While I sit sipping my mango smoothie from the air conditioned loveliness of a vietnamese cafe book shop in Da Nang, I welcome you to the new adventure I have begun in Vietnam!

I arrived on Sunday evening a little bit tired and a little bit australia-sick having suddenly become surrounded by this totally different culture. I miss the comfort Australia gave me, but with my sister-in-law, Ha, here, I am really enjoying all that Vietnam has to offer.

I was welcomed at the airport by the whole of Ha's family, Mum, Dad, Brother, Gran and friends. I was given flowers and it was so lovely to see everyone dress up and come out just for me. I shared a taxi with Ha back to her house as my suitcase was a bit big for a scooter! (Although I'm sure that wouldn't stop some people). A quick refresh and they took me out to dinner at a restaurant where you are served steaming bowls of noodles and beef and I could show off my chopstick skills. We went in convoy of three scooters; I went on the back of Ha's Mum and automatically fell in love with it.

After a good night's sleep we woke quite early just as it was quite bright and we soon changed to go out for a walk on the beach. It is very common for people to go out and exercise while the sun is still rising as it is much cooler. We walked down to peaceful beach and strolled along the shore where there were many people either swimming, walking or covering themselves with sand which supposedly helps ease joint pain. Many people stopped to look at me or ask me where I was from; they told Ha they thought I was very beautiful. There's nothing like coming to an asian country to get a self-esteem boost just from being Western! Ha told me that in Vietnam people have no quarms about talking to people they see or letting you take their photo, they have a strong sense of community and can be very open about themselves. Just this morning she told me that it is perfectly ok for someone to ask about your salary, your age and your weight.

We headed back to the shops for breakfast. We had a wonderful fishcake-noodle dish and I tried fresh soymilk, but it was far too sweet for me; I liked the green tea though. Then we visted Ha's aunty who owns a salon and did my nails for free. Her whole family have been so welcoming.

We relaxed for the rest of the morning, Ha had a nap and I unpacked my suitcase. Then we went out to get me a sim card and amazingly, as my phone was locked, she has lent me a spare to use for the whole month I am here! I just had to by a charger (£2.50) and the sim was only the equivalent of £3. I am slowly learning the Vietnamese currency, dong, as it comes in such a large number and when I arrived I was a Vietnamese millionaire...

After a wonderful home-cooked meal of fried chicken and rice using the knives and forks my brother gave to the family last year, Ha took me out on the scooter to the supermarket. Here I bought a little home comfort, Frosties, and had a look around at all the vietnamese food on offer. Really though, many vietnamese will buy food from the markets which is where Ha took me next. You walk in and are surrounded by clothes hanging everywhere in the smallest spaces possible and women trying to sell you all sorts of things. We went on the hunt for some new clothes for me and she bargained like mad to get me some great deals. I walked away with a huge pile of clothing for only £30. We had to take a break half way through as the changing into and out of jeans and shorts was making me very hot. You change behind a curtain hung up against the stall and have little room to manouvre without flashing the rest of the market! After a pepsi though we were straight back in it and wandering round the maze of stalls you get lost very easily. People push past you as if they have something very important to get to but at the same time the women selling me clothes apparently thought I was too sweet to rip off and would not dare to with Ha there!

back out in the fresh air Ha took me to the riverside where we bought sugarcane drinks. This is where sugarcane is pushed through a juicing machine over and over to squeeze all the liquid out. mixed with ice and a slice of orange it is a very refreshing and delicious drink. We sat and watched the scooters and cars pass along the street and the general hub bub around me made me so apart of this amazing country.

We then took a scenic drive all the way down the river, over the dragon bridge - a bridge with a sculpture of a dragon made to look like it is weaving up and down across the bridge - and down the other side of the river. We watched the sun make its way below the skyline and saw fishing boats in the dock with various people making it back home from work.

Back at Ha's I squeezed in a skype with my Mum, a lovely dinner with Ha, Ha's Mum and her Gran too; my favourite being the fish dish in a a tomato sauce. I feel asleep almost as my head hit the pillow.