We were keen to avoid another night bus experience like the last, so we splashed out on a flight from Dalat to Hoi An. Hoi An is a coastal and riverside town, initially built around a port, but due to silt and sand deposits the port stopped functioning several years ago. It went through a period of poverty but now has built itself back up, on tourism. A very touristy but upmarket town. It has narrow streets with quaint old buildings and brightly coloured lanterns hanging overhead. Streets are lined mostly with tailors, cobblers and overpriced restaurants. To our surprise there were lots of western families with young children on holiday there, not what we had expected to find in mid Vietnam.

We spent most of our time there going back and forth to the tailors for fittings. Greg had ordered a three piece woollen suit as well as a smoking jacket and Claire was persuaded into buying three dresses. However, Claire's decision making was as painstaking as usual and we even ended up getting a ride on back of a scooter to view more fabrics at the factory. Unfortunately, Claire's choice of clothing that day was a mini dress (yes, Claire in a dress!), so she whizzed through the streets, struggling to maintain her dignity with only a 10x10cm handbag between her legs. Every time we went to the tailors, they were adamant we had at least one bottle of water each, by the end of our stay in Hoi An, we were incredibly well hydrated and our kidneys were back in full working order.

Our first night there we met up with our former tour group, who happened to be in Hoi An also on the Vietnamese leg of their adventure, and indulged in some local cocktails before being suddenly ejected from the bar because the police were on their way. We then discovered there is a strict curfew for the bars in Hoi An and made our way home. The next night we met up with Satti (who had worked in Bournemouth) and her brother and cousin for dinner and a few beers. As they were travelling South through Vietnam and we were travelling North we were able to swap very useful hints and tips on where and where not to go.

On our final morning we made one last trip to the tailors. Our finished products looked rather sharp on us and we were able to ship them back to the UK. They are currently somewhere in the middle of the ocean, but hopefully we'll be reunited with them in a few months time.