We've enjoyed our first week's stay in Da Lat, Vietnam. Da Lat is in the Central Highlands of Vietnam - have a look at our travel map at the bottom of the Profile page. Da Lat was established by the French 120 years ago as an escape from the heat of tropical Vietnam. Da Lat has a temperate climate around 23 degrees all year round during the day. This makes for perfect conditions to grow fruit, veg and flowers. We are here at the end of winter, so it is warm in th...

Wouldn't recommend Tam Hanh buses (Saigon - Mui Ne). Before you get to your destination, they start taking on new passengers. If there is no room on the bus, they ask passengers where they are staying and then persuade them to get off miles from their hotel. I had done a reccy on the location of the hotel, but was still convinced by the guy as he pointed ahead to Rang Church which was by our hotel - he lied! We got a local bus anyway - not the end of the world. M...

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City is a place we've visited before, our friend Steve did us a tour round the highlights on that occasion. This time we just popped in to get our bus to Mui Ne (our next stop in Vietnam) which was $7 each for a 3.5 hour sleeper bus with Tam Hanh - see video.

Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong, 4th biggest in Vietnam, with a population of 1.2 million. It still has its charms, though. It is bustling with various markets, eateries and coffee shops. There is a promenade area at the waterfront. In Chau Doc also, the prom attracts the community first thing in the morning and in the evening for a circuit. People gather to exercise, to stroll and do dance and workout classes. Rather than take another boat trip, we too...

Paul sat at the back of the boat to take photos along the Mekong rivers. We arrived at Chau Doc and decided to walk to our hotel near the covered market. I had done a reccy on its location the night before. Our backpacks have been great, even though I am now a couple of inches shorter than when I started. Chau Doc has a great feel to it - it is not primarily a tourist town, so you get a sense of authenticity. There are a few posh hotels on the waterfront and a fe...