Vietnam.

Dry_bean.

I know, been home for over a week and not a word about our trip to Vietnam.
Well the fact is I'm still recovering from culture shock, not too much about it now other than a few first impressions.

There are 18 million people in Vietnam and I'm sure every last one of them owns at least two motor bikes, never seen so many in one place, makes the Thais look like beginners.

We had a great time, the people were (mostly) friendly.

The scenery was awe inspiring Ha Long bay is as picturesque as all of the brochures make it out to be, although obviously very commercial.

The food was generally terrible, we dined in everything from 5 star restaurants to road side stalls, by the end of the first week we were looking for alternatives to the local food, more about that later.

Beer, was cheap, very cheap, which was fortunate because we drank vast amounts of the stuff to counter the humidity.

Coffee, was abysmal, however things started to improve when we went searching for alternatives to Vietnamese food, also more later.

Travel was cheap, Malaysia Airlines, $675 return, we thought we saved heaps on travel so stayed in some pretty upmarket accommodation. :o ;D

Brett H

I can't wait to read your posts and see the pictures. We loved the food in Vietnam but then I suppose that that cuisine is to our tastes.  We were lucky in that we had a guide who knew some amazing eateries and in fact the finest meal I've ever eaten anywhere was in Hoi An at a French cafe by he riverside. I have not had a lobster bisque yet come close. I too drank more beer than water (saving money naturally) and can commiserate with the noise.  It really is very confronting and quite stressful once the novelty wears off (took a couple of minutes admittedly).  Glad your back safe and sound and I'm looking forward to some D200 magic.  I only took the 18-200vr lens and I now wished I had have taken the 50mm prime for all that smog!

Koffee_Kosmo

Yes paint a picture with words then follow up with snap shots Waiting for the next installment KK

Bottom Line

on 1314874361:

We loved the food in Vietnam but then I suppose that that cuisine is to our tastes.  We were lucky in that we had a guide who knew some amazing eateries and in fact the finest meal I've ever eaten anywhere was in Hoi An at a French cafe by he riverside. I only took the 18-200vr lens and I now wished I had have taken the 50mm prime for all that smog!

Same here, found food to be great. Probably my and my wife's palate as well. We paid more for the tours and it was a lot less commercial. I was very glad I took the D50 rather then just a pocket digital. The 50mm prime came in very handy in the dark caves. The coffee..... BAD. Found one place in HCMC that was ok. But the rest was undrinkable.

Dry_bean.

Hired a car and driver in Hoi An, he drove us all the way to Saigon. Took lots of grab shots from the moving vehicle, seems nothing is too large for a Vietnamese motor cyclist to transport on his trusty steed, the quality of some of these shots is pretty average but you will get the idea, this guy is moving a heap of roofing iron, the rear over hang is almost as long as what's in front of the jinker wheels. :o

Dry_bean.

Passed this character on the drive from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, the bags only contain pollard, so even at a conservative weight of 20kg per bag that's 120kg plus the rider, amazing. :o