Oh, Vietnam. The land of delicious food, curtains on the outside of houses, super-friendly people, drivers from hell, thick bits of paper used as napkins, beautiful bonsai trees, endless school children, empty beaches, strange narrow buildings, communist-flavoured capitalism, and war monuments.

It’s only been one month and we have developed a very strong affection for Vietnam. We’ve learned about Dong Tao chickens, Caodaists, exploding pirates, Catholics, and Jarai tribes.

~~~

Two months down and we have now experienced a little bit of the north. Gone are the thick paper napkins. The bonsai trees are fewer, and the weather can be antagonistic (read: cold and rainy) The ‘y’ sounds have been replaced with ‘z’ sounds, and the tea isn’t as bitter as the south. Communal wooden bongs filled with tobacco called thuốc lào sit outside mechanics and street food stalls and are sucked on by every man who wanders past. The limestone forms crags and mountains that constantly amaze, and the driving is some of the best on the country. The people, as always, are warm.

For the new year celebrations of tet we had good times and bad. Afterwards I tried my hand at writing a motorcycle guide.

~~~

The third month in Vietnam flew by. We took a wide loop around the top of the country visiting mud huts on the Chinese border, the north pole, and waterfalls. We spent one week volunteering at a bar and guesthouse, and we finally sold our faithful bike after four months and 10,000 kilometres.

Vietnam. What an immensely beautiful country.