Nigel: We decided to move up to Quy Nhon to spend New Year there. It is again another beach resort, but this one is dedicated more for Vietnamese people. We arrived by bus on New Years eve and luckily there was still rooms available. We thought that we would stay in our room until about 9pm and then go and get some food. We were slightly disappointed to find out that the hotel that we were staying in was closing the doors at 11:30pm, thus meaning we would have to...

Alison: Nha Trang is the main beach resort in Vietnam and so is very touristy. The beach itself is ok but it is nothing compared to the Thailand beaches. The sand is quite dark and gravelly and the sea is very rough. There isn't really much to say about the place. We stayed a couple of days and walked around the main sites which include a pagoda, a reclining Buddha and a church but after that was done, it was time to move on.

Nigel: The route that we were taking through Vietnam was mainly along the East coast, with the only exception being Dalat. The town is high up in the mountains and is a lot cooler than the rest of the South. For this reason the French, during there time of occupancy, built many holiday chalets so that they could escape the summer heat. The change in temperature was noticeable as the locals were wearing very thick coats in the evening. For us the weather was stil...

Nigel: For those that are a little older than Alison and I, you will know Ho Chi Minh City by the other name of Saigon. Even though it is officially called is Ho Chi Minh,most of the locals still call it by the original name. The change was introduced to celebrate the former leader of the communist party that defeated the Americans in the Vietnam war. We arrived in Vietnam by air from Phuket and we had pre booked a hotel, so our lift in to the centre was already ...

Alison: Phuket is a huge island off the west coast of Thailand and, like Phi Phi, was effected by the tsunami. Any damage caused has now been repaired and the island is now very built up and touristy. Although the beach could be potentially beautiful, it is absolutely packed with sun loungers and hundreds of people are crowded on to it. Instead of the lovely secluded island feel, it just feels like you are in a sleazy Spanish resort! For this reason, Phuket is...