On the 10th March we said a fond farewell to Laos as we boarded the plane to Vietnam, after having our final beer Lao at the airport. We arrived in Hanoi 1.5 hours later and began the search for our hotel pick up. Surprise Surprise our names were nowhere to be seen. Eventually we saw a sign with our hotel name on it but with some random Vietnamese name on it instead! After looks of confusion from the drivers and a few phone calls, yes this was our pick up! Where the Vietnamese name came from we will never know!!

Vietnam Travel, so, first impressions of Hanoi - reminded me very much of Cairo with all the crazy drivers honking their horns like it was going out of fashion, pretty polluted in the centre although the surroundings are pretty spectacular - full of rice paddies containing workers with their trousers rolled up to their knees complete with the conical hats!

Hanoi travel is just full of motorbikes, number of riders on each bile ranging from 1-4! Crossing the roads proved to be a bit of a challenge. All the streets have names relating to the type of shops it has i.e. all ceramics, all T shirts shops, all sweet shops..... favourite being the 9 pence beer stalls street! Locally brewed and tasted great!

We did a 3 day, 2 night boat trip to Halong Bay/Cat Ba Island which was amazing, weaving in and out of the thousands of tiny islands which fill Halong Bay. The weather was cloudy and dull most of the time but the sun did come out on the first day in the afternoon which really added to the beauty of the bay. During the trip we did some trekking and kayaking (both in the drizzle!), gave it quite a mystical feel though.

Next travel on our list was a trip to Ninh Binh with nearby Tam Coc Vietnam, which is also referred to as "Halong Bay on the rice paddies". Here we were rowed by 2 Vietnamese women round the river, how lazy did we feel!! It was surrounded by mountains, rocks, caves and rice paddies - very peaceful and relaxing. The weather again was pretty foggy and overcast, not had much luck with the weather here so far! On the trip back the rower woman started asking for a tip - "Tip your Mamma" she cried! Tracey even received a few sharp pokes on the back when she didn't answer! Due to the "violent nature" of her behaviour no tip was issued.

One of the most important parts of our trip so far - St Paddy's day! We came across Finnigan's bar in Hanoi and from that moment our St Paddy's day fate had pretty much been determined.... $30 for a T shirt and all the lager you can drink all day and all night. Our celebrations began at 3.30pm and sticking with tradition we all ended up paraletically pi**ed. Not quite sure what time we stumbled back to the hotel at.... the sure sign of a good night! The next day however was a different story. Tiger beer definitely gives the worst hangover I have ever had! It out us off drinking for a whole day!.... until we found beer for 12 pence at our next destination.

Left Hanoi on 18th March and embarked on a 15 hour train journey to Hoi An (south Vietnam). Fist sights of Hoi An were beautiful beaches and sunshine! It is a lovely little town with a fantastic beach - the white sandy strip stretches for miles, surrounded by palm trees and small patches of sun loungers/cafes. Hoi An is also renowned for its tailored clothes shops. They work mainly with the Next catalogue, you just chose the items you want then the fabric. They measure you and the next day your clothes are ready for you - all made to fit you perfectly! Needless to say we have both invested in almost a new wardrobe each. Oh well, "as they say" - when travel in Hoi An.... buy more clothes!