We arrived in Hue at 8.30am to a torrential thunderstorm. Not good. The bus journey was an experience and one I know we will have to repeat due to its relative inexpensiveness however I found it frustrating that you could neither sit fully upright nor lie fully horizontal. Added to this at no point could I have my legs fully stretched out.

We disembarked the bus in the rain and, although we had no hostel booked, we had a clear idea of where we wanted to stay. Our poor old Lonely Planet guide which has already been severely beaten and battered by overuse was now having its pages moistened by the raindrops. I fear for its survival!

We eventually found the hostel we were looking for arriving like two drowned rats. We were offered a price and after inspecting the room we took it. A quick stock check for water damage in our kit followed by a freshen up (we had just been on a bus for 14 hours!) and a plan formulated for the day.

Due to the rain the two main reasons for visiting - the citadel grounds and a river cruise - seemed fairly pointless so disappointed we decided to cut short our stay and just have one night in Hue. This meant we needed to arrange our ticket out and, although slightly more expensive, we decided on the train. We had read good things regarding the view along the coast for the 2 hour journey to Danang and we wanted to see for ourselves.

We traipsed to the train station via the ATM and were helped in our quest by an overzealous station employee. Tickets booked we returned to the more happening end of town for a spot of lunch. The rain had clearly deterred many people from going out and the lack of traffic and associated noise was in stark contrast to Hanoi. It was like a ghost town.

A recommendation from Lonely Planet led us to a no-frills Vietnamese café where we enjoyed a traditional treat of spring rolls, soup, deep-fried prawns, beef and rice. Cheap, filling and delicious!

As we finished and started to wander back the rain had eased dramatically and the city slowly came to life. Not only more tourists ventured out but also more scooters, more cyclo riders and more motorbikes. More like the Vietnam we're used to but still nowhere near Hanoi chaos levels!

We found a second-hand bookshop along the way and since there has been no book swaps in the last few places, we both purchased a book to keep us going.

Back at the hostel I enjoyed a nap while Kirsty pottered before we decided to go out for some dinner. We found a bar as Kirsty was not so hungry. We went local again ordering noodle soup with chicken and crispy fried noodles with vegetables. Both dishes so tasty and so filling neither got finished. Afterwards we returned to the hostel leaving the other patrons to their Jaegerbombs and Mojitos before sorting stuff and ready to ship out in the morning.

We woke up early, packed our bags and checked out. We then started the walk to the train station. The weather had improved and the walk was to prove a sweaty one. Along the way we were called at by motorbike riders and cyclo riders. One cyclo owner even rode alongside us and would not take no for an answer. He kept lowering his price until, after a couple of blocks, giving up and cycling away.

At the train station we were shown to the waiting room where Kirsty remarked that there were more Westerners than we had seen in all train stations in China put together! While standing on the platform, we traded a few words with an Australian couple before boarding and getting in our seats. The train was a little shabby (only cosmetic damage) but was more than adequate for us and had the benefit of air-conditioning.

The scenery was purportedly some of the most beautiful in the country so we were excited to see it for ourselves. Our first minor disappointment was that our seats were on the "wrong" side. The journey is southwards and with the coast being on the eastern side, ideally the better side would have been the left hand side. On the flip side from our seats we could see more of a general panorama of the whole left hand side.

To add to the disappointment a couple of French tourists sat across the aisle decided to draw the curtain so that they could see their Ipad screens better. Obviously their football video game was far more interesting than the Vietnam countryside. The proverb that "Travel is wasted on the young" seems to ring true! Maybe a little harsh, let's say "Travel means different things to different folk".

The views were amazing! We travelled past untapped thick jungle vegetation and verdant hills on one side and unspoiled coves and beaches on the other. The sun in the sky just finished the picture. Stunning!

Upon arriving at Danang we were uncertain how to travel onwards to Hoi An. Our choice was to somehow get to the bus station 2km away and catch a bus which would take an hour in the heat of the day or to get a taxi which would cost considerably more. As with all tough decisions we decided to postpone it and find somewhere to eat and drink to discuss it!

Just as we got off the train we asked the Australian couple how they were getting to Hoi An. The answer that they had arranged a private car didn't help us but they did mention they had been chatting to an older German couple who were going to take a taxi. We introduced ourselves and suggested sharing a taxi and thereby halving the costs. This suited all parties and, after agreeing a price with the taxi driver, we enjoyed a little extra air-conditioned luxury for half an hour.

Unbeknownst to me Kirsty had misunderstood the price and was sweating in the back seat during the journey as she didn't think we had the funds to pay our half. At one point she dug deep into her pockets and handed me all the money she had which I remember finding a bit odd. When she realised she had miscalculated by a factor of 10 and it wasn't costing us two days' budget for the ride, the relief on her face was visible!

When we arrived, we said goodbye to the lovely German couple and found somewhere to take our packs off, have a drink and think about where we wanted to stay and for how much. In for a penny, in for a pound we decided to stay and have something to eat too. Kirsty took a wander down the street to sound out a few hostels while we waited for the food. It was obvious we were in the expensive area so after paying our bill we walked to a more budget area where we bumped into a man touting for business.

We followed his lead and went to the hostel he was advertising where the owner quoted us a room price. When we explained to him the man on the street quoted us a lower price he decided he had no rooms and was full. So we decided to leave but he had a change of heart and offered us a room with just a fan, no air-conditioning. After a quick inspection we took the room.

We sorted ourselves out and then sat with the owner to do some registration and to listen to his advice and recommendations for Hoi An, far more friendly towards us than before.

We then spent some time wandering around. There were a lot more Westerners, many of them on rented bicycles (are they mad?!). Because the centre of Hoi An is a UNESCO Heritage Site, buses and trucks are forbidden and so the place has a holiday feel with many pedestrians and it's a lot quieter that other places in Vietnam. It's also a lot smaller than I anticipated and very easy to walk around, especially the Old Quarter and the local food market including the fish market.

There are many places with expert tailors selling made-to-measure clothes and many shoe shops. A shopper's paradise - Kirsty has already bought everything twice in her mind! If only she had a bigger rucksack!

After returning to the hostel we bought an onward night bus ticket before going back out to the riverfront for a drink and something to eat. We enjoyed a spot of people-watching, especially enjoying the locals trying to sell their wares to the tourists. My favourite items being the candle lanterns released to float along the river.