The 24-hours we spent in the Mekong Delta were some of the most memorable and unique we have had so far.We decided to avoid an organized tour and venture out on our own looking for a 'real' Vietnamese adventure. Saigon bus station has no signs or obvious information desks, semi-official people looked at our guide book and pointed at a shabby looking bus that we just pulling out.We jumped on realizing no one spoke English, the driver chuckled when we said Vinh Lon...

Saigon (officially Ho Chi Minh City) is one of those places that I always imagined as impossibly exotic and exciting, originating from the mythology surrounding the American war and its colonial past before that, I guess. As a consequence I tried to deliberately play it down in my mind so it would have achievable standards, however as it turns out, I shouldn't have bothered. The whole place is fizzing with energy from the moment you get into a cab at the airport ...

When we arrived in Hoi An, I had one thing on my mind - getting clothes made.I didn't know what kind of clothes I wanted (or indeed needed) but I knew that tailoring was Hoi An's specialty and I was determined not to miss out. The next three days were a bit of a blur; we roamed the streets being called into shops, feeling fabrics and looking through catalogues claiming the ability to create any item of clothing (or shoe) in around 24 hours for very low prices. ...

Hue, a mere 13-hour sleeper bus ride from Hanoi in beds that are slightly too short for the Western occupant, may as well be in another country. On the approach into town it was instantly apparent that life is more laid back and relaxed than the north and we relaxed with it letting go of the alertness we needed to cope with old town Hanoi. Of course this is still Vietnam so it is difficult to move a dozen yards without being offered food, bike rides or randomly p...

Before arriving in Vietnam, we had one last night of luxury at the Bangkok Airport Novotel.We spent an entire day's budget on a big room with a deluxe bathroom, high thread count sheets and a tropical outdoor pool with a swim-up bar.It was wonderful until we had to get ourselves out of bed at 4am for our flight to Hanoi. We found Hanoi the exact opposite of the slow pace and chilled atmosphere of Ko Lanta; cars and motorbikes flew down the street with no atten...