We made it safely to Hoi An on the night bus and checked into a pretty nice hotel, especially because it was only 20-something per night (see photos). Hoi An is by far my favorite place on the trip so far. The beaches are amazing... warm waters and great surf. We spent most of our time in Hoi An at the beach. The town is full of old french buildings and is a major hub for silk production and tailoring. There is a large canal that runs through the middle of town and is full of Vietnamese junks (boats). At night, lanterns are lit along the bridges and inside the shops along the canal and french instrumental music, like Clair de Lune, is played over loud speakers throughout old town. After a hard day at the beach, LC and I would slip into our evening clothes and walk along the canals listening to the music and then stop into one of the dozens of restaurants for crab cakes and baguettes or ice cream. Im no authority on romance but it was pretty romantic. It was sad to leave Hoi An behind but we needed to head north to Hanoi and Halong bay islands. We booked a sleeper car on the overnight train and were off. The price of the train was double that of the bus but well worth it. We shared our car with two young vietnamese men who slept the whole time, so we basically had the car to ourselves to play cards and drink beer and just BS the night away. More to come of hectic Hanoi and breath-taking Halong Bay.