We arrived back to HCMC after our Cambodian jaunt kinda looking forward and getting excited about our next leg in Europe.

Duncan and I enjoyed using HCMC as out base for southern Vietnam. The Hotel we stayed was great in this little back alley (which at first looks a little dingy but open up into a lovely quiet haven away from the bustle and noise. We also considered HCMC a lot cleaner and better presented than Hanoi. It also seemed, in the backpacking district where we stayed, to be very funky – a kind of Indochina Melbourne 😉

Before leaving Vietnam we did a quick one day trip to the Mekong Delta, unfortunately I don’t think we did it justice as the trip was one of the those whistle stop tours and a little disappointing. The trip included visiting one of the floating markets, which when we went was really just a collection of boats. It was quite cool to see how rice paper is made and we did meet some fellow Aussies who we had drinks with after the trip, but I think (at least for me) we already had one eye on Europe.

Vietnam has certainly been the challenge that we had hoped for. It is a land full of extremes. These extremes have pushed to make us feel frustrated and annoyed, then with almost perfect timing and at point where we are questioning why, Vietnam stuns, amazes and awes us. It is this very intense and mix which enables Vietnam to get under your skin to a point where you love it for all of its intoxicating extremes.