My partner and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Vietnam. We were there for one month and managed to cover a lot of ground despite trying to stay in one place for as long as possible. It was the first time I have traveled aboard for an adventure that didn't involve work, so it was interesting to be a tourist for a change and have an actual holiday.
 First, we landed in Saigon where we were awed and amazed by the number of scooter commuters. Crossing the road became a fun game of trust and gradually the noise of the beeping faded into the background of our minds. We wandered around the busy streets and got ourselves lost down numerous alley ways. The cheap street side eats were fantastic as were the iced coffees and $1 beers! |  We then traveled west through the Mekong Delta. A vast myriad of waterways with small villages encrusted along its edges, providing trade routes and sustenance for it's many inhabitants. One of the things that interested us about the boats on the Mekong were the eyes that featured on the front of all of them. These were traditional, apparently to ward off the crocodiles that used to live in abundance in the delta. |
We went further west still to Phu Quoc island, where resort development was rampant as this once quiet fishing island geared up to become VIetnam's next big party island. For us, being there off season, it was quiet and rained a lot but was still lots of fun to explore.
Swiftly heading east, the mountain township of Da Lat was our next stop. Known as Vietnam's answer to Switzerland, Da Lat was abundant with gorgeous french colonial buildings and lots of fresh produce – that was only able to be grown there due to the cooler climate. A great opportunity to crack out the jeans, Tom and I enjoyed exploring all the creative galleries, bars and cafes on offer. The Hang Nga Crazy House was amazing. "A free-wheeling architectural exploration of surrealism". A private home built by the famous Mrs Dang Viet Nga - who had an earlier house that she built torn down because the people's committee thought it looked too anti-socialist. A maze filled bar with the same name – 100 Roofs, has been built in it's honour and was definitely our favourite place while we were there.
 Next stop was the east coast city of Hue, where we visited the Imperial Enclosure and drank cold beers with ice, in an attempt to stay cool. From here we hired scooters and drove through the mountain pass, down the coast to Hoi An. It was so great to be independent, even the thunder storm and deluge en route didn't dampen out enjoyment of the trip! |  Arriving into Hoi An we were delighted to see rice paddy fields flanking the road with majestic water buffalo ploughing them. Such beautiful giant beasts, they captivate me every time I see them. As night fell we were enchanted once again by the incredible lanterns that festooned the old quarter of Hoi An. All along the riverside visitors and traders bustled amidst the warm glow of the lanterns. We had a fantastic dinner made for us by a woman in a small boat and she also had chilled beers for our curbside dining pleasure! |
 Next stop was Hanoi, which became our base while we adventured to Halong Bay and the mountainous villages of the Sapa region. Hanoi itself was a great city, we loved how many of the streets were named after the production guilds that used to vend there and how some streets still do sell these products. My favourite street was the stationary and art supplies street. Thought the haberdashery street was also quite a treat! |  Halong Bay was spectacular. A region in the north east of Vietnam that comprises of over 2000 limestone islands, spearing out of the water like the spikes of a dragons back – such as it's name suggests. From a distance it appears to be a single land mass but as we ventured in on our cruise boat/deluxe junk, we discovered that it was actually a myriad of small islands some of which contained epic cave structures with fresh water within. Halong Bay was incredible, though for me sadly dampened by the intense tourism that exists there – and the combined lack of waste management that polluted the otherwise picturesque seascape. |
 | Final destination on our action packed holiday was Sapa. A township that exists in the northern most mountains of Vietnam, which is full of ancient rice terraces and incredibly clad women! We went on a mountain trek with a bunch of H'Mong laydees, donning such stylish outfits, and learned about the hand embroidering, hemp looming and indigo dying they do as part of their traditional craft. I really enjoyed the chunky, bold jewellery they wear too and was able to buy a few special pieces for myself while we were there. We loved Sapa, it was a great finale to our month long Vietnam trip. |
Click here to see a selection of photographs I took on the trip.