Heathrow terminal 4

Final holiday surprise for Chris when we turned up at Sara’s and told him they were joining us. Lovely meal at the Hilton last night. Now about to board, let the fun commence.
Hanoi day 1 - Train Street

We landed at 5.10am and by 7.30am we were exploring as we could not check in until 2pm. The streets were empty as it is New Year holiday (plus it was early and raining). Great view of the infamousLæs mere
Hanoi day 1 - am

We wandered up to West Lake to see the Tran Quoc pagoda. As it’s New Year, there were lots of families around, dressed in their finery and offering prayers and donations to the gods. We walked pastLæs mere
Hanoi day 1 - food

After the usual dire airline fare we were ready for a deep dive into Asian cuisine gang nam style! Problem no.1 it was early and New Year so lots of places were closed, plus every other shop frontLæs mere
Hanoi day 2 - guided tour am

Today we had a lovely Vietnamese guide called ‘Zumzum’. He is a civil engineering graduate who decided to change careers. He took us for coffee at the original cafe in Train Street, where theLæs mere
Hanoi day 2 - guided tour pm

Next up was the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the presidential palace and the stilt house where Uncle Ho lived. We also went to the One Pilar Pagoda.
Lunch was late but was a lovely Banh My, sausage, eggLæs mere
Hanoi sights and sounds

There has been so many unusual sights in Hanoi from packed mopeds to bikes full of flowers to lantern filled streets and silk tapestries.
Hanoi day 3 - am

Today was more relaxing. We started off walking around the ancient Citadel which was also the seat of government in the war with the US, with nuclear bunkers and war rooms. We then took the cityLæs mere
Hanoi day 3 - pm

After lunch we walked to the Opera House but were unable to get in as they were setting up a military concert. Instead we went to the lovely restored 1901 Metropole hotel in the French colonial style.Læs mere
Halong Bay day 1

A 3 hour drive from Hanoi took us to the coast. We passed lots of rice and vegetable fields, which were oddly side by side with small cemeteries! We had a pit stop at the Oyster farm where they showedLæs mere
Halong Bay day 2

The alarm went off at 5.45 am as Tai Chi was on the deck at 6.15 am with a few sore heads. Then we had a first breakfast of coffee and pastries before we headed out to Sung Sot cave. This is a 3Læs mere
Hue - first night

Arrived in Hue to warm weather. Our hotel was right on the river, a beautiful colonial hotel built in 1901. We dropped our bags and walked along the river to find a restaurant. The bridge, boardwalkLæs mere
Hue - pagoda

This morning we started with a boat ride to Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, the oldest in Hue built in 1601. The dragon boat that took us is also home and shop. Ben (our guide) was very knowledgeableLæs mere
Hue - Citadel

The Citadel is 5.2 sq km in total split into three parts. The forbidden city in the centre where only the king and his family were allowed burnt down in 1947 but they have now restored parts of it,Læs mere
Hue - mausoleums

Finally we visited two of the kings’ tombs. The 4th and 12th kings. The 12th was one of a number of puppet kings of the French government.
The 4th king’s tomb was unusually built when the king wasLæs mere
Hue - Market

This is the main market, just across the river from our hotel. It was amazing! You could buy anything here. The colours, sights and smells of the fruit and veg were stunning!
Hue to Hoi An

We set off for the drive to Hoi An, thinking we would go straight there but Ben had an agenda! We stopped at an Oyster farm by the sea for a quick break, which was very tranquil. Then we went over theLæs mere
Hoi An - Arrival Evening

We changed and were straight out into the old quarter. There were shops everywhere, they call this the shoppers paradise. We walked for a while before finding the river with all the lanterns andLæs mere
Lantern making

First stop of the day was to a lantern making class. The ladies showed us how to do it, then we copied them. It was great fun and the results were fab! They are semi-collapsible so will be coming homeLæs mere
Hoi An - bespoke tailors

Ben took us next to Yaly Couture, the place where Jeremy Clarkson had a lary shirt made on the Top Gear Vietnam special. Here we saw how the silk worm is looked after and what they eat. Also the dyingLæs mere
Hoi An - Historical tour

Ben is great, first we stopped at the market for my ginger, then found Sara’s New Year decorations.
We started the tour of the old town at the Quang Dong assembly hall which was built by theLæs mere
Hoi An - Final day

A gentle wander into the old town today, we headed for the river and found a boat for a trip around the island. There were so many boats with lanterns on.
Lunch was a really tasty Banh My At a localLæs mere
Hoi An to Saigon

Today was mainly travelling. We took the minibus up to Danang airport (where there are still aircraft hangars from the American war, housing a number of Russian Mig jets) for the flight to Saigon/HoLæs mere
Cu Chi tunnels

Today was a history lesson about the American war (what we know as the Vietnam war). We went to the tunnels dug by the Viet Cong on the outskirts of Saigon. The tunnels were very small and theLæs mere
Saigon Tour

The locals still call the city Saigon as it takes less effort than Ho Chi Min City! We visited the Unification Palace (previously the presidential palace for the president of South Vietnam) which wasLæs mere
RejsendeGlad it was a good surprise. Just managed to enrol you at the dentist’s fingers crossed!! Have a good journey.love to all four of you xx.