During our visit to Vietnam, we traveled from the border of Cambodia to Saigon.

From there we traveled to the Mekong Delta then to Dalat, Buan Ma Thuot, Na Trang, Hoi An, Hue and Hanoi.

Vietnam has a rich cultural diversity. There are many ethnic minority groups throughout Vietnam.

There are also many foreign influences, from Chinese and Japanese traders, French colonialists and finally American Soldiers.

Vietnam used to be a Kingdom, this ended in the middle of the 20th Century with the Nguyen Dynasty.

Ho Chi Minh the father of Communism in Vietnam died before the end of the Vietnam war.

He never saw the North and South unite as " The Socialist Republic of Vietnam"

"Maps courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps used with permission"

Day 14

We caught the bus from Phnom Penh at 7am. We had a nice drive to the border at Moc Bai.

At the border we had to get of the bus and cross no mans land on foot.

When we got to the Vietnam side we decided to get a taxi to Saigon, stopping at the Gu Chi tunnels on the way.

The Gu Chi tunnels were built by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war are what remains of a tunnel system, which stretches from Saigon to the border of Cambodia.

At one point in this area the Americans put one of their Army bases over the tunnels, and couldn't understand how soldiers were being picked off during the night.

Going along the widened jungle paths you get a feeling of how scary it must have been for the soldiers going through these dark forests.

Day 15

The Heat is on! Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is a hot bustling city, with bicycles, motorbikes and cars speeding along the busy streets.

We spent the day looking around the city, one of the main tourist attractions is the huge Central Post Office.

Day 16

The 12th of November a very special day for Stephen, 31 today, a day at the Delta.

The Mekong Delta is where this huge river, that passes through 5 countries of South East Asia, meets the sea.

The silt and sediment at the mouth of the Delta produces an area rich in nutrients for agriculture and rice growing.

Enough Rice is produced here to satisfy the whole of Vietnam.

We traveled by boat around this area visiting the local river markets and producers.

Day 17

Traveled to Dalat, in the central highlands of Vietnam. We were met at

the bus station by two moto drivers who called themselves the Easy Riders.

Easy Riders

The Easy Riders are a group of motorbike drivers who are safe, careful riders who offer to show you the side to Vietnam that you never see on a tour bus.

We were met by Ly and Quy, they offered to take us on a one day tour around Dalat.

Following this they suggested taking us on a three day tour through the central highlands, then on to the seaside town of Na Trang.

If you are ever in Dalat, trust the Easy Riders.

You will know them because they have a card and a book of comments and photographs of people from around the world who have done the easy rider tour and recommend them.

This is our experience:

Day 18

Spent the day riding around Dalat with Ly and Quy. The Highlands are a volcanic area the soil is very rich in

minerals .

It is a rich agricultural area, which has an over abundance of coffee plants.

There are other things to see in Dalat, one of the strangest things was a hotel they call the Crazy house.

Day 19

This was the start of our 3 day tour of the Central Highlands with our guides Ly and Quy.

The tour would take us out of Dalat towards the hills between the Cat Tien and Yok Don National Parks, North West of Dalat.

Day 20

We woke at 5am to go down to the lake and watch the fishermen on the second day of our 3 day Easy Rider tour.

Day 21

The final day of the 3 day tour, on the way to Natrang.

Day 23

Yesterday we arrived in the quaint town of Hoi An.

We were so shattered from the previous four days travel that we spent most of the day asleep.

Feeling refreshed and ready to go we walked into the old centre of the town.

Hoi An Used to be the most important port in Vietnam, it was the home of rich merchants trading silks, spices and ceramics. 

In the afternoon we cycled down to the beach and took our first swim in the South China Sea.

Day 24

We caught the early morning bus from Hoi An to Hue.

On the way we stopped at the Marble Mountains. Even before we knew where we were it was obvious from the marble statues being carved in the shops all the way along the highway.

We stopped at one of the largest caves in a mountain called Thuy Son (Water Mountain).

All the marble mountains are named after elements, water, fire, earth etc.

The system of caves inside the Water Mountain were used by the VC in the war. One of the larger caverns housed a hospital.

Look carefully in the photos for and excellent bit of photography by Stephen.

On to the ancient Capital city of Hue in the afternoon. Firstly we visited one of the many palace/tombs of the Kings of Vietnam.

Then we went to the central citadel used as a palace and a centre of administration.

It was mostly destroyed by American bombs during the Vietnam War.

Day 25

After catching the night bus to Hanoi, we cycled around the Capital visiting some of the tourist attractions.

Uncle Ho wasn't at home, he was taking his annual trip to Russia for renovation, but we visited his museum and his house on stilts.

Day 26 & 27

One of the best excursions in Vietnam is a visit to Halong Bay. This area has been desinated a World Heritage Site.

Over three thousand huge limestone rocks project from the sea, in the Gulf of Tonkin.

We had a two day tour and stayed overnight on a boat.

We left Hanoi and returned to Phnom Penh for the Water Festival (see Cambodia).

We will leave you with some final images of Vietnam: Fish, flowers and plastic macs.