pitch black and so couldn't see a lot on the way here. Just a few neon massage signs flashing away. Check into hotel to get some sleep. Hotel room not too bad, air con, TV and fridge. Bathroom is clean. Shower was good, but you have to share it with the hot water heater and the exposed power supply cable. 6am just woke up to the sound of Vietnam: a thousand scooters, car h...