I think Vietnam is brilliant!

Reflections on Vietnam...

I've had such a great time in Vietnam, I love it and would definitely come back.

The Vietnamese are such happy folk! They wake up incredibly early to indulge in breakfast at street stalls with friends or excercise in the local parks. Tourists are welcomed with open arms and everything is made easy for us, especially compared with China and India. Travelling around the country is made all the easier due to the oh so many private companies offering the same route or tour meaning that competition brings the prices down or at least allows you to bargain. The thriving tourist industry means that everything is set up here: wherever you want to go, it can be arranged without problem and with many smiles! I understand why South East Asia is so popular with younger backpackers and gap year students - everything's just so easy to plan and arrange. For us, we were able to buy an open bus ticket taking us from the North all the way to the South, stopping at as many or as few cities as we wanted on the way. This gave us the flexibility we needed to stay in a place for as long or little time as we could.

We've also found that it's incredibly easy to meet fellow travellers here, not least due to the night bus experiences! It's fun to hop off the bus and seek a hotel with another couple of travellers rather than on your own. We also found that the same people would be on our buses each time, having chosen the same route and itinerary as us. We've met some really great people over the two weeks we've been here.

We've eaten some GREAT food too. While this may be considered a great crime for many, we've really enjoyed that there are so many international food options here. Despite eating mainly Vietnamese food while being here (Chris' favourite being Pho Bo for breakfast: beef, noodle soup), we must admit to sampling a number of excellent burgers and schnitzels along the way too!

I've so much enjoyed the shopping which has been possible even for backpackers on a budget like us. If I came again there's no doubt that my suitcase would be empty upon arrival and overflowing with bargains when I left.

Vietnam is a beautiful country with so much to see - Chris and I have many reasons to return here. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we haven't been able to deviate at all from the primary tourist route which includes the main cities along the coast where the night bus stops. However, we could have easily spent a good two weeks in and around each city, exploring the local area, visiting smaller villages and rice paddy fields. We would have loved to have rented bikes in each place, something we only did once, as this is a great way to explore and get to know a place better.