Joe’s mum’s birthday meant we spent a few more days relaxing at a beautiful coastal resort

• Marble Mountain – this has to be one of the best places we went to, even if it was a little busy. A series of shrines, statues, caves and grottos are perched high up on one the karst formations, which can be reached through a glass lift or by climbing a number of steps.
  
• Hoi An - a beautiful old port town that was once the shipping and trading capital of Vietnam. Old traditional buildings were influenced by the foreign traders who passed through and the whole area was preserved because river silted up, cutting off larger trading boats
• My Son – UNESCO World heritage ruins of Champa Hindu temples 4th -14th century AD Kings of Champa

We thought we’d try something a little different for our posts on Vietnam. Given the massive detour and stress with the visas, we’d fallen a little behind on the blogging front (which I think is understandable!) and so we’ve decided to condense our Vietnam trip into one itinerary post, complete with pictures from a guest photographer – Joe’s dad Guy! We were incredibly lucky that Joe’s parents decided to sync up their annual holiday with our trip this year so we were treated to a two week stint in rather different style to our normal strict budget backpacking...

The first few days of arriving in Vietnam were spent recovering from our flights, getting over our jet lag and exploring the hot and humid city on foot. Highlights included:

• The French Quarter – an area of the city with government offices housed in French colonial buildings with a backdrop of shining skyscrapers and designer stores, as well as large statue of Ho Chi Minh himself.
• Zoo and botanical garden complex- which animal lovers may wish to avoid (the cages and conditions are questionable, though they do have a nice collection of bonsai trees).
• Vietnam History Museum – the exhibits here have detailed information in English as well as Vietnamese, and gives some insight into Vietnam’s ancient past.
  
• Bitexco Tower/Eon Heli Bar – this is highest restaurant/bar in Saigon which is accessed through a shopping mall. It does offer views over the city but is a little expensive for what it is.
• A day trip to the Mekong delta.
• War Remnants Museum – this place is known colloquially as the ‘American War Crimes Museum’ and details some very graphic aspects of the Vietnam War. The exhibits include upsetting photography and testimonies, including the continued genetic devastation caused by exposure to the highly toxic Agent Orange, but on the whole the information is enlightening.