Although not as heavily featured as you would expect, no visit to Vietnam would be complete without seeing some home turf views of the country's military history. The Museum of Military History not only gave us some interesting insights into the Vietnamese struggles for freedom during its history (not just the US war but also several years of struggle against Chinese and French rule which is educational and quite harrowing). Never has the power of propaganda bee...

As always, there are plenty of experiences we could blog about today, but there's really only one thing we should be taking about: our great train adventure! 18.00 (train leaves at 19.00): We arrived at the station in plenty of time, not really knowing what to expect but yet confident we'd be able to figure it out. We're now sat on the train, drinking beer and eating hotdogs, waiting for our departure in 30 minutes. As you'll see, our 'soft sleeper' cabin is mo...

It's been a rainy day here in Hanoi so we've had a welcomed day chilling whilst it's not so sunny, without much to report now's a good a time as any to tell you about the food. Eating is just as much a social engagement as feeding your belly and it's customary in large groups to share dishes at the table, my favourite way of eating! Eating is also part of the language - "Ban an com chau?" is a common greeting meaning "have you eaten rice yet?". For the brave th...

'Vietnam's not that far,' we said. After leaving York at 4am, it was mere 22 hours until we arrived at our hotel in the heart of the fascinating city that is Hanoi. First impressions? Apart from the mind blowing disregard for any fathomable road traffic laws (my job would be a touch more challenging over here!), we were immediately struck by the incredible heat and dripping sweat-inducing humidity. But we're getting stuck in and loving it so far. We've bought h...

We had dinner with the locals tonight, it was a case of pointing at food and hoping for the best but they were very welcoming and we filled our bellies with food and local beer for a fiver. We sat on the street eating and watching the mad motorbike traffic, we needed a beer to give us the courage to tackle crossing the road as they just drive around you as you walk out into the road, madness. Oh, and it is hot hot hot here, the humidity is incredible.