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So we arrive in Vietnam and it takes us 2 hours to get through the border control. This seems to be the shape of things to come. Saigon seems so busy and crossing the street is a challenge. We're told by a local to just walk slowly and let the bikes and cars avoid you. If need be you just put your hand up and the cars will stop. Otherwise you'd wait for hours to get across. We get a top floor room with a balcony overlooking the backpacker district. Class views to watch the crazy traffic below.

Saigon and Nha Trang

Gareth Penpraze
2007-04-20 22:59:01

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So we arrive in Vietnam and it takes us 2 hours to get through the border control. This seems to be the shape of things to come. Saigon seems so busy and crossing the street is a challenge. We're told by a local to just walk slowly and let the bikes and cars avoid you. If need be you just put your hand up and the cars will stop. Otherwise you'd wait for hours to get across. We get a top floor room with a balcony overlooking the backpacker district. Class views to watch the crazy traffic below.

We go to see the Chu Chi tunnels where the Viet Cong fought the Yanks uderground on the way being taken to a souvenier place with everything being made by handicapped people. Mostly overpriced junk that Americans or Japenese would buy. You couldn't see the entrance's to the tunnels and I'm not surprised there were so many casualities. They set traps in the jungle and would launch surprise ambushes on the Americans. They stayed down there all day and came out at night to fight. You had to go on your hands and knees to get through the tunnels, even then they were widened for the tourists to go down. After we went to a war museum back in Ho Chi Minh to see loads of war memorabilia and pictures taken during the war. Some pretty shocking pictures.

We get our ticket sorted to go to Hanoi, stopping at Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue all for $16. The bus to Nha Trang is almost 12 hours and 560kms. Its good to see the countryside but its a waste of a day. Some woman keeps trying to put her seat back and digging into my knees. Not a comfortable journey at all. The bus slows right down to make sure we arrive just after dark and stops at their guest house. People jump on the bus and try to sell their rooms and others try to grab the bags. We manage to wrestle free and get away while they are shouting down the road after us. We walk for a half hour, take a taxi journey and settle on $17 a room, the most expensive we've had since leaving!!
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