Nha Trang / Hoi An

Nha Trang - life's a beach

I met the tour group that I'd be spending the next 22 days with, and discovered them to be a great group from places all over the world, who introduced me to their love of Dong (Vietnamese currency) jokes. That evening involved traveling by sleeper train to the beach resort of Nha Trang. The term 'sleeper' train is an optimistic assessment of this method of transport as I discovered, and the warning of bed bugs did little to prepare me of what was to come. Settling down that evening in my bed in the carriage, I was lucky enough to stumble across the film set of A Bugs Life 2 around the edges of my mattress. Any attempts to sleep were ruined by the feeling of a bug scampering across you. I also filmed a video on my phone that Dispatches would be proud of. Needless to say I got no sleep that night, escaping to a seat further down the train watching the Vietnam night go by.

We arrived at Nha Trang at 5.30am, being welcomed into a small beach town that closely resembled paradise; a huge stretch of sand, clear water and Islands in the distance. I spent the day under a giant thatched umbrella on the beach, with the occasional dip in the warm sea, and flinching every now and then due to chronic bedbug-a-phobia. And that evening sat at another bar that had swings instead of seats (disclaimer: not a swing bar) I witnessed the moon rise above the Island opposite ours, appearing about twice the size as normal and being an unforgettable moment which my camera wasn't there to capture!

5.30am Nha Trang Beach

The next day we visited some Temples in town where I sat in a giant bell whilst a guy bonged it and said prayers and there was also a giant Buddha. Cutting edge blogging. Then we went round the Nha Trang market with its strong smells and huge variety of food and clothes, I even bought myself some designer 'Aberconnbie and Fiche' flip flops at a bargain price- here in Vietnam, your Dong goes a long way. The great thing about part of this market was how local and untourist-like it was, as we sat down at a make shift stall asking for only 'rice' and 'noodles' and receiving incredibly tasty dishes as we sat on small plastic children's chairs. And 2 hours later, we had survived the street food scare- and so the Immodium remains unopened in its packet. That evening involved getting another night train to Hoi An, and despite not getting as bad a bed this time round, local $3-a-litre rum helped me get a comfy nights sleep.

Nha Trang Market lady

 Hoi An - suit you sir

We arrived in Hoi An to discover we were staying in a stylish hotel with swimming pool, not quite the backpackers stay I was expecting! A walk round Hoi An introduced me to one of the most picturesque, peaceful settings I have ever seen. Smiley local people, colourful buildings and unspoilt character. This town is also world famous for suit tailoring. After a chat with my wise Canadian room mate, I realised I would regret it forever if I didn't have made one of the nicest fitting 3 piece suits I have ever worn. Although handing over a lot of Dong to the giggly suit lady at Yaly Tailors (recommended by Lonely Planet), it was totally worth it. That night we indulged in some top food and 25p beers.

Colourful Hoi An

The next day was a cycle tour around the beautiful Vietnamese farms out of town. I even got a chance to ride a buffalo through a marshy field, with a local man on it with me singing Buffalo Soldier. The tour also stopped at a small play school, where the kids happened to be on break in the playground. They invited us in to sing and play with the kids, who were unbelievably cute and provided me with an unforgettable moment. Later in the day I went for a second and third suit sitting, an incredibly professional and meticulous job done by the tailors. Fell in love with Hoi An, next stop Hue and Hanoi.