Vietnam first stop Hanoi, dirty, noisy, e.g. a typical Vietnam City.
Lots of interesting historical sights. Highlights - my birthday- death
defying motorbike ride, slightly more sedate cylo ride. Somewhat depressing - Hanoi prison - not really a good bday event.
And what deprived partying did i get up to in the evening you may ask?..
well errr...a water puppet show actually..dont ask!!
Halong Bay - definitely one of the best places in Vietnam..infact in Asia, take away the hoards of other backpackers on boat trips and this place is awesome. Cat Ba - climbing on a deserted beach - doesn't get much better than that! Take your choice of island and just Kayak to it...loved that place. Riding a bike through the rice fields was great fun too.
Hue - chilled place, Citadel ok..not much else to see.
Ngh Trang - touristy, but good place to dive as soooo cheap. Spent 3 days
getting PADI cert. Had bit of a scare when the o ring burst on Mike's air tank when we where on the sea bed...think our instructor was a bit shocked too. At least we got to practice an emergency surface for real tho!
Ho Chi Minh - flying visit - just another Vietnam city really - was tired
of cities by then.
The worst think about Vietnam - overnight buses - grim to say the least!
Haven't really done Vietnam justice here, it is a great Country, really enjoyed it and one of the best places I've been.