Been a while since we last blogged, soo much happening. Took the overnight train from Hoi An to Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) as it now officially called) We got on at about midnight after a two hour delay and arrived at Siagon at 5pm, long journey but quite comfortable. We shared with two ladies and three kids, so 7 of us in a 4 berth cabin. And they had loads of luggage including lots of fresh veg. Slept OK but our fellow passengers woke up early and the kids woke us. At least we didn't have to suffer the sights & smells of our indian train journeys in open carriages ;-) The journey was interesting as the landscape changed from coastal fishing villages to arid over-grazed fields to well irrigated paddy fields and fields of wheat as we approached HCMC. There is a pretty constant stream of trolleys up and down the train selling all sorts of hot and cold foods and drinks, some scary local delicacies and some more western fare, we stuck to the tea, coke and crisps. At HCMC station we are offered rides on the taxi motorbikes and they are not put off by our large rucksacs, we opted for a taxi car. Saigon traffic is as hectic as Hanoi's with scooters everywhere. On arrival at our hotel we learnt that they had upgraded us, to a nice suite. The breakfast buffet here (everything from beef noodle soup to fresh melon) is excellent and we eat enough to get us through without lunch! HCMC is a commercial city and the shops are very different here, not the normal touristy stuff we're used to. It's very modern with posh shopping malls and the sky scrapers are all lit up at night- you could be in Singapore. In fact it's hard to find touristy stuff to buy and when we do it is very expensive. We haggle hard though. We take a trip out to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels where the Viet Cong hid out during the war. This is a touristy spot and we watched a short documentary film before we have a tour of some of the tunnels and bunkers. The tunnels are tiny and we end up crawling through on our hands and knees. We also see some of the 'weapons' they used such as pits with bamboo spikes that they cover in more bamboo so that the enemy fall in... We get the opportunity to fire an ak47, which we both decline. Although the Viet Cong were out numbered by man and fire power they were ingenious in the use of natural resources and adapting their farming and hunting skills - you can understand how they won the war. Whilst in Ho Chi Minh City we also enjoyed a bit of culture with a night out at the opera house- an old colonial theatre. We watched a brilliant show full of acrobatics- similar to the Cirque du Soleil shows but using local materials such as bamboo poles and coracle fishing boats as props. We also had a couple of lovely meals in a local restaurant staffed by ex-street kids. The food and service were excellent and it was nice to support such a good cause. We had really enjoyed Vietnam but our time in South East Asia had come to an end and it was time to move onto Australia. We shall miss the friendliness of the locals and being a millionaire each time you withdraw from the ATM!