ATM's and money matters

Picking which atm to use initially doesn't seem like a big deal,  after all a few thousand dong extra in fees doesn't seem that bad.  But when you remember that your bank will also be charging you (even if you are using a travel card often they have atm fees). Plus over a couple of weeks it adds up!

 

VIETNAM

Best pick
MB
White buildings with blue writing
NO ATM'S FEES- and this atm allowed me to withdraw 5 million dong in each transaction. 
Gives 1 million of withdrawal as small notes
In hoi an most ATM's only allow 2 million per transaction,  MB stills allows 5

 

ACB
30k fee on atm
Varies between ATM's how much you can withdraw.  2 or 3 million per withdrawal.  In hoi an they only allow 2 million. 

 

Agribank ATMs

Maroon and white.

Allows withdrawals of 2 Million (I have never been able to take more than that). The best thing about Agribank is that they give you at least 1 mill in small denominations, 20K -> 100K. This is super useful if you are getting spending money out. Most shops will get angry if you give them 500K and market stalls or small businesses just wont even accept it.

 

Cambodia

100% the most useful ATM is Canadabank. They won't charge you fees (as long as  the money is in USD. If it is a different currency you will get conversion fees). The problem is that you get most $20 or $50 bills, but if you go in branch they will actually change the money to lower denominations for you for free, so that was pretty awesome!

 

Once I discovered these ATMs, I didn't use any others!

 

The currency advice is that if you do take a chunk of money in local currency, and ask people at markets the price in riel, they will either work out the price in USD and then convert it, or sometimes they can't do that maths in their head and will quote you a closer to cambodian price.... so you end up paying less.

For hotels, tours, and big purchases you will be quoted in USD. You may as well use these as at least if you have money left over you can spend it in other countries and it's free to get from ATMs. But keep that small change for buying water, snacks etc. Don't stress too much about changing money, often if you pay a hotel in USD, your change will be in Riel - just watch that exchange rate for any weirdness!

Mai Chau

Mai Chau,
About a 4 hour drive from Hanoi, with peaceful rolling green rice fields, slightly awkward traditional dance performances an abundance of scarves and bamboo products for purchase and plenty of peace and quiet.

I was afraid that Mai Chau would be a hectic, Disneyland-esk "minority village". Happily it seems to be a place that has learnt to supplement their farming incomes with the tourist dollar while avoiding the horrible, pushy sales tactics of some of the other tourist markets. In fact, while we walked through one of the villages in which every house has a shop below it we were able to browse within a number of stalls without being followed, questioned or told to "buy this" "very good price" "cheap for you" or any of the other cash cries that usually abound in tourist markets.

This post does read a little like an add for Mai Chau Nature Place (MCNP).... Not my intention, but that's where I stayed, ate and got entertained!

Getting there
Local buses - consult locals for up to date info, time tables and price. but know that these leave from a bus station a fair way outside of Hanoi, will take a lot longer and may be full of travel sick Vietnamese people. But, it will be cheaper!!!

Transfer bus.
These can be booked through virtually any hotel or tourist agency in the city. Our hotel quoted us 12usd each person each way. The transfers is in a mini bus with one of the tour groups.

Small group tours
Mai Chau nature place seemed to be the most common tour. All hotels and booking agencies offer tours, but many of them are the same itineraries. We opted for the $70 per person tour, which included a private room without aircon, all transfers, meals and activities. I think this worked out to be the cheapest option - I usually dislike group travel where you have to all trek around together, but this was actually really enjoyable, and people had the freedom to do their own thing.

Sleeping
There is an abundance of "home stays" available in Mai Chau and the surrounding villages. These looked more like dorms in stilt houses, I am not sure how involved the family actually are, if they stay in the same area and socialize or not. My understanding is that home stays can be arranged for around $10/night/person.

A few hotels are in the town itself, though I am told that cleanliness varies greatly.

Mai Chau nature place has a few bungalows and a dorm room outside of any of the villages.It is an easy walk into Mai Chau centre or the small minority villages and is on a tiny little lane that cars can't drive down. So peace and quiet from the traffic of Hanoi was one of our highlights.
The dorm at the Mai Chau nature place was clean looking, it featured mosquito nets over the beds and also curtains for privacy. They had single and double mattresses available in the dorm and there seemed to be reasonable space between beds. Because it is up on stilts and quite open it was cool at night, even in the summer. People who slept there told us they didn't even need to use their fan in mid August.
We stayed in the bungalow at Mai Chau nature place. We had booked the cheaper rooms, which we were told had fans only, but when we arrived were shown the room with aircon. Not sure if this was to keep our whole tour group together in one area, or if the other rooms were full. It wasn't too hot, but the room's had few opening windows, and is lower than the stilt house so it doesn't get the breeze... so we needed that aircon! The room was really large, had a queen and single bed, chairs, huge bathroom and balcony. Plus a great view. If you wanted somewhere to relax, slow down and have some privacy for a few days I would definitely recommend.

We also were entertained by a traditional dancing show, my understanding it that a lot of the home stays also put on these slightly awkward dance shows. They did get everyone up and joining in the bamboo ankle smashing dance, which had everyone laughing and clapping along!

Food
Our tour included all food, so life was easy! A couple of other people were staying in the dorm apart from the tour, I overheard them getting their bill and all lunches and dinners were 150K VND per meal. Not sure of the breakfast cost.
There were a couple of places BBQing up skewers of meat in the village, and a few local restaurants in Mai Chau itself, but don't be too disappointed if you cant find a western style restaurant!

Ok, I'm here.... now what can I do?
Bike riding
Mai Chau was beautiful to ride around in the late afternoon. Flat land and country lanes made cycling a breeze and the views were stunning! We went to a lake where locals swim (the water is pretty icy, but it looked beautiful. I didn't have swimmers as I assumed there wouldn't be anywhere to swim!). Where ever you decide to stay I am sure they will provide or draw maps to show you great places to cycle, and how to get back!

traditional clothes hire 
For a bit of a laugh, you can hire traditional outfits in the village. I believe it was a dollar per clothing item to hire them for the afternoon. a group of girls on our tour had a hilarious looking photo shoot in traditional clothing!

Climb up the 1000 step cave
We were told it was in fact 1200 steps... I didn't count, I was busy trying to breathe! It was a good, satisfying climb up those damn steps in a cave. The view at the top was actually blocked by the trees a lot. You get glimpses down into the valley, but avid photographers might expect a lot more after climbing 1200 steps!
The cave is.... cave-ish. really, nothing mazingly spectacular if you have been in many caves before. But head over to the back left, there is actually a path (complete with hand rail) that loops further back into cave. You will need some sort of light because it gets far enough from the entrance to be dark and the ground is slippery. Exploring this dark part of the cave was much more fun for us..... but for some reason that wasn't explained the guide from MCNP yelled at us to come back. So I dunno what that was about.

 I didn't partake of, but understand that you can also arrange treks to villages that are further out, rock climbing, motorbiking to a lake, and trips from here on to Cuc Phuong national park if you so desire.

Tailors of Hoi An (getting clothes that fit perfectly!)

I could have included this in the Hoi An post......  but there is such a lot to say about tailors in Hoi An (and other places too!) that I thought it warrants it's own post!

Starting with my experience in Hoi An, which is the most popular place to get clothes made.... and so has tailors on every single street!

My absolute 100% recommendation is Xuan -- 27 Hoang Dieu st. Hoi An

Xuan (right) with my boyfriend in clothes she made and her staff

Why do I recommend her?

Firstly, she isn't pushy. If you want to come in and look around, then you walk away - I have never seen her follow anyone, or yell out for them to buy stuff, or start asking millions of somewhat harassing questions.... You will see what I mean when you walk around or past any of the other tailors!

Her prices are really good! The more you buy, the bigger the discount that you get. And we kind of bought a lot..... So I can't really give figures of how much for any one item (plus, it depends on design, fabric etc etc).

But another couple that I ran into in her shop (after meeting them in Hue and giving them her card) told me that they got quotes for 3 piece men's suits at another shop..... and hers were half the price!

Honesty

This falls into the great pricing part (personally I don't haggle with her.... especially when I bought heaps because I know the discount was already there!). Also honesty in how you look...... You see, One of the items I bought was a tight "wiggle dress". It is meant to the form fitting.... but Xuan was honest enough to insist on letting it out just a tiny little bit (so it didn't stick quite so much to my curves) which made it look WAYYYY better! Even though this meant more work for herself as it was another alteration!

Quality and longevity 

I know people who have used Xuan for their tailoring needs for 8+ years. This ranges from suits, to formal dresses, everyday wear and work pants for her husband. Nothing has broken before it's reasonable life span. Nothing has shrunk, or fallen apart, no seams popped!

I Haven't had time to try out my big load of shopping.... but I have been wearing two shirts that I bought in May more or less continuously for the last three months and for two of those months I was hand washing them and wringing them out quite forcefully! They are in perfect condition despite my mistreatment!  

Summary - definitely head to Xuan and have a chat! if you don't see fabrics you like immediately describe what you want and she will do her best to find it! Take photos or download them off the net too, she has wifi at her shop so you can email her the photos and get exactly what you want!

Other tailors I know of or have used:

Swim wear

Unfortunately Xuan doesn't make swimwear :( So I had to search elsewhere for a tailor who did).

I asked at a few of the shops along the same road. Most showed me the fabric options which was a jersey knit. They didn't seem to have Lycra. Watch out for this, Jersey knit is very stretchy, and yes it feels light. But it wil get more waterlogged than lycra and is likely too stretchy, meaning when wet it has the risk of stretching more and dragging down, and as it ages it can stretch out - no body likes daggy bum swim-wear!

The girls at shop 47 Hoang Dieu were able to help. They don't actually make swimwear themselves but one of the ladies put me on the back of their bike and whizzed me to her "sister" who does. (nb, seeing as the woman didn't seem to know much about this apparent sister - like if the sign about car hire is the same shop, I think the relationship might not be so close :P). The first tailor did the price negotiating. She quoted me $40 and I negotiated to $30, which for a two piece swimsuit seemed fairly generous to me (but still cheap compared to Aus, and I tend to fear bargaining too hard for risk of items being made very cheap and breaking!).

This woman did had a few pairs of swimmers hanging up around the shop, and big bins full of lycra. I showed her photos that I had, we worked together to sketch up what I like, and picked out colours. The only difficulty is that she doesn't speak English.... So you need to go via another shop like I did, or take a translator, or take good pictures and a dictionary! 

I really like the togs that I got made. They are pretty perfect, but I wanted the back strap to be tighter and the tailor talked me out of it. Later I looked again and I really do need that strap tighter! So I will just have to do it myself when I get home. This sort of talking you out of changes so that they don't have to make alterations really put me off them! I also noted that the woman who actually made the swimmers was paid only $17, the tailor said she paid her some the day before as well..... but I was in the room the whole time and didn't see any money change hands! 

Lucky Number

This tailor is up out of the old town a little. On Hai Ba Trung st.
In January I was in Hoi An with a friend and she wanted to get some clothes made so we went here.
I initially got a "play suit" style thing made. However as they gathered the pants instead of pleating like in the picture they looked like clown pants! seriously, it was terrible. We negotiated and turned it into a dress instead, much less clowny.
I was really happy with it initially, however I has washed it only twice. The first time the zip busted, but I was able to get it working again.

I also believe it shrunk in the wash as it got extra tight! The next time I washed it it seemed fine, but now the zip has actually torn so cannot be used at all. Basically they used poor quality zips and stitched it poorly so it cut into the zip and caused it to tear.
The difficulty here is that when you receive the items it seems fine, it is only after you go home and start wearing that they break!

I also got some pants made. These I said I think they need to be tighter and there was a lot of space in the waist band..... they explained in various ways why this shouldn't happen and got me convinced that it is fine...... but it isn't. they are far too large, and fall off. Personally I vote, don't buy clothes here.... they are expensive (at least compared to Xuan), and don't do the alterations well enough to get a good fit!

These are my experiences with tailors.  Limited, yes..... but once I fond Xuan I really had no motivation to go elsewhere! When I have more time I will chat with other people I know have spent plenty of time here and add their experience!

Sapa

General Impressions
The scenery around Sapa is stunning. Terraced rice fields and mountains as far as the eye can see. Indigo clad women sitting on the side of the road selling peaches, buffalo, fabrics. Sapa is a great relief from the heat in summer (but on weekends in the summer Sapa will be very busy with local tourists).
Sapa is however a place that has become a tourist mecca. Every second building is a hotel and every person is a tourist guide or "original hand made" whatever saleswoman. (funnily enough they all have the same "original hand made bags", the same pattern, the same colours, the same exact design...... in fact, it looks just like something that would be made in a factory in China for very cheap.

Where I stayed
Kenpass hotel
I do not recommend! The room was clean, though the hot water was more... tepid rather than hot.
The main memory I have of this hotel was washing to yelling at 4.30am
It would seem they allow Vietnamese tourists to book one room for entire families. The family who for some reason were leaving at 4.30 in the morning had at least 4 adults and 3 kits in the one room. This leads to a major increase in noise levels! Now, normally I wouldn't blame a hotel floor other guests being noisy. But it is obviously due to the over stocking off rooms. Also, it took around 45 minutes of yelling for this family to finally get the hell out of the hotel. Their voices were echoing through the whole hotel. At no time did any staff come and tell them to keep it down.
Secondly, the rooms have large glass windows on the doors. They have made a half hearted attempt at privacy by putting some sheer curtains up. The hotel staff then disregard this privacy by looking at us through the gap in the curtain at 6.30am. I was lying in bed and looked up to see a man looking into our room. I have no idea what his deal was. But that is unacceptable, especially when I realized he was staff.
It is in a temptingly central location, and it is cheap.... but the location losses points because it is actually directly opposite the concert park..... and Vietnamese people like their concerts loud!

Trekking
If you go to sapa, doing some sort of trekking is pretty much mandatory. We trekked with Sapa OChau. I would say that your trekking experience is absolutely dependent on your guide. And to be honest, ours wasn't really all that talkative! Actually, just outside of town a young man (turns out he was her husband) met us and walked with us. He didn't speak any English and our guide spent most of the trek walking and talking with him.
Where we spent the night a group from Sapa Sisters was also staying. Next time I would trek with them! She was talkative, informative and social. Definitely more fun!

Bac ha markets
If you are around on a weekend, the Sunday Bac ha markets are worth the trip! To get there from Sapa you have to go back through Lai Chau so it is actually easier to get the train from Hanoi Saturday night and bus to Bac Ha as soon as you arrive, or get the train back from Sapa Sunday night and just ask the tour bus to drop you at the train station on their way back to Sapa. If that doesn't work for you though, you can do a day trip from Sapa to Bac Ha and back again. Every hotel and tour agency has a version of the tour, I am pretty sure that they are all the same (and prices do vary) so it might be worth asking around.

The markets here are a major event, people come from many surrounding villages to buy and sell. Most minority people are dressed in traditional costumes so you can even compare that different groups. Make sure to walk up the hill at the back to also see the animal market!
The Bac ha market is full of women trying to force Chinese made bags/souvenirs on you, which is a pity. But as soon as those markets are packed up you are free to walk around town or the country side totally harassment free! In fact we enjoyed walking around Bac Ha much much more than Sapa. While we walked we were totally ignored - except a few friendly people yelling hello!

There is a restaurant who organises treks and tours. And if I had my time again I would probably forgo Sapa and head straight to Bac Ha for trekking. Just for the sack of avoiding people constantly trying to sell us stuff! Plus, the trek near Bac Ha look like they would be much more devoid of tourists and touts!

Somehow, my friend and I seemed the have "No" pheromones. We got asked to buy things maybe twice while eating dinner, and when starting our trek a woman followed us for about 5 minutes. Then I said in Vietnamese. We will not buy anything, we are walking not buying. (I practices that line :P)
She then left.

We saw other tourists getting followed by groups of 6 or more women. Or getting asked repeatedly and harassed to buy things. Sometimes if you refuse they eventually start the sob stories.
Personally, I don't understand this technique. The more you follow me and get in my way, the more annoyed I am.... and the less likely to buy anything from you! But it must work or they wouldn't do it.
So Please don't give in and buy from a woman after 3 hours of being followed. If you want the bag either buy it straight away, or buy it from someone in a shop, or sitting down not harassing tourists. Don't encourage the following people to make a sale, or the disrupting people's meals.

Hoi An Photo tour

Sunrise at Lan Co Lagoon

Who will enjoy this......
Budding (or experienced) photographers
People who want some hints and tips to help take better photos
People with new cameras who have no idea how to work them
People with a phone camera who want to learn to take beautiful photos
Anyone who wants lasting memories and beautiful photos of Vietnam outside the tourist streets!

Who is hoi an photo tour
Etienne Bosset is a French photographer who lives in hoi an with his family. He knows the local people, he know good to speak Vietnamese, English and French and so cam communicate with people on your behalf. Or taj you some basics so you can communicate!

Fisherman coming home in the morning

Tours normally run floor sunrise and sunset.
Why? Because the light is best at these times and local people are busiest at these times. Coming home from fishing trips in the morning, selling their fish at the market, preparing floor the day. Getting boats ready for fishing in the afternoon, taking advantage of the cool to work outdoors, cooking dinner.
Tours also run atty night during the full moon festivals each month.
The tour I went on was actually a three day tour rather than one of the half day tours. So, I got to experience the morning and afternoon tours, plus take trips further afield to other areas. The tour I went on was no doubt more detailed than the half day trips.

What do you do?
A lot of the focus of the tours is around getting comfortable with interacting with locals and taking their photos, and working on composition. This is why it doesn't matter if you have a top of the line slr or a phone camera or anything in between. For those with slr  cameras you all learn a little about settings, depth of field, shutter speed, iso. Enough to take your camera off the manual setting!!

The most important thing that I learned?
That taking photos of people, if done wrong makes you look like a particularly obnoxious tourist (I viewed this some months ago on a bus trip up to My Son. When one woman walked into a front yard, put her camera into the window and took flash photos of a family while they were sitting inside trying to eat lunch. She didn't say hello, or thank you, or try to ask permission)

But when done right, taking and sharing photos with people allows you to connect and spend time with them far beyond the limits of my language skills!

Women harvesting rice near Hoi An

I have spent time with women harvesting rice, laughed with them and watched them work. I have discovered how proud of their houses many people are, requesting to be photographed sitting or standing next to their house. I have met three or even four generations of women living together in a house, helping to care for each other.


If you want to read more about the entire tour I did you can find that here: http://physio-overboard.blogspot.com/2014/05/photo-tour.html

The Hoi An photo tour webpage is here: http://www.hoianphototour.com

popular traveler scams to avoid

So this guide to tourist scams is doing the rounds, and I thought I would add it here for your information.... and comment on a few that I have been privy to first hand!
Nothing is as bad as realizing later that you got scammed by someone - so read up before you go and avoid the hassle!

Be aware of the scams - but try not to be too defensive, or scared, or worried. Most people I come across (particularly outside tourist areas) are genuinely excited and interested to meet westerners. Lots want to practice their English and do just want to talk to you. Sure - be aware of what's going on... but be friendly, interact with people, learn a few words in Vietnamese and everyone will be VERY impressed and friendly. If you get too caught up in will-I-be-scammed fear you just wont be able to enjoy your holiday at all!

The friendship bracelet:
This is massive in Cambodia. Particularly the waterfront / street 172 in Phnom Penh. Mostly children trying to sell the bracelets while you are walking or eating. DO NOT BUY THESE! the poverty line in Cambodia is about $1 a day. So if people are paying kids 1 - 2 dollars for a bracelet - and I am sure more than one person would be..... why would that child ever give up the trade to go to school. The problem is the kids eventually get bigger, and are no longer cute. People stop buying the bracelets. The kids cant return to school even if they realise they should as they are too far behind. So instead they usually turn to crime.
DO NOT BUY STUFF FROM KIDS! either they are being trafficked specifically to sell things for a central person (because people pity kids and buy stuff they wouldn't buy from an adult), so in this case buying from them encourages this form of child trafficking and slavery. Or they keep the money and do not go to school.

Give your money to a REPUTABLE charity, or spend the extra dollars eating somewhere like friends, or purchasing gifts at a not for profit.



Women with rosemary:
This isn't limited to Madrid. All of Spain has these women! My brother and I were walking in Granada and were accosted by these women. They took us separately aside and told our fortunes (in rapid Spanish). We don't really look alike and it seems they assumed we were a couple... the fortune telling was awkward! And our sister in law is Spanish so we could understand enough to understand that we are apparently having 2 babies. Unlikely!
My brothers method was to learn the Spanish for "Get away devil woman."... and "witch" and yell that when they tried to grab him.
I learn how to say "but you said no money!"  (they always start by saying no money.... then after the fortune demand money) and let them go through the entire shabang - and when they start asking for money calmly say, but you said no money and give them back the rosemary. Our different methods entertained us and meant we almost hoped people came up and tried to scam us :P

The overnight bus
If you are going on ANY bus you should really not leave anything valuable in your luggage ever, and have padlocks on your bag. People are able to undo zips and then redo them up if the zips move around. So try to buy a bag that has the lock built in so the zips wont slide around when locked. Or sew a key ring into the bag, and put the padlock through this as well. But mostly, keep your valuables on your person and tuck them into bed with you!

Charity petition
We were accosted outside the Louvre in Paris and asked to donate money for the deaf mute society. They had a list of names, emails, and amounts donated. I have no idea if the people already listed were made up to make it look more real (and make you feel like you should donate 10-40 Euros like the people before you) or if other people were getting suckered. Just look a little closely, they had lanyards..... but the "ID cards" were just bits of paper. The thing you signed to get your receipt (they would send it later apparently) was very very badly photocopied, and the clip boards were pieces of cardboard.
Also, because they were deaf mute you couldn't question them!
Interestingly.... none knew sign language (I do!)

Milk scams
A woman with a tiny, thin, dirty baby (I swear, one I saw was actually a dirty doll!) will either be on the street and follow you / grab your arm. Or be sitting on the ground with the child on her lap. She will tell you she doesn't want money, just milk for her baby. She will point you to a shop where you can buy powdered or bottled milk (the powdered milk can be $20+) and once you are gone she will return the milk to the store and split the money with the shop keeper.
This scam also encourages women to keep their children dirty, thin and sick.

Taxi Scams 
be very wary of taxi's, particularly in Hanoi. ALWAYS ask your hotel how much it should cost for a taxi to where ever you are going. Use the meter and if it seems to high (usually the rigged meters will make it WAY high, like 2 or even 5 times higher than it should be) refuse to pay unless they phone your hotel to explain. The train station is the worst. We knew it cost 30 000 to get a taxi from the hotel, to the train station. On the return trip taxi drivers were quoting us 100 000 or more.
Some who saw us refusing and asking for meters were way to insistent that we get into their metered taxi (even though he was dirty, not in a uniform, and following us around shouting at us). We refused and kept walking until we found a calm, not shouty guy, with a meter.  It ended up costing us less than 30 000. Be patient, and don't get into the shouty man taxi!

The Green Taxi from "Mai Linh" and the white from "Vinasun" are good to use

The - I don't want to beg
In Cambodia I did become quite cynical. Particularly around people who would say (or have a sign that said) "I don't want to beg, please buy my book/bag/bracelet/whatever". Often they were disabled or old people. I also found that these were often outrageously expensive compared to any other person or place selling the same thing. Sometimes when you said, no I don't want that. they would rely with, well how about $1.
And I constantly saw people giving these people money without purchasing anything (the same 2 were always on the street I lived on for a month). One would even say his bags were made by a local orphanage and he sold them for the orphanage and the orphanage fixed the price at $5 (they were like, a change bag size, and really bad quality). When we didn't want it he told us that it costs him $5 for a bed for the night and he has nowhere to sleep can we buy one so he can sleep. The stories kept going on and on. So yeah, I am very suspicious of the I don't want to beg.... but if you don't something i sure will people!

The take my fruit ladies
Hanoi is full of women walking around selling fruit from baskets attached to a pole that goes over their shoulders. They will often walk up to you and shove the pole onto you, offer to take a photo - then demand money, or that you buy the fruit at a very high price.
Now - I often buy fruit from these women (because I like fruit)... but it is a good idea to ask someone how much it should cost. And, like always.... I personally refuse to buy anything from the ones who try to force me. Instead finding someone calm and respectful.
Of course - other tourists love the chance to have photos of themselves carrying the baskets - and that's fine if you want to. But do be aware you will probably be made to pay (or purchase) so ask how much a pineapple should cost first :P

Sapa followers 
Many women in traditional dress simply follow you around in Sapa. Personally, I don't really care if someone follows me for 4 hours - I am not going to then pity them and buy stuff. Especially seeing as I didn't engage during those four hours. But it must work to wear some people down or surely they wouldn't bother!
most of what they have to sell is cheap imports from China, not things made in their village. And once you buy one time.... you are marked to all the other women as someone who will buy. So maybe wait until the end of the trip if you really really want that scarf or whatever!

Copy cat hotels
I got tricked into breakfasting at the copy cat Queen hotel in Ninh Binh. Instead of what is apparently the best banana pancakes in Vietnam... I probably had the worst!
Be very wary of people waiting at the train station to lead to you the hotel. Likely they will lead you somewhere else.
 And if you are going in a taxi, know the address, and double check when you arrive. If it is the wrong street - show them..... then if they insist. Simply refuse to pay. They will tell you the hotel has moved, or is full and this is the sister hotel, or has shut down. but I would much rather go to the actual address (besides - I have booked and the hotel is actually full.....  then that hotel can pay for the taxi to the new one!).


But please note
In Buddist countries giving to the poor or disadvantaged is very usual. As is purchasing things (at reasonable prices, and when they don't harass) from people with disabilities. Many will sell lottery tickets, which isn't much use for tourists. But also fans, cards and bottles of water. As long as you have an idea of what these items should cost. Or you feel like the person is genuinely making a living from selling things - please please do buy from them! Hoi An has many people selling cards and fans - I personally refuse to buy anything from children ever (please see above re: schooling), but I do but cards and fans from various people with disabilities.

Hoi An

Hoi An, Hoi An, Hoi An.......
I keep changing my mind about how I feel about Hoi An.
Sometimes I just can't stand the insane tourist buy anything all the time attitude. There is little to do in the town of Hoi An itself other than walk around shops and buy things. - at least for me, because I have seen the old houses once and have no desire to see them again.
Othertimes, the nice colourful old buildings and lanterns win me over.

Staying:
An Hoi Hotel
a pool! at $15 a night for a single room!!!! WINNING
Having a pool in Hoi An is a relief, especially from May onwards as the weather is really warming up now! The rates seems to vary depending on the season. But I was quoted $15 for room only. $18 for room and breakfast. To be honest the breakfast looked pretty basic and uninspiring - and would only cost about $2 if you bought it at the hotel separately, instead of 3 if you include it in your room rate.
But the rooms are nice. I would avoid the rooms at the very back of the hotel. The walls are thin and the outside noise can be very annoying it you are a light sleeper. But the pool is lovely, the rooms are very large, queen sized bed, fan and aircon, large tv. The second night when I got moved to inside the hotel (buidling works woke me up at 4am.... but I'm sure that's finished now!) it was very quiet and perfect!

Nguyen Phuong Hotel - 109 Ba Trieu St.  +84.510.3916588
This hotel is located out of the old town, which means it is on a nice quiet street!  I found them to be very helpful and friendly. A basic single room is $12 a night - aircon, tv, large (and very comfy!) bed with quality pillows! shower . A double room- double bed and single bed, large windows, aircon, tv, bath and shower is $16.

Thanh Binh II Hotel
Located just outside of the main drag this is a large hotel.
Breakfast and a pool are located just around the corner at the Thanh Bihn III. Only about 50 metres away so not really an issue. Breakfast is a buffet with eggs cooked to your liking,  pretty tasty and a reasonable range of foods on offer.

Room prices vary depending on room facilities. We booked through booking.com and got $22 a night rooms, breakfast included.
The downside was that the bed was extremely uncomfortable! we could feel all the springs. I would suggest asking to see rooms before accepting the check in process, even if you have booked already - that way it will be a lot easier to change rooms if needed. We did sneak into an unoccupied room, and the bed there was way more comfortable, so it's worth asking them to switch if you find it too hard.

Eating
Hola taco
This meal was amazing!  The tacos are soft shells,  more what we Aussies would call tortillas.  The flavours are amazingly put together,  including avocado,  home made cheeses,  Chipotle sauces. This honestly was the best meal I have had in a long long time,  and I love Vietnamese food!

Secret garden
Check the map,  this place can be a little difficult to find,  but look for the black signs with gold writing and a key hole symbol.
This restaurant was beautiful. It is set in lush gardens with big fans,  ponds and plants to keep it cool,  and I hear they have an air conditioned room for those really hot days! Food was delicious!  Really nice flavours and twists on traditional food.  We planned to go back a second time,  but never got back sadly. We were a bit afraid that prices would be way high when we walked in and saw how beautiful it was,  but meals were around 5 to 7 dollars.  Generous serving sizes,  we had a shared entrees on 2 mains,  and were both stuffed!

Mermaid
The original of miss Vy's restaurants,  now joined by morning glory,  cargo, the market and a bakery Cafe!  Mermaid is small and simple,  the kitchen is next to the dining area and open enough to allow you to see in if you want. 
Food was tasty,  we had pork ribs and squid stuffed with pork mince (amazing!).  Potentially make a booking if you are determined,  it was empty when we arrived around 6.30 or 7, but completely full when we finished.

Namaste
Ranked 2 in hoi an on trip advisor.  I have no idea how!  This was absolutely the most disappointing place we ate. 
It didn't taste bad per say,  but was just so uninteresting.  We asked for medium spice,  I couldn't taste any! Seriously I have had spicier mild curries in Australia.  We got a curry we had never heard of before,  which had some nice flavours,  but nothing mind blowing.  Our other meal was butter chicken - which often works as a good base test for new restaurants....  It is the most tasteless BC I have ever had.  Plus the meat was incredibly tough  :-(
The honey lassi however was delicious! And we were given complimentary cracker  type things and dip. 

I was later told by a local that they have always been disappointed here,  but always get a delicious meal at ganesh!

Stuff to do
bike riding
My favourite activity in Hoi An was hiring a bike, getting a map (there is one you can get with the surrounding area marked on it) and just riding out of town. As soon as you get out a little way you find people who are amazing and entertained to see westerners and keen to interact with you for fun.... not to demand money for every photo or anything.
Learn how to say hello, and beautiful (dep) and then feel free to walk out into the rice feild and take photos of people! say hello, show them the camera - then show them the first photo you take. Often farmers etc. have never seen a photo of themselves! so they find it really entertaining and will point for you to take photos of other people, or show other people their photo.
If you are in the area for a few days consider going to a print shop - getting some photos printed and going back to give them to the person. especially if you were in their house and can find your way back. It will only cost you a dollar or two for heaps of photos, and will be an amazing gift for people who have never had photos taken before, or only for special occasions.

My Son
Pronounced - Me son, is up in the hills behind Hoi An. It is easy through any hotel to arrange a bus tour up to see the ruins. I would recommend leaving as early as possible (my tour left at 8.30. last time I went I think the bus left at 6ish) Early is cooler, and has less tourists walking around.
I would also check how much an entrance ticket is. Turns out these aren't included in the tour price. I thought it was about 60 000VND. But our tour guide made everyone give him 100K VND.
If you are interested in the history, I would recommend reading up on it before you go. I found the tour guide difficult to understand. And annoying, because he kept repeating himself and giving pop quizzes like it was some sort of school trip. Plus, by walking away from the group I could be a little alone and relax.

Blind massage
one hour, skilled hands, $5.
Need I promote this more! (I will anyway)
Basically, this shop is run by a group of visually impaired people who do great massages. This is a massage to get those tight knots out of you back.... not a soft, useless "relaxing" massage like you often get in the tourist spa type places. Plus, you are helping blind people have a profession that is perfect for them!
It on Cua Dai street, a little way out of town - maybe ride a bike or get a taxi if it's too hot!

Visiting the old town
A number of houses/buildings in the old town have been preserved traditionally and tourists are able to wander through. You buy tickets outside the old town. Basically a book of tickets gives you access to a set number of locations, you then pick and choose which you want to see.
I haven't done that this visit to Vietnam, on a past visit my dad and i did and to be honest we werequite disappointed. So, nang info might be quite old, and maybe it is more interesting now, i don't know. The places you can look at are either functioning homes, or businesses. We found that even when paying to go in, we would be harassed too buy something, which was particularly annoying!
There are however a couple of temples that are free to visit. They are usually signed well! The Chinese temple I visited for free did have a tourist shop at the entrance, but they were not actually pushy at all, so it was a pleasant (though way over priced) shop.

Hoi An Photo tour
Spend a morning or sunset with a professional photographer and Hoi An local getting to know the people, seeing sites you wouldn't otherwise get to and taking great photos!
see m post here: http://travelnamnow.blogspot.com/2014/08/hoi-photo-tour.html  for more information!

Diving and snorkeling Cham island
I went diving for a day with Cham Island diving centre. They were professional, friendly and I always felt safe! We were both first time divers, but they gave us plenty of information to make sure we were safe and relaxed and kept it fun. Two dives cost about $90, which included one on one dives, all the equipment hire, lunch on the island and time to snorkel after our dives.
I liked them so much I am returning to do my dive course!
There are other dive centres in Hoi An as well. I know that Cham Island dive centre are also PADI certified. A few of the cheap snorkeling places we saw at the dive site. They had much smaller wooden boats (that would take longer to reach the island, and suffer from high waves a lot more) and instead of providing snorkels and fins to the customers they made everyone wear life vests and stay at the surface in one tiny area. It looked awfully unpleasant - so be wary of those cheap tours booked through hotels or other agencies!

Shopping
Hoi An has plenty of markets, souvenir shops, made in china bulk goods. At any of these I tend to offer half the original price, then walk away. They pretty much always call you back offering whatever you said - or lower. And they always look very happy (or I hear them tell someone else what you paid and that person laughs - speaking a little Vietnamese is worth it!). So don't feel like you are ripping them off too much. But at the same time if the product looks well made, or is actually hand made - think about what you would pay for it in Australia / where ever you are from. People who are actually making things themselves might accept your way too low price because they just can't compete with the made in china junk.

Clothes
Getting clothes made is a very big part of being in Hoi An. No matter how much you try to resist...... the days of walking past tailors wears you down eventually. I would absolutely recommend Xuan. She is a lovely woman and being in her shop will be relaxing and calm, no harassing you to buy anything, or trying to tell you to buy more and more. Her prices seem fair, and the quality is really good. She will absolutely ensure you are totally happy with the finished product. and the zips and stitching is all well done.
The clothes last! I know people who come back to her year after year.

Xuan - 27 Hoang Dieu St, Hoi An 0510 3863 342
remember, you might find things cheaper elsewhere, but you get what you pay for!

More detailed information on tailors can be found here: http://travelnamnow.blogspot.com/2014/08/tailors-of-hoi-getting-clothes-that-fit.html

Scams
Hoi An isn't so much about specific scams, as many many people trying to take your money and hugely inflated prices.
As a basic rule... offer them half of whatever they quote you. then, either they will drop their price or they wont. Walk away..... either they will offer you a decent price as you walk away - or they wont. If they don't, obviously the original price was ok... so just go back 5 or 10 minutes later and buy it! I was told by a local that a hat should cost 20-30K..... when I asked for one they told me 150K I got it for 30K.

Hoi An is more about general annoyances, people constantly calling out to you. Even riding bikes along side and talking at you. I usually say no thanks at first, then ignore them. I do find that some have kept up with walking along and talking or yelling at me. Sometimes until I have snapped and had to tell them to go away!

Just try to ignore them and put your hand up firmly to say no. It can be hard after a few days, but try not to let annoying people ruin your holiday! Personally..... as long as you were polite at first - don't beat your self up too much if you do snap!

Money
Most ATMS only allow you to withdraw 2 million dong per transaction. I have even seen signs in the ATM that state this is law in Hoi An. Firstly, that's a lie - the MB bank on Hai Ba Trung will allow you to withdraw up to 5 million (and with no fee!)
secondly, if you don't want to walk that far your other option is to go into the bank and withdraw as much as you like directly. This only works if the card has your name printed on it (so not for prepaids cards) and I am not sure of the fees involved.
Most banks will have people who speak English, so don't be afraid to just give it a go.

Watch out for carrying too much money on you. And remember that Hotels will not take responsibility for money you leave in your room. I have heard of people claiming to have cash taken from their bags, possibly by cleaners? So either keep it locked up, or hand it in to reception if you are worried.

Hue

Staying
DMZ
I stayed 2 nights at the DMZ hotel - booked through Agoda.com for about $15AUD each night.
When I arrived I was told that as they were very busy and most rooms were full - I have been upgraded to the deluxe "city view" room. I am not sure what exactly made it "deluxe.... maybe that it had a computer in the room? maybe the normal rooms don't have windows? But I got a window, and tiny balcony. The "city view" was more of the big ugly building opposite and nothing else.
The bed was comfortable enough, the bathroom worked and had a luxurious rain shower (although, the toilet was pressed against the shower glass and it was hard to fit!) and the whole room was clean.

hiding out from the midday heat I ordered room service once - prices were reasonable, and the food was actually really tasty (I had pasta) but there wasn't much food, next time I would get 2 courses.

What to do?
Bike ride
I most enjoyed riding a bike around the country-side. It is a very easy bike ride to the Thien Mu pagoda, where you can hop across the river on a boat (with your bike - bargain hard, these guys are much more ferocious boat drivers!). From the drop off point - TURN LEFT (the boat driver told me to ride right, which went against my judgement.... and in fact ended in me backtracking 2km to find the road! It is easy enough to ride to Tu Duc's mausoleum.

Tu Hieu Pagoda

On the way back to Hue, assuming you aren't completely over saturated with pagodas, stop off at Tu Hieu Pagoda. Set on a hill amongst pine forests it features beautiful ponds and gardens. Lovely cool spot to have a rest and sit and contemplate life.

If you want to take a packed lunch - hit up La Boulangerie Francese before you leave Hue. They take in orphans and street children and train them to bake traditional french style rolls and cakes. This is the only place I have had a decent cake!

Tombs

Tu Duc's tomb

I saw Tu Duc's tomb. This one is a pretty easy bike ride as above. I liked it, there a nice breeze, lots of wide open spaces and trees. These are all things I like. A few buildings - houses and theatres with old costumes, jeweled bonsai trees and random artifacts to look at. There is an island near the entrance with monkeys living on it.
For a few dollars you can dress up in imperial clothes and sit on the emperors throne.
There are many many tombs you can go see. I only went to the one (So far) and I feel the tours that visit all 8 would be long, expensive and tedious. But friends of mine visited 3 in a morning, and they enjoyed three - try to go to very varied ones though!

Citadel

Citadel at night during special event.

I saw the citadel at night during a special event, and it was stunning. In the daytime it is very, very hot. please go early morning or late afternoon.... otherwise you just won't be able to appreciate anything! Lots of stone and concrete to be bouncing sun off! but it's interesting, assuming you have an interest in old stuff.






Bars
For some reason, even though I don't like the drinking, partying, backpacker scene.... in Hue, I get into it. Well, I go to a bar I like, and if I meet fun people I might even keep going afterwards!
Hue backpackers Hostel - has a good bar, with good quality alcohol (No metho!) and good music, played at a volume which allows you to talk! The owner is an Aussie, and is often hanging out near the end of the bar. Lovely guy, great for a chat! They are also able to give advice and arrange tours, and I find they tend to give advice about all the ways to travel (e.g. here is the cost of local bus / train; here is a tour; here is a taxi price) rather than just pushing their own tours.
Plus, they have awesome food (I only tried the western food - it had been 3 months since I had a pizza! but I am sure their Vietnamese food is good too!), good cocktails, happy hours regularly, and giant jenga.
You can also participate in the duck egg challenge, or get a variety of favoured shots. Point is - everytime I have been there, I have had a good time!

Spa luxury
Evan - 4 pham ngu lao street
Know that spa services in Vietnam aren't for everyone. Privacy and inappropriate touching locations are not what you would get in a western spa! If you can't deal with getting undressed while someone stands next to you waiting and watching..... go to a fancy hotel with a more expensive spa!

I got the massage and body scrub. It wasn't perfect - I wanted the massage and mudwrap. But I ended up with a scrub and it was good. The woman had very, very strong hands and gave a good strong massage!
But there was a fair bit of one handed massage while texting someone. - I was also told by some friends who got massages later that they felt the massage was too soft, but I don't think any of them told their person the be harder.

But the massage was good, the scrub was nice, and I feel well pampered and soft! The spa has air-conditioning which was very needed! Lockers in the treatment room to store your handbag and very comfortable soft mattresses on the treatment beds.


Scams
Cyclo and motorbike taxi's are extremely persistent here! Much more than anywhere else I have been. However, if you politely say no once, then completely ignore them - or say Toi di Bo (I am walking). they lose interest. If one harrasses you - DO NOT GET IN IT! this just teaches them that if they harass and keep annoying you, you will give in.
I have also heard of people agreeing to go for a one hour cyclo ride around the city, assuming the ride would return to the original place, but instead finding themselves in the middle of nowhere, and the driver demanding more money to take you back. Either stay in the cyclo and refuse to give him more money - (assuming you were clear at the start that the tour would return to the same place). Of get out, and get some other mototaxi, or some other cyclo back. Please don't reward them for their lying and scheming!

Incense making village on the bike ride to Tu Duc's tomb 

Da Nang - more than just an airport

Da Nang seems to get skipped on most people's list of places to travel in Vietnam. Well, almost skipped. It is usually used as a convenient train station/airport, from which people get a taxi or bus to Hoi An.

This is unfair, because it actually has a reasonable amount to offer.

1. Da Nang is a great "local" city to visit. It is easy for visitors to get around and get whatever they need because many people speak at least a little English. Especially at the train station. Otherwise, I usually have no problem getting what I need with a tiny amount of Vietnamese and sign language. Because it doesn't have a huge tourist following (most of the foreigners here are doing business) you don't get harassed to buy things, or go into this or that restaurant constantly. Mostly, people just say hello and invite you in for a drink because they are genuinely interested and excited to see Westerners. In 3 months of living here - I have once been asked for money by a beggar / lottery ticket sales woman. The local council is actually very strict with beggars - but has available shelter and food for homeless people (If caught begging more than once people will be taken to the homeless shelter, regardless of whether or not they want to go there). Mostly people who are poor sell lottery tickets (they don't usually bother with Westerners because we don't know how the lottery works!) or collect rubbish to sell for recycling.

2. It is an easy visit on the way to such tourist sites as Hoi An and Hue (or, between these two sites!). The train from Hue to Da Nang or vis versa is 80 000 VND ($4) for soft air conditioned seats and about 3 hours of amazing scenery. The railway goes along the coast and is widely known as the most beautiful stretch of railway.

The local bus should be 20 000VND ($1) from Da Nang to Hoi An. Price does change, and I hate arguing about tiny amounts of money. So accept it if they ask for 30 000. but no more! they try to charge foreigners more on this stretch because they think they can get away with it. Don't let them! The bus people are paid by the company to be on the bus taking tickets - they will pocket the extra if you let them have it! So take exact change and only give them 20-30! Local bus can be caught from along Le duan street (look for the blue signs with a bus picture.

3. Sites
Dragon bridge
This bridge actually breathes fire and blows water out of it's mouth on Thursday and Saturday nights (Also I think sunday night as well?) at 9-9.30 (I was told it would be at 9pm. It didn't start until 9.30,, not sure if late that day or always at 9.30pm)

You can view this from either side of the river. This photo was taken from standing on the tail end of the river. You can also get quite close to the head end if you stay on that side! Even if it isn't breathing fire the bridge is beautiful at night when lit up with colour changing lights.

From the riverside (a beautiful walk featuring marble statues) you can also see the sail bridge, the Han bridge and the rainbow bridge - all of which light up at night with colour changing light shows.

Lady Buddha-              Towering over the north end of My Khe beach on the side of Monkey mountain this statue can be seen from miles away! She is well worth a trip up, just to get a feel for how big she really is! The pagoda also has an interesting garden with bonsai trees and smaller statues throughout.                                                   It can be very busy with tourist buses and large groups of people - but there is plenty of space!

Cham museum

If you are making time to go to My Son the Cham museum is worth a trip too. There are interesting photos of My Son before it was cleared of jungle and some of the best statues and sculptures were removed before the American war - thus have survived the bombing and gun fire that damaged a lot of the remaining statues. Information is presented in English (as plastic sheets you can pick up and read) and if I recall correctly it was only 20-50 000VND (I think 20). Cham Museum is located across the road from the tail of the dragon bridge.

Marble mountains

The marble mountains are to the south of town, on the way to Hoi An. If you do get a taxi you may as well as them to stop at the marble mountains. Tell the taxi you will be going onto Hoi An. He shouldn't charge you waiting time.... because if he doesn't wait it would be easy to get a new taxi anyway!

These mountains can be annoying when you get touted at constantly. However, if you are firm with a no (Khong - pronounced Kom) most of the people trying to sell incense, or marble, or whatever will leave you along. If you try to be "polite" by saying maybe later, or umming and ahhing -- they will remember and try you again later - much more insistently, or will keep pushing if you um and ahh.

Stairs up Marble Mountain

However, past the touts you get to climb many-many stairs, and discover various little caves and tunnels filled with statues and shrines. The largest of these were used as hospitals by the viet-cong during the war, even though at the base of the mountain was the US's biggest airbase! The mountain also features a pagoda and a number of lookouts. 

In the last few years an elevator has been added making it possible for those who are unable to walk up all the stairs to get to the top.  

My Khe beach

My Khe (or America beach) stretches more or less all the way from monkey mountain to Hoi An. The southern end is becoming covered with 5 star Chinese or Russian resorts.

 Happily, the parts of the beach near to the city will not become built up by resorts as the road runs along the side of the beach. This beach is by far my favourite in Vietnam (that I have been too!) I have never been annoyed by people trying to sell drinks or food while walking or relaxing on the beach (unlike other places). But there are drink stalls and deck chairs that you can rent to relax on. Early in the morning the beach is busy with locals exercising and the fishermen returning and selling fish - definitely an interesting time to walk along the beach!

 It also is patrolled by lifeguards in certain areas.

My Khe Beach

Da Nang is well worth a stop over of a night or two, if only en enjoy a relaxing change of pace from the highly trafficked tourist hotspots of Hoi An and Hue. Definitely a place to enjoy not getting offered souvenirs/clothes/whatever else touts are always trying to sell tourists!

Easy Riders

If you have read much about how to get around Vietnam..... Chance are you have come across the easy riders.

What is this?

Easy riders are motorbike based tours to anywhere!
Originally, "Easy Rider" was a company name. This original easy riders actually dissolved and split into a number of other groups. So there is no single "original easy rider". The problem then becomes that we have potentially hundreds of individuals or groups of guides calling themselves easy rider, and it is almost impossible to work out which one is which when you are reading reviews on trip advisor!

This is made more difficult by the fact that trip advisor doesn't easily accept multi-day travel companies onto their site (you have to make sure you put "private tours" into the name of the attraction) so lots of people have reviewed an easy rider on trip advisor.... but under the wrong section or company name. ARGH!

So, use trip advisor to try to find someone who seems good, but pay more attention to the names of guides or any reviews that supply you with a direct email or phone number, because they might not be reviewing the same company as the heading suggests!

Should I use them?

Absolutely!

Yes, it is more expensive than getting a bus or train from point a to point b. But most E.R.s will take you through back roads and countrysides instead of just trundling along the  highway. You can choose to do a round trip (some easyriders will have a discount if you start and end in the same or very close cities)- plus this would mean you can leave most luggage with them or a hotel and only carry a backpack. Or you can go one way for as long as you want. So you can see the countryside and get to your nexxt destination.

They stop at various farms and explain the process of making rubber/pepper/coffee/rice wine/ whatever you happen to pass. You can also stop at local cafes and talk to locals with a translator. I found, because of my white skin and red hair, locals were always starting conversations with the guide (where is she from, how old is she, look how white her skin is). So if you learn how to say your age and where you are from..... everyone will be very entertained! Plus they tend to know the secret local spots - we went to a beautiful hot springs one day for a swim and a soak, just a quite pool in the middle of nowhere, not some giant resort like most hot springs I have seen.

These tours are totally custom, and tailored to your interests - so make sure you tell them what you want! Plus, motorbikes only take one passenger anyway - so as a solo traveller you wont be paying more for the tour! - hurrah!!!!

Also great if you are short on time, am easy rider trip means you spend the day getting from a to b, but with so much site seeing on the way. This jotted far more efficient than getting a bus to the town, then organising taxis or tours to the sites you want to see.

How?

Just find someone you think you like.... then email of phone. If you are staying in a city for a few days, try to arrange to meet them for coffee to discuss tour options. Then, if you don't like the vibe, or think you wont click.... just dont book with them. I haven't had any issues, and I know they would always try to make you feel comfortable - but spending 8 days sitting behind, talking to, and eating all your meals with someone you don't really get on with -> that wont be so fun!

Remember, the more you tell them about what you want to do, or are interested in seeing, the better they can make the tour.

Maybe you are a war buff, and even though you think, it's not the dmz, so there wont be anything interesting...... TELL THEM. chances are, they had an uncle or father or brother or themselves fought in the war and they can tell you interesting stories. Or take you to some out of the way museum or site of particular importance - they may be totally boring to other tourists (so usually they would avoid) but you will love it!

Maybe you don't care so much about museums and beaches and just want to talk with local people. They can stop off at houses of people they know will be happy to talk with a foreigner, or linger at the sweet corn stall after you buy a snack so you can introduce yourself and have a talk.

What do I need to do?

Basically nothing, The tour price includes accommodation costs and often entry into sites along the way (although, some won't cover the cost of entry prices.... which leaves you free to decide for yourself what you do and dont want to see). All you have to do is relax and take in the sights! You guide will also find a quality local restaurant and eat with you.... so no worries about being ripped off there either!

Tips
Some people take advantage of the outside travel to work on their tan and wear bikini or boob tubes. This is craziness to me! But each to their own. Please do think about where you are going and ask the driver. If you ate heading into small villages our really isn't acceptable to wear minimal clothes!

I actually found, to avoid sunburn the best possibly thing is to get your guide to take you to buy one of the light long sleeve shirts locals wear. When the bike is moving the wind keeps it plenty cool enough, and the shirts have special flaps that cover your hands to stop your fingers getting sun burnt! Seems crazy, but i hoi sunburn fingers on my first multi day trip. It isn't fun! As a red head who gets sunburnt way too easily i actually went for long pants too.... back of the calf sunburn when you ate diving away from the sun  - also unpleasant!

The face masks are also very useful for keeping dust and insects out of your throat!

If you are interested in the detailed story of my 4 days with Mr Uyen  go here: http://physio-overboard.blogspot.com/2014/03/adventures-to-country.html

Mr Uyen - Easy Rider based in Danang / Hoi An
get his details here: http://uyeneasyrider.blogspot.com/