Vietnam ::Saigon::.

The day trip to Saigon was very comfortable on the Mai Linh Express Bus. Sauce and Mustard arrived in Saigon around 3pm at Ben xe Mien Dong and caught bus no.19 across the road into District 1. They managed to scrounge a room for US$6/night as soon as they got to Pham Ngu Lao. From there they had a cold shower to escape the heat and then went exploring the local area. The area in the vicinity of District 1 does not have much to offer apart from some over priced bars, restaurants, cafe pop culture art scenes and a lot of travel agents.

The next day, Sauce and Mustard took themselves on a walking tour of the city's main attractions including, the Ben Thanh market, the Ho Chi Minh City museum, the Saigon Central post office, the Saigon Notre Dame, the Reunification Palace, and the War Relics museum.

The War Relics museum was by far the most moving of the tourist sites. With a minimal entry fee, it was well worth a visit.

With only a few days left on their visa, Sauce and Mustard bought a four days tour of the Mekong Delta with an exit to Cambodia by boat to finish their journey in Vietnam.

Vietnam ::Da Lat::.

The bus ride to Da Lat from Nha Trang was very scenic with thick jungle and waterfalls along most of the route. There was also flooding from the storm and landslides on the mountains.

Arriving in Da Lat, Sauce and Mustard were given a free ride in a minivan from Ben xe Dalat into town (5km). It didn't take them long to found a beautiful US$6 room at KS Xuan Hong. Accommodation in the pocket, they bartered for a cheap scooter rental. The hotel lady (who spoke english) dropped the price from 80,000ð to 40,000ð (what a steal!).

With half a day gone, Sauce and Mustard took off asap to discover the wonderful city of Dalat and the surrounding country side. They went around the city lake that was murky from the storm the day before, a waterfall that isn't worth mentioning, the imperial palace and the reservoir.

Then they took a scenic trip out of town to Trai Mat village and saw the most impressive temple on this journey.

Dinner at the market was delicious. Sauce and Mustard sweep the area for tasty street food.

The following day, with their bums back on the motorbike and Banh My (baguette sandwiches) in their bags, they headed out for the Chu Yang Sinh National Park. They stopped along the way at a water treatment center to walk through their beautiful Bonsai gardens. The rest of the route to the National park was a very long bumpy dirt road under construction and was closed, so Sauce and Mustard headed out to Elephant falls in Nam Ban instead.

Elephant falls looks better in the picture but was still fun, clambering on the rocks below and getting soaked by the spray of the falls. Finishing the day off with a 30km ride back to Da Lat along the highway gave Sauce and Mustard very sore bums and very hungry tummies. They filled them back up at the markets with a verity of street food.

Sauce and Mustard got their next bus ticket from Ben Xe Da Lat for 180,000ð and were all set ready to head to Saigon (Ho Chi Mhin City) the next day.

Vietnam ::Nha Trang::.

Waking up a little after 5am on the sleeper bus from Hoi An, Sauce and Mustard hopped off the bus and were scored by an American expat, offering them a room at his hotel, KS Song Long (Double Dragon) and a city tour on his motorbike for US$6.

During their city tour, the tropical storm from China Beach hit and the rain started pouring. Sauce and Mustard and Paul had to find shelter at a local eatery where Sauce got to enjoy Com Tam (Rice with grilled pork fillet and egg) for breakfast.(20,000ð)

Sauce and Mustard spent the rest of the morning walking along the beach and through some alley ways to the hot springs in the rain. They were soaking wet by the time they got to the hot springs but they got to exfoliate and rejuvenate their skin with a mud bath, mineral hot pool and heated mineral swimming pool.

That afternoon, Paul gave Sauce and Mustard some advice on where to find excellent tasty food with a budget. So for dinner, Sauce and Mustard got to try a variety of food at local prices. Banh Xeo (Crispy pancakes with baby squids and vegetables) for 2,500ð each, Com Ga (Chicken Rice with a chilly ginger sauce) for 25,000ð, Jelly cakes for 4,000ð and finished off with some mangoes and ice cream.

That night the storm hit on full fury and literd the beach with rubbish and debris. With the tropical paradise in ruin, Sauce and Mustard booked a ticket to Da Lat for 185,000ð/pax. The bus leaves from Ben xe phia nam (Inter-province coach terminal), but they provide a free hotel pick up service.

Vietnam ::Hoian::.

This time, jumping off a local bus from China Beach to Hoi An, there were no scouts waiting for Sauce and Mustard at the bus station, so they walked for two hours in the sweltering midday heat to find cheap accommodation. While hunting for accommodation, they ran into a kiwi expat with a bar called the Flying Moa.

After an ice cold beer and being told they won't find accommodation in Hoi An for under US$10, Sauce and Mustard went around the corner and were immediately greeted by a lady yelling across the street, "$6, $6". Accommodation sorted, Sauce and Mustard put their bags down and hit the street.

Hoi An is a very beautiful and romantic town with many European colonial and Chinese style buildings. However, the town is expensive and set up for tourist. That same afternoon, Sauce got himself a tuxedo tailor made. All the tailors in the area, provide overnight service to make anything you can ever dream of, including shoes.

After riding an hour on a shitty rickety scooter, Sauce and Mustard arrived at the ancient Cham ruins of My son, from empire of Champa. The majority of the My Son ruins were destroyed by American bombing raids, what was left made Sauce and Mustard marvel at the engineering, architecture and ingenuity of the people of the past.

On their way back to Hoi An, Sauce and Mustard stopped to but watermelon from some kids on the side of the road for 25¢ per kilo. Half a watermelon for 15,000ð. With juice covered faces, they decided to take a back road jaunt to Cam Kim island and check out the rural scene over the lush green rice paddies.

The bus tickets to their next destination, Nha Trang, cost 200,000ð/pax. A fellow tourist on our bus paid double what everyone else paid and thought he was getting the luxury bus. He questioned the driver and was told "everyone is on a luxury bus, everyone." Lessons learnt: all tourist buses are luxury buses, don't pay more than you have to.

Vietnam ::Da Nang-China Beach::.

Sauce and Mustard boarded the Reunification Express from Hue to Da Nang. Their hard seat tickets were literally hard wooden seats, but it didn't bother them because the route was very scenic passing through Lang Co beach and Hai Van pass.

Arriving at 1pm, Sauce and Mustard took a leisurely stroll through the rapidly up and coming city of Da Nang and along a beautiful stretch of China Beach. 15km later, they arrivd at Hoa's place thirsty and sweety.

Hoa's place was recommended as one of the best value budget accommodation between Da Nang and Hoi An. For US$7 a night, Sauce and Mustard got a basic ensuite room with hot water (not the cheapest accommodation so far). Being so far away from the city, Hoa's place was nice and quiet. There were no wi-fi in the vacinity, but the beach is just a 100m away and Marble Mountain is within walking distance.

A tropical storm was brewing at the time, so the beach wasn't as nice as out could be. Although, Sauce and Mustard did manage to have a swim and went sun bathing during their stay.

The entrance fee to Marble Mountain was 15,000ð to walk up, 35,000ð to catch the elevator up or free if you go round the back. Sauce and Mustard paid the 15,000ð as a donation to the temple. The place is adorned with buddhist temples and pagodas and has numerous natural caves. The couple of peaks have excellent views of China beach and you can see all the way to Hoi An on a good day.

There is nothing in the way of food around Hoa's place, but of you take a 5mins walk to the next road paralle to the beach, you will find a cheap bakery with Banh Mi (baguette sandwiches) starting from 7000ð, noodle squatters and a bus stop, where you can wave down buses to Hoi An.

Sauce and Mustard took a bus from here to Hoi An and paid the tourist price of 25,000ð per person. Apparently, locals pay 15,000ð.

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Vietnam ::Hue::.

Sauce and Mustard arrived early in the morning from Ninh Binh on a sleeper bus (300,000ð), and were greeted by hotel scouts. Within 5 minutes the price for a private room has dropped dramatically from US$15 to US$6. However on arriving at the hotel, the lady in charge refused to honour the deal, after much bartering, Sauce and Mustard paid US$7 for the room and hired a flash as brand new scooter for 80,000ð.

Accommodation sorted, showered, feed, Sauce and Mustard were on their way out to explore the city of Hue.

They circumnavigated the old imperial palace and went tomb hunting. Driving through the city in some spots was a challenge, putting Sauces skills to the test.

  

  

Buying train tickets for the scenic train ride from Hue to Danang the next day was interesting. First when Mustard spoke English to buy the tickets, she was told that it was sold out. But when she approached a different counter and spoke Vietnamese, she was rewarded with two hard seat tickets to Danang.

Vietnam ::Ninh Binh::.

The bus from Hanoi to Ninh Binh leaves from Ben Xe Giap Bat and cost 50,000ð. The two and a half hour journey dropped Sauce and Mustard off in the middle of Ninh Binh. Straight off the bus, scouts from the New Mini Queen Hotel offered them a free scooter ride to their hotel. Sauce and Mustard declined the offer, preferring to walk.

As they walked away, the scouts dropped their price from US$8 to US$6. By the time Sauce and Mustard had made their way to the hotel, they were offered a nice clean room with hot water and Wi-Fi for US$6 and a scooter for 80,000ð. They spent the next two days exploring the Ninh Binh area on the scooter.



Tam Coc, just 8km out of town, consisted of a river meandering through lush green rice paddies amongst the karst limestone peaks, similar to Ha Long Bay. Sauce and Mustard spent a couple of hours on a boat tour along the river where the oarsman row with their feet.  On their way back to shore they were meet by a small storm that sent everyone ruining for shelter.

Safely debarking their rickety dingy, Sauce and Mustard took shelter in the nearby embroidery shops and did some shopping.With some new artwork and plastic ponchos to keep them dry, they made their way west and discovered the poor cousins of Tam Coc. The local villagers offered them boat tours to a different part of the river for a third of the price and showed them the way to a couple of pagodas.

The pagodas had free entry, but parking cost 20,000ð. The pagoda was a Buddha cave that lead to a thrilling mountain climb with spectacular views of the surrounding area.

On the way to Mua Cave, Mustards camera stopped working. When they stopped to fix it, a family of neighbourhood kids swamped them, pulling on their bags and ask to take photos with them. Mua cave has a whole lot of steps that takes you up to a dragon adorned peak. You can also see the Tam Coc river from the top.

The next stop at the Trang An market was a waste of time. After paying 20,000ð for parking and seeing stuff all, they left for Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam.

As they approached Hoa Lu, Sauce and Mustard were offered free parking with the purchase of two bowls of Pho De (Goat Noodle Soup). There wasn't much to Hoa Lu, the only thing that was left of the ancaient citadel was the temple. Although Sauce and Mustard had a fun walk (climb) up to the summit.

Directionally challenged trying to find the stilt village of Kenh Ga, and with the sun steadily declining, Sauce and Mustard gave up and made their way back to Ninh Binh, in order to catch the sleeper bus to Huè.