I was first from my group off the plane and I had to pick up some duty-free shopping. I went through immigration in like 10 seconds but we had to wait fifteen minutes for our luggage to come through. I lined up at customs and was through in no time – the only thing they took was some pencils but all my other wooden items were allowed which was strange. I then exited those silver doors and saw Mum who was already crying. Some man from the paper took our picture and we made the nightly news as this was the first flight back with Tsunami survivors even though we weren’t there at the time. We got in the car for the hour drive home and at last I was home

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We caught a taxi in Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Thanh Market to do some last minute shopping even though my bag is heavy enough as it is. We shopped there for a while then headed of to MaxiMark where we had lunch. We went to the department store where we go some more money out (again!) and looked around for a while.

We walked back towards the market and stopped on the way to get some ‘Miss Saigon’ perfume and soft drink can cyclos. We got back to the market and shopped for a bit longer but it was too hot in the market so we had to leave. We went to Pho 2000, a café across the road and had a cool drink and a rest.

We caught a taxi back to the house but the driver got lost on the way back making it cost even more. We went inside our room for the last time and packed up our last minute purchases. Brenda got back from visiting her grandparents at 6pm. We said goodbye to her family and hopped into a taxi to the airport. After a ½ hour ride we finally got there.

First we had to check in our baggage and then we had to go through customs. We then had to line up to pay our departure tax before lining up again to go through immigration. We finally made it through and had an hour to fill in before finally getting on the plane – there wasn’t much to do at the airport so we sat there til we were allowed to board the plane. We boarded at 8:45pm and the plane left at 9:00pm. We were served dinner straightaway – chicken and potatoes – best airplane food so far. The flight was only and hour and a half so in no time we were back on a bus taking us to Bangkok Airport terminal. We were told to go to gate 12 – the completely opposite side of the terminal only to find that it was going to London, not Melbourne. Thus began the hike back across the airport to find our real gate. I had to ask about six different people before being sent to the right gate. We walked all the way back to gate 25 and by this time it was 11:05. Our plane began boarding at 11:35 and it was just after midnight that we took off for Melbourne - Home

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We went back to the hotel and checked out. We asked the receptionist to get us a taxi - she said it would cost US$10 so we said we would find our own. She told all the locals not to take us in vietnamese. We then asked her to get us a taxi but she said there was none left for us. I went back outside and finally maganged to hail a taxi.

It was a 45 minute drive to the airport. we spent 15 minutes in line to get out boarding passes and to check in our luggage. We were then sent to another line before realising, ten minutes later, that we were at the wrong spot. After a race across the terminal and a quickline through security we finally got to our gate and boarded our plane.

The flight was just under 2 hours and we got lunch which was a bonus. There was no inflight entertainment so we had to amuse ourselves. We got back to Ho Chi Minh Airport at 1:50pm. We collected our luggage and went back to brenda's aunties house. We then headed off for a late lunch at 'Frankenstein's' - sooo good! We walked around for a while before catching a taxi back home stopping breifly at an internet cafe to confirm tommorrow's flights. We got back and packed our bags - mine was so heavy! We didn't have dinner and instead stayed back and went to bed

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We drove for an hour and half to our first stop. It was a toilet stop but also a chance to shop from a workshop for handicapped children. No one bought anything as it was ten times the price as back in Hanoi. It was then back on the bus for nearly 2 hours until we reached Halong City.

We left the first bus and were made to join another tour company - still not the one we booked with. We had to wait til 1pm to finally get on our boat. It was nice but nothing to fancy. We sailed for an hour before finally stopping for lunch. Even though we pre-ordered veggie meals the only veggie option was one plate of plane tofu and some steamed rice. I was left hungry and a bit sick. We sailed around the bay for another 1/2 hour before stopping at the Grotto at 3pm. We walked through the caves for an hour- by this time the sea sickness was catching up with me. I went back to the boat and was sick in the toilet the whole way back to the bus.

We got on the bus at 5pm. We drove for 2 and a half hours with me sick in the front before finally arriving back in Hanoi. We were dropped off at our hotel and i went straight up to bed. I turned on the news and heard about the Tsunami - it shocked me to the core - it hit the exact places we had been staying a few weeks earlier. We had originally planned to do Vietnam first then Thailand which would have meant we would have been there but thank god or fate or whatever but thankfully we weren't there although we did still know people there so that was a big worry.

After processing that information i finally headed off to sleep still feeling sick and in shock from todays events.

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We headed off to our Christmas Lunch at the Pub. When we turned up we were the only ones there. Eventually more people came and lunch was served. It was a plate of turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, roast pumpkin, potatoe, carrots, peas and fruitcake. It was really nice to be able to have a traditional christmas lunch even when we were so far away from home.

We got our christmas gifts from the restaurant - incence burners. From there we went shopping for a while. However after a while lunch started to come back up on me so i went back to the hotel. After a while we went over to Tommy's ice-cream, i sat there while the others ate really good looking ice-cream. We then went to the post office so we could call our families for christmas.

From there we went out to dinner, back to the Lay Bac cafe - i ordered vegetarian spring rolls and noodles but there were terrible. We then went back to the hotel were we watched Christmas movies then headed off to bed

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From there we rode to Dong Xam market which was a 1Km ride away. We explored the market for an hour and a half - more shopping. We explored the local streets for another hour before hopping on the bikes and riding back to the lake. We arrived at 2:45pm and decided to have lunch. We ate at a lakeside cafe 'Dak Linh Cafe' - fantastic food.

From there we rode to the Hilton and Sofitel to price ou there Christmas Day lunches - way too expensive for us. We rode back to our hotel but found a restaurant near us 'The Pub' which did a Christmas lunch for UD$10 - so we booked to go there tommorrow.

We rode back to our street and returned our bicycles - thank god because mine was a delapidated men's bike. We stopped in at the travel agents to book a day trip to Halong Bay. We went back to our hotel and watched a bit of TV.

We headed off to dinner at Lay Bac 135 - great feed. After dinner we went to the Water-puppet theatre - front row seats- the show was really funy and quite entertaining. After the show we went for a walk around the lake and got some fairy floss. We went to the City View Cafe for coffee - three storeys up and a great view of the city. We finally went home and headed to bed awaiting Santa's arrival tommorow.

Vietnam - Hanoi - Christmas Eve remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We dropped our luggage off and went to have an early lunch as we hadn't eaten since 5pm the night before. We found a restaurant 'Hanoi Hot Plates' where for 2 Aussie Dollars you were able to have a drink, garlic bread and pizza - so tasty. We then went back to our hotel before heading out to an internet cafe to read emails.

I bought a few more DVD's and a few gifts i still needed on my list. We then headed out for dinner. We walked for a while til we found a restaurant to eat at. I was so full - then we went shopping some more. After a while we went back up to the room, watched a bit ot tv, before finally heading to bed after a long day surviving on no sleep.

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After breakfast we headed to an internet cafe to check our emails. We then went to a beauty salon were we planned to pamper ourselves. I had highlights put in and a new cut. The others had the hair straightened, coloured and cut.

From there we headed back to the Stop and Go Cafe for a late lunch/early dinner. I had more of the delicious spring rolls and french fries which didn't arrive til after everyone else had finished their meals. We still had an hour to fill in before we had to head back to the bus. The crazy cyclo driver from yesterday followed us for a while so we hid in some shops. We finally got back to our hol where we aited 20 minutes for the bus.

We finally got on board and set out for the last time - a bus ride to Hanoi that takes over 15 hours.

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From there on our way to the next stop we stopped at an incence factory and hat making stall - it was quite interesting. It was then off to Khai Dinh Tomb. It was extremely ornate and french in design - apparently Khai Dinh was a homosexual emperor!

From there it was back into the car for another 45 minutes to our next stop, the Thien Mu Pagoda. Unfortunatley it is under renovation so we didn't get to see it in its full glory although we did catch a glimpse of the Ho Chi Minh Trail from the pagoda.

We then let our guide take us to a restaurant for lunch - really yummy spring rolls. It was then back into the car to go to the famous old citadel. Most of it is in ruins but what as left after the Tet offensive was still spectacular in its granduer. We explored the citadel for over an hour before i started to feel sick (again!) and caught a cyclo back to the hotel.

After another sleep we went out to dinner at the Mandarin Cafe - it was really good, especially the pancakes. We allowed a young cyclo driver to take us to the famous 'Browneye' bar for a drink. We then went back to town for ice-cream where we met the same cyclo driver again who took us on a tour of the city before taking us back to the hotel. Brenda actually got to drive/ride the cyclo with the driver in it. We then headed off to sleep for some well earned rest

Vietnam - Hue - Temples and Tombs remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It was then onto the bus for a short 3 and a half hour ride to Hue. I finished another book and was able to read an English language newspaper to brush mysef up on current events. We finally arrived at Hue at 6:30pm where we had to wait for a taxi to take us to our hotel. We got there and checked in into room 401 - but there are no elevators in the hotel - we have to climb 4 flights of stairs everytime we want to go to our room.

We took cyclos into the main part of town and spent 1/2 an hour looking at tours before booking a day tour for tommorrow - an extra 20 dollars for an English speaking guide. We went and had dinner at the Stop and Go Cafe as recommended by Lonely Planet. They have the best spring rolls in the world - no kidding. You roll them yourselves at the table.

A young boy sold us postcards at the table when we were eating and when we stopped for ice-cream later on he found us again and tried to pick up Brenda - absolutely hilarious. We finally caught cyclo's back to our hotel where we climbed the stairs to our room before finally heading to bed.

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We then rode back to our hotel for a little rest before riding 4km to CauDai or China Beach. It took us nearly 1/2 an hour to ride there but it was worthwhile. We had lunch at a beach side restaurant before sitting on the beach. We seemed to be bothered by like a million salespeople -giving in and buying bracelets and other jewellry.We read on the beach til 5pm before we rode the 4km back to our hotel stopping on the way to buy more books to write in and to call home. We rode back to the hotel and had a swim in the pool. We had a shower before getting ready to go out and have dinner. I ordered Monk's soup (no flavour) and spring rolls (too oily!) We then rode back to the tailors to pick up my jacket. We rode back to the hotel and watched some telly before finally heading off to bed for the last time in Hoi An

Vietnam - Hoi An - China Beach remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We had breakfast at a local cafe before exploring the many tailors of Hoi An - deciding where to put our orders in. We found one and i ordered a pair of jeans. We went back to the hotel then headed out for a late lunch at the same cafe where we had breakfast.

We hired bicycles and explored Hoi An further for a few hours before heading to another tailors where i ordered suits and shirts. We headed off on the bikes to a restaurant for dinner before heading off to try on our jeans - they are so shockingly funny, basically they are denim business pants ew!

It was then back on the bikes for a little longer exploring all the architecture and lovely little streets before stopping for ice-cream. We returned the bikes and headed back to the hotel. We then had some well earned sleep.

Vietnam - Hoi An remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We were the only ones on the beach so we were constantly swarmed with people trying to sell us stuff - we gave in far too often. I read at first but i eventually gave in and agreed to let them 'wax' my legs with string. One of the most unusual experiences in my life however it did work.

We went off to have lunch - i ordered fries but ended up with spring rolls that made me sick We went back to the beach and had manicures and pedicures. I started to feel really sick and headed back to the hotelfor a lie down. After a sleep i felt better and at 6pm we headed over to La Lousianne for dinner - cold chicken burger. We rushed it down because the bus was meant to pick us up at 6:30 -it didn't arrived til after 7pm. We got on board the bus and departed for our next destination, Hoi An, a short 12 hour drive away.

Vietnam - Nha Trang and Bus remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We went out for a walk before phoning home to let them know about changing flight times. We stopped and had breakfast before catching a cyclo to a local supermarket and back before resting for a little longer.

We then headed to Thap Bo Hot Mineral spring. We booked in for a mud bath and a dip in the warm mineral springs. The mud smelt disgusting but felt really refreshing and the mineral springs were really hot - but my skin now feels really smooth.

We caught a taxi back to the hotel. We had to meet our photographer at 6:30 then we headed out for dinner. We ate at Nha Trang Beach Club. We walked back to our hotel but on the way back we rode the beach ferris wheel for a nighttime view of Nha Trang. It wasn't very safe but it was fun. We then headed back to the hotel and watched a movie before heading to bed for the night.

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We caught a taxi back into saigon so we could get on our bus to Nha Trang. We got on the bus at 8:45. Our driver was so disgusting and rude - he wouldn't let sick people sit up the front or anything like that plus he smoked and spat all the time. I read a book before trying to sleep. I managed to drift off for a little bit but the traffic is so loud even late at night.

We had a quick stop for a toilet break. We went one at a time and when i was waiting we saw locals spying over the back wall at people using the toiled. We yelled at them and managed to scare them away but it was still quite frightening. By the end of the night we were still driving with another six hours of driving ahead of us

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It was then back on the bus for about 10 minutes til we stopped for lunch - i had the best mushrooms ever. After lunch it was back on the bus for another hour til we arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels. When we got there we watched a movie - very onesided, and you can guess which side, before heading into the tunnels. I was one of the group who could fit into the original hole so i was pretty proud of myself. We explored the tunnel system - i went down to the second level - it felt like a cardio workout - i dont know how they did it, plus it is pitch black - nothing like a bit of claustrophobia to make you move through the tunnels quicker.

Our guide then showed us some of the booby traps they used - it was so gruesome. We then headed off to the shooting range - i shot an AK47 - it really hurts your shoulders - i think it will be the only time in my life when i ever fire a gun.

We caught the bus back to Saigon then caught a taxi home. Went to bed without dinner because i was exhausted.

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I went back home but didn't discuss it with the others. When we were all ready we headed off to Ang Nam market - didn't have much fun because i was still a bit distracted. We had lunch - a terrible chicken curry - before heading back to Ben Thanh Market.

We took the bus back home when i was called by my parents who had orgainsed everything for me back home and put my mind back at ease. We went out for dinner at a local plaza before heading home for a well needed sleep

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We toured the delta for a while before stopping at Tortoise Island for lunch - disspointed because there weren't any turtles. We learned new things on the island - graves and funerals were the main topic of conversation. It was then back onto the boat and then onto another smaller one where we visited a village that made coconut candy - yummy! We also tried snake wine - extremely strong - i think i burnt my insides.

It was then back on the boat to the next stop where we listended to traditional music and put our hands in bee hives - I was the only one brave enough to do it We took the boat to Unicorn Island where we paddled through the canals with local woman. It was then back on the boat for the last time back to the bus.

It took another 2 hours on the bus back to Saigon. We stopped at the travel agent and paid off the rest of our trip - we also decided while we were there to book a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. We went back to Brenda's Grandma's to say hello and then her cousins took us out for dinner. It was then back on the bikes back home where we went to bed early waiting for D-Day tommorow (The release of VCE Results - a whole years work in one mark!)

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We then headed off to lunch at Lotteria - a local hamburger joint. We then headed off to Ben Thanh Market for a little while before heading home for a shower as we are being taken out for dinner. We caught a taxi to Rich Aunties house before hopping on the motorbikes to head off.

The restaurant was 1/2 an hour away but it was great fun. The restaurant is known as the flying rice restaurant- the waiters throw and catch your rice before serving it to you. The meal was fantastic. We rode back into Saigon and had coffee and ice-cream at a riverside restaurant. We got driven back to the other Aunty's house where we soon fell asleep as we have a big day tomorrow.

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The taxi driver took us to a street with shops but there was nothing we really wanted. We headed back home for a shower and a change of clothes. We are going to Brenda's rich aunties house tonight.

We went on our first motorbike ride - of course there were no helmets! We headed to Brenda's aunties house where we unpacked before heading out on the bikes again this time in peak our traffic in the city where we had a unique night time tour of Ho Chi Minh. We stopped for coffee at a restaurant on the river before hopping on the bikes again for another ride. We then stopped to get Pho with the locals - i decided not to have any but did manage to purchase lottery tickets from a midget and an extremely old woman.

It was then back on the bikes to get back home where we slept with sheets for the first time in Vietnam.

Vietnam - Dam Sen and Motorbikes remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We found a person selling DVD's - illegal i know but i couldn't help it. We then went and had lunch before heading back to the market. It was big but more expensive than Thailand. We checked out the local shopping streets and finally found an internet cafe to book hotels for our trip up north.

We caught the public bus home - everyone single person was staring at us - it was hilarious - but the ride was great and we felt completely safe. We rested for a while before heading out for our first real Vietnamese meal. I had the unfortunate experience of ordering the chicken - it was still bleeding when it arrived at the table - think i'll stick to vegies next time.

We shopped for a little londer before heading home around midnight for a well earned rest

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We still had an hour til our fight but managed to keep each other entertained for that long. We boarded our plane then departed Thailand. Breakfast was fish noodles - ugh disgusting! My not eating of breakfast turned out to be a godsend as the bumpy landing we had would have made me sick otherwise.

We were met by Brenda's family at the airport then took the half hour taxi to her Aunty's house in district 10. I was taken aback by the living standards even considering leaving early but i'm slowly adjusting to it. We went to a local supermarket to stock up on supplies before heading home for a relatively early night - 8pm after a long, tiring and emotionally challenging day.

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After a while we headed back to the hotel and finished packing before heading back to MBK for one last time. We bought last minute gifts and then returned to the hotel and paid our bills and other boring stuff. Ordered a wake up call for 5am the next morning however i didn't sleep anyway as i couldn't help but think that we'd miss our flight the next day

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I started to feel a bit sick again and went back to the hotel. I slept for a few hours before heading out to dinner. We headed off to the Hard Rock Cafe - great food and lots of it. We caught a crazy Tuk-Tuk back to our hotel where we cleaned up and started packing. We had an early night getting ready for our last day in Bangkok

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We had lunch but it was awful - it was meant to be a chicken salad- it was a drumstick on a plate of lettuce. As such i spent the afternoon hungry. We went back to the hotel for a few hours before heading off to dinner. It was good but the service was so slow. We caught a Tuk-Tuk to the Night Bazaar where we spent another 3 hours shopping. We then caught a tuk-tuk to Patpong to visit the nighttime shopping scene. By then it was after midnight and the shops were closing so we headed back to the hotel. Spent an hour unpacking our day's spoils before getting ready for bed after a long day and lots of money changing hands.

Bangkok - More Shopping remains copyright of the author jess_capri, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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