Vietnam is a country filled with wonderful sights, sounds, smells and people. The Vietnamese
people are very easy going and friendly. I think everyone should consider a
trip to this Country while it is still relatively free of mass tourism although with every visit I see that it is changing rapidly Many times you run across groups of tourists with a flag carrying tour guide in front showing
them around. Most of these groups are Asian looking people and, from a distance, I can only guess them to be Chinese, Japanese or perhaps Korean.(If they are loud you can take a bet that they are Chinese.) Out of the way places
like Sapa are slowly getting congested by tourists and traffic.


The Vietnamese people are fun to deal with. The good part is that getting angry or losing their temper is not part of their culture. Time and time again I have observed groups of young kids walking along the street or mountain roads talking and laughing. I never see them arguing.
From Hanoi you can reach the high country of Sapa by luxury bus with wide aircraft type seats.(2 seats on one side, and one on the other)The 360 km run takes about 5 hours incl several stops. As soon as Sapa is reached you are surrounded by Hmong and Zhou women souvenir sellers all dressed in traditional dress. This type of clothing is not worn to attract tourists but is their standard attire as you see it worn in the most remote places. Several called out with a: "I know you- you have been here before- you are Eddie's friend! " Amazing.
Leaving the hordes behind us we headed down hill to the Cat Cat View Hotel, not to stay but enjoy coffee and lunch. The hotel is built on terraces attached to a rock wall. Just head for the lift, press floor 7 and walk to floor 8. A million dollar view over the valley awaits the visitor.Down stairs we enquired about renting some scooters- yes no problem-no need for a name - address, where we are staying or a deposit. The man gave us helmet and the keys and off we went to Tavan.
For Frank it had been a long time since he rode a scooter so we opted for the fully automatic type.Tavan- a world apart as you can see you cant go there and not visit the hanging bridge featured in the IKEA framed poster departments worldwide.