We arrive in to Hanoi, which is in the midst of celebrations for the 1000 year anniversary of the city. Hanoi, originally called Thang Long ("City of the Soaring Dragon"), was established by King Ly Thai To who decided that the capital city should be relocated to Hanoi through the use of geomancy (a pseudo-scientific form of feng shui).The city is lit up with signs and decorations marking the anniversary.

Driving in to Hanoi is a complete assault on the senses, even compared to other Asian cities - every street and pavement is full of people on scooters, often 2 or 3 people per scooter with the driver on their phone and everyone blaring their horn at once.Driving in to town we see some eye-opening sights on the back of scooters, not least half a dead pig slung over the back of the seat. The air is thick with smog (fumes from the scooters or the nearby factories of China?) and at first the smell of petrol that fills the air makes you feel sick. The first challenge for a visitor is crossing the road, trying to find a path between the seemingly suicidal scooter riders with no regard for each other, pedestrians, traffic lights or one way streets. At first you wait hesitantly at the side of the road for a gap in the traffic or to be let out before realising that will never happen and make a dash for it. By the end of the first couple of days we were pleased to be sauntering across the streets like locals (if you speed up you have failed!) or if in doubt locating a human shield who would get run over first!

Despite the chaos of the streets, Hanoi is a very relaxed and easygoing city and much easier to navigate than I had expected. When not behind the wheel the overriding impression I have of Hanoi-ans is of calmness, with many men happy to sit almost motionless for hours on the back of a parked-up scooter or on a plastic chair sipping a 'bia hoi'. Families congregate on the corners of streets and outside shops at night to eat delicious-looking street food while sitting on the same miniature plastic chairs. While we didn't manage any street food while we were in the city we experimented with a lot of different Vietnamese food including some fantastic catfish spring rolls and crickets (less to my liking than Nick's!) and enjoyed a lot of the local beer.

Hanoi's attraction comes from the lifestyle and atmosphere rather than a long list of museums and attractions to see, although every guide book describes the water puppet theatre as a 'must see' experience. We made the mistake of going on our first night - after minimal sleep for two days - when the combination of a soft seat and a dark room unfortunately meant that we fell asleep for chunks of the hour long performance! We also missed out on the other main cultural landmarks, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and museum, when I was laid low after a bad ice cube on our last day in the city. Despite missing out on these sights we had a fantastic time in Hanoi and would definitely recommend a visit.

The next morning we joined a group tour to Halong Bay, a UNESCO world heritage site which is almost compulsory to visit when in Hanoi. There are about 1900 limestone 'karsts' (islands) off the coast which, combined with the mist off the water (which I suspect might be due in so small part from the nearby port and shipping lane) creates a mystical effect as you pass through on a boat.Despite our boat looking nothing like the one on the website, more of a multicoloured pirate radio ship than a traditional 'junk', the cabins themselves are comfortable, the other 11 people in our group are good value and we get to eat the best seafood I've had in ages. We do some sea kayaking and visit a fantastic, huge cave in one of the islands that is full of stalactites and stalacmites in the limestone making it look like a planet that the US Enterprise might land on.It is known as Happy Cave because the inhabitants of local floating villages historically used it to hold wedding parties. The next day we all make the three hour hair-raising journey back to Hanoi - the driving is even worse on the main roads than in the city! -and jump on a flight to Hoi An a few hours down the coast.