Xin chào from Mui Ne!

We've packed loads in since our last blog. Our three weeks in Vietnam have been fantastic: we've met some great people, seen some amazing sights and of course have had laughs a plenty.

After a day exploring Hanoi we decided to go on a boat trip to Ha Long Bay for three days and two nights which included kayaking, treking on Cat Ba Island and cruising around some of the 1696 islands. We went with a really good group and had a great laugh (lots of BANT).

On return from the boat trip we had a few more days in Hanoi. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is one of the main attractions in the city and is described as a must for tourists. Accompanied by some friends we had met on the trip, we set of early to visit him before the mausoleum closed at 11am. Unfortunately, for Carley the taxi driver was unable to distinguish between the Ho Chi Minh MUSEUM and the MAUSOLEUM...no viewing of the embalmed body for Carls!

Other sights included the Temple of Literature and the Hoam Kiem lake, although we weren't graced with the presence of the giant, golden turtle which, in an old vietnamese myth, is said to have lived in the lake to protect the city from the Chinese.

After saying a few farewells to some friends who were heading down south, we boarded the night train North to Sapa, a rural town 1km south of the Chinese border. The 9 hour sleeper train was a great experience and we shared a cabin with two English girls who were also on the trek to Sapa.

Arriving in Sapa we were greeted by our vietnamese guide who introduced himself as "Hung...but you can call me Well Hung"! We had a feeling the next few days would bring some laughs! He spent two days with us as we trekked through the terraced rice paddies and mingled with locals from the H'mong, Tay and Dzao hill-tribes. We spent the night with a local Tay family who were hugely hospitable and had two cheeky little children. The second day was spent visiting a local school and included a white-nuckle motorbike ride back to Sapa town.

On return to Hanoi, we chilled out and waited for the night bus to take us 12 hours on the first part of our journey down the coast to Hue. Spent a day in Hue and hired bikes to cycle to the citadel, the city's ancient palace, and the Thiem Mu pagoda, where we watched local monks of all ages mediatating in their afternoon ritual.

Hoi An was the next stop and has to be one of our favourite places in Vietnam. A beautiful costal town, fantastic restaurants and plenty of dress tailors- needless to say, we really enjoyed ourselves here! We also tried our hand at Vietnamese cooking and spent an afternoon with Vina, a local lady who took us to the market to buy the ingredients for our dishes (we now know how to pick a perfect pineapple!). We cooked a beef noodle soup, vegetable spring rolls and marinated tuna cooked in banana leaves. Prepare yourselves for a Vietnamese feast when we get home- it was suprisingly good.

Next stop: Nha Trang. Our first proper experience of Vietnamese sunshine, and yes, despite our best efforts, we did fry ourselves on the first day! Chilled on the beach after meeting an English guy, Jack, who was brave enough to spend the next two days with us! Took a boat trip to a couple of islands around Nha Trang and were entertained by our crew and their "boyband" (homemade drum kit included) who were keen to show off their international music knowledge by volunteering people to offer their nationality and singing a song that matched. Following Australia's Waltzing Matilda, and a Sweedish bunny dance, it was our turn to fly the British flag as we joined them in a rendition of Yellow Submarine.

So here we are in Mui Ne, a fishing village that has become one of the best spots around for kite surfing- the views are amazing (!!). We've been chilling on a beautiful beach today and tomorrow we are heading to the red and white sand dunes for a 4x4 jeep tour. From here, we head to Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh City for a few days and then into Cambodia.....can't wait.

Hope all is well at home- keep the messages coming! Will update in Cambodia.

Lots of love xx