Viet Nam
When we first arrived in Viet Nam, the first thing we noticed was that the roads were substantially better. After the back of pickups in Cambodia, it was nice to be in a mini-bus, even if the roads were still crooked, at least they were paved.We started in the South in the city of Ho Chi Mihn (formerly Saigon). We got a beautiful hostel for $8 that included a free breakfast and free dinner. Sweet. All I remember of that first night is sleep.
When we woke and were able to explore, we were suprised at Viet Nam. The country is extremely modern, and although there is a Communist Government, it is a free-market economy. With this in mind we explored and shopped. Some of the bargains we got included 2 glasses of draft beer for $0.30 and a 60 Litre North Face Pack with 2 rain-covers for $21. Here is my personal advice. If anyone is going to Asia, land naked in Saigon, and buy everything you need there (then go to Bangkok, where you can get amazingly cheap airline tickets).
Both Mari and I are interested in the historical side of visiting Viet Nam, so we spent the next day travelling to Cu Chi. War and History buffs will know that this is part of the famous Ho Chi Mihn trail (a transport trail used by the Northern Forces during the U.S. involvement) It was in Cu Chi that local farmers took up a fight, and let me say, what we saw was truly frightening. On display were all the various traps used in the war. 1 metre deep pits filled with spikes, landmines of every shape and size, and possibly the goriest thing I have ever seen, a pit with two rollers in it. This pit was set up so that if a soldier stepped in it, the two rollers would "roll" 10 inch spikes all the way up his body, And ther would be no way out, except to continue going down.
Part of the display included the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a system of underground tunnels where people would live and fight during the war. The tunnels were expertly camouflagued, and were very tiny. I was the only Western Male who could fit in them. (WE have a picture, don't worry)
The other neat thing about this area is CAO-daism. This vietnam only religon is practised in the "temple of the seeing eye", and involves hundreds of people dressed in full costumes of red, white, blue all different facets of the religion. Four times daily, every one comes to the temple to worship. It was beautiful, confusing, and interesting to watch. Look for pictures, and you will be amazed.
As Viet Nam is a long and Narrow country, we headed North, soon arriving at the coastal community of Nha Trang. From here we got ourselves on another dive boat, and headed out to the South China Sea. Our first dive was to over 70 feet, and the visibility was really quite poor. It was cold and dark, and we were wondering why we were there, when we spotted the mouth of a cave. We entered and snaked our way around and up, finally entering shallower water, where the view improved dramatically. The coral was beautiful, we watched a cuttlefish change colours in front of our eyes, and there was no one else around. When we got back to the boat, a lunch of grilled salmon steak awaited us.
We also spent a day on rented bicycles, exploring the rice fields and un-touched local areas. Off the beaten track we thought it was great, although it was obvious that many of the locals had never seen westerners nearby. For a bit of a break we stopped for a drink. We stopped in a tiny, tiny place and asked for beer. The waitress said it was 8000 dong (about $0.50). well we thought, why not. WEll, for our 8000 dong, we got TWO LITRES of beer. What a bargain.