Weather forecast: Sunny. Temperatures from 28c (82f) to 33c (91f)

We started our Vietnam trip in the chaos and madness of Hanoi. We then flew 300 miles to the peacefulness of Phong Nha Farmstay out in idyllic countryside near the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We have now travelled 205 miles by car to Hoi An which is on the coast.

We woke up today in Sunny Hoi An listening to the waves crashing onto the shoreline. We are staying at an Airbnb Villa which is virtually on the beach, 10 minutes by car outside of Hoi An. We have a lovely view of the sea from our balcony. We are going to have a restful day following our long journey yesterday.

After breakfast we are going for a walk on the beach, maybe a swim and then travel into Hoi An for lunch. After lunch we are going to see Ms Kim of Kim Only Tailor Fashion. Scott is wanting to buy two made to measure suits. I am trying to persuade Sue to have an Ao Dai made. This is the traditional costume for Vietnamese women, a silk tunic with pants. She is thinking about it!!

Scott ordered 3 suits and 4 shorts from Ms Kim, who was a lovely lady. But unfortunately
I was not successful in getting Susie to buy a Ao Dai. Had a lovely swim when we got back then relaxed in our Airbnb.

For our evening meal we went to the Wild Beach Restaurant which is just down the path from where we are staying. The restaurant is a family run by Lien, her sister Tai and husband Thuam who were so welcoming and friendly and so very keen to ensure we enjoyed our meal. Customer service at its very best.

The restaurant is nothing special to look at, its small just 6 tables for 4 people on each. It is in the front of the house where Lien and her family live. It is open plan, so you just walk straight in from the path. The chairs and tables are very basic, you can look back into the family living quarters while sat at your table. Liens three very boisterous and loveable young children were running round playing games, grandmother was trying to look after them the best she could.

A lot of the cooking is done outside in a yard at the side of the restaurant on what look like an old hot plate, very primitive and basic. But out of these basic facilities came the best meal we have had so far in Vietnam. We ordered a mountain of local food and the bill came to 1,135,000 VND which is £36. We left a tip of 300,000 VND which is £10 and Lien tried to give it us back saying it was too much.

We love the Vietnamese people, they don’t have much and what they do have they have to work very hard for but they are so helpful, welcoming and friendly and always smiling.

Weather forecast: Partly sunny and hot. Temperature from 23c (7sf) to 33c (91f).

Today we leave Phong Nha Farmstay and travel by road to Hoi An, a journey of 210 miles!!

If you wish to experience the real Vietnam in an idyllic countryside setting then you must include Phong Nha Farmstay in your itinerary. We can highly recommend it.

On our way to Hoi An we are going to visit the Vin Moch tunnels which were built by villagers to escape carpet bombing by the Americans. They lived in them for four years, children were born there, children went to school, they ate there and they were cared for in the tunnels when they were sick: Hien Luong Bridge situated on the 17th Parallel where the Geneva Accords of 1954 partitioned the country: Ben Hai River Museum which contains images and items left over from the Vietnam War: and La Vang and Long Hung Churches in the demilitarised zone where fierce battles were fought between the Americans and Viet Cong which lastedfor 81 days.

We arrived Hoi An after a nine and half hour car journey. We are staying at an Airbnb Villa which is virtually on the beach.

The highlight of our journey was visiting the Vin Moch Tunnels, which were absolutely amazing. They are on five levels. Unfortunately we only had time to explore level three, but we were in awe of how they built such structures and the fact that the whole village from the youngest to the oldest lived down there for four years. I had thought the tunnel system was just for one village it actually covered a much wider area and connected a number of villages.

Weather Forecast: A stray morning shower otherwise clouds giving way to sun. Temperatures 22c (72f) to 32c (90f)

After our very challenging day jungle trekking yesterday, today we are taking things easy and just resting. Sue and I have booked a body massage with oil for 11am.

Tomorrow we leave the Farmstay and travel by road to Hoi An, a journey of 210 miles!!

Weather forecast: Rain and the occasional thunderstorm in the morning, very cloudy and not as warm. Temperature from 23c (73f) to 27c (81f).

Up very early as we are off on a 9km jungle trek through the Ma Da Valley and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, including visiting Tra Ang Cave, Elephant Cave (Hang Voi cave) and Ma Da Lake where we can go swimming. The trip was booked via the Farmstay but organised by: https://junglebosstours.com/tour/elephant-cave-ma-da-valley-jungle-trek-1d

One issue its been raining all night and the forecast is for light showers to go on throughout the morning which will bring out more mosquitoes!! Wish us well.

The trek started with a climb up a very steep muddy hill to Elephant Cave. This was made far more challenging due to the fact that you had to clamber over many rocks some quite large which were muddy and slipery from the rain. Without staff help I doubt if Sue and I would have made it. Elephant Cave is a small cave so we had a quick look round and then moved on.

We then had an hour walk along a narrow path through thick jungle to Ma Da Lake. This was an easier walk but with the rain still falling it was very muddy and slippery under foot. We also had to cross a number of rivers on foot with the level of the water coming well over our hiking boots and soaking our legs.

We had a chance to swim in Ma Da Lake which was lovely. The more daring ones in the group, including our Scott clambered up the rocks and jumped in from quite a considerable height. After swimming we had lunch.

We then trekked for another hour through the jungle and across more rivers to Tran Ang cave. Most of the journey was relatively easy but for the last section we had clamber across a large high bolder field which was very dificuilt and very scary. Again Sue & I would not have made it without help.

Tran Ang cave is a wet cave so we had to swim 300 metres into the cave and out again to explore it. For this we had to keep our shoes and socks on and our helmets with our lights on plus our wet swimming shorts and costumes. It was a tremendous experience especially when out guide got us to turn off our helmet lights and we laid in the water in the pitch dark. There were lots of bats in the cave but they were high up in the roof of the cave so did not worry us.

We then walked for another 40 minutes through yet more wet jungle to get back to the road and meet our minibus. The light showers which had been forecast for the morning carried on all day.

We had been worried about mosquitoes, but they were not such an issue, what was a problem for all the group was leeches. I had 7 leeches attach themselves to me over the day, two of which drew blood. Scott had about a similar number. Sue got off lightly with only two. Luckily the staff team had a spray which kills them, so they were not so much of a problem as they could have been.

By the time we got on the minibus we were totally worn out, our shoes and socks were soaking wet, our clothes were damp, but we had the most amazing day one that will live in the memory for a very long time.

See photos by clicking on Flickr logo and going to Jungle Trekking 9 April album

Weather forecast: Morning, hot, cloudy, humid, occasional rain, afternoon thunderstorms. Temperatures 28c (83f) to 32c (89f).

Decided to have a lay in and a more relaxing day today. Mid-morning went out to an Eco Farm, to be shown have they harvest rubber. Scott travelled on his own bike Sue & I went out as pillion passengers again. The trees were originally planted by the French colonialists who brought them from the Amazon Basin. They used the rubber mainly for car tires. The owner of the farm and his wife were a lovely couple but it was obvious that they have a hard life and struggle to make a living. Showing tourists round his farm earns them a little extra and makes life a little easier. We then visited a Duck Farm, which I was not that bothered about but it was great fun.

As we got back it was spotting with rain, The first rain we have had. Spending the rest of the day relaxing as we are off tomorrow on a jungle trek, following the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which is going to be a long hard day.

Weather forecast: Partly sunny and very hot with a 40% possibility of a thunderstorm in spots. Temperature 22c (72f) to 38c (100f)

We were up early to travel to Paradise Cave a journey that took 40 minutes by road. Scott went on the motorbike he has hired Sue & I travelled as pillion passengers on motor bikes driven by locals.

Once at the cave complex, we had to climb 520 stairs  to get to the cave entrance, which was challenging in itself especially given the humidity and heat.

We first walked through the tourist section of the cave with its 1km long wooden walkways and special lighting. But then we went down some steps onto the cave floor and into a private part of the cave. So our caving adventure began with just the light of our head torches to guide us.

Paradise Cave is the biggest and most beautiful dry cave in Asia. Its size and scale is breathtaking: it is 31.4 kilometres long, the height can reach 72 metres and width 150 metres. In this cathedral like space, you see a vast array of different unique rock formations and numerous array of stalactites and stalagmites all different sizes which have been formed over 1000s of years.

We were headed to a point 7 kilometres into the cave where a natural skylight allows sunlight to filter through and illuminate the cavernous space below. At first the walking was relatively easy, but then it became very challenging and in places very scary and quite dangerous. Clambering up and down large rock formations, walking along slippery mud-covered ledges. We then had to swim through one section with the water only about two foot below the cave ceiling. For non-swimmers like Sue there was a kayak.

We had lunch, which cave staff had carried in, while watching the sun stream through onto the cave floor. Then it was a 7km walk back the same way as we came in.

The staff who accompanied us were brilliant at helping us get up, over and down the most difficult sections. They called Susan, Mama and throughout the walk you kept hearing them tell each other help Mama. We could not have done it without their help.

The 14k trek inside Paradise Cave was very tiring and at times scary but it was an experience like no other we have ever had. Unbelievable, its difficult to explain how unique and how beautiful the cave is.

I have put some photos which I copied from the computer into the Flickr photo albium which you get to by clicking on the Flickr logo on the left of this page. The photos are onpage two of the albium at the very end.

Weather in Phong Nha: Partly sunny, very hot and humid. Temperatures from 26c (32f) to 36c (97f).

Up at 5am to travel to the aiport to catch a flight to Dong Hoi and from there transported by mini bus to Phong Nha Farmstay. For the next six days we will imerse ourselves in the magic of remote rural Vietnam. The Farmstay is located in Northern Central Vietnam, between the coast and the mountains. Set in idylic surroundings of rice paddy fields, tended daily by the local community, on the edge of National Park just off the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

We arrived at lunch time and are spending the rest of the day relaxing and resting.

Weather forecast: Hot and humid, overcast at first, then sunny. Temperatures ranging from 28c (82f) to 35c (95f). Temperatures will feel like 30c (86f) to 38c (100f).

Our last day in Hanoi before tomorrow we fly off to Dong Hoi and from there are taken to the Phong Nha Farmstay.

This morning we visited Hoa Lo Prison, which was known by US pilots shot down and captured during the Vietnam war as the Hanoi Hilton. It was originaly built by the French to incacerate Vietnamese who rose up against French colonial rule.

During the vietnam war the prison was used by the Vietnamese government to lock up US pilots who had been shot down. This included John McCain who later became a Republican Senetor.

We then visited the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long which was full of young schoolchildren who were a delight to see. The citadel which was built in the 11th Century was the hub of Vietnamese military power for over a 1,000 years.

Our final visit was to the Military History Museum which has lots of photographs and exhibits relating to the Chinese occupation of Vietnam, the French colonial rule and the US Vietnam War. Very interesting.

We had a restful afternoon before going to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.This is a traditional Northern Vietnamese art form. When the rice field flooded the villagers would us this type of puppet play to entertain themselves. The shows are performed by the puppeteers in a waist deep pool so it appears the puppets are moving over the water. See the video in the itinerary.

This is our last night in Hanoi so here are a few observations.

We have loved our time in the chaotic madness which is Hanoi. The traffic is totally crazy with every person for themselves but somehow it works. No one walks on the pavements as they are covered with parked motor bikes and scooters, people selling things and people sitting on very small plastic stools eating. So everyone walks on the roads where you face traffic coming at you from all directions. The Vietnamese are a very hard-working nation, most of those who we have met have two or three jobs, but they remain upbeat and friendly. We have been very impressed by the high levels of customer service we have met and the attention to detail. The Vietnamese don’t waste anything and everywhere you go you see people mending things and making things which we would just go to the shops and buy. One final amazing thing hardly anyone smokes. In the six days we have been here we have only seen three people smoking or vaping.

Weather: Hot, very humid, overcast. Temperatures 24c (75f) to 28c (82f).

We spent today cruising in Halong Bay. We had travelled there on Tuesday night and stopped at the Paradise Suites Hotel. The cost for an overnight stay and breakfast was £31. What was amazing was the level of service it was like staying in a five-star hotel, the quality of the customer care, the staff, attention to detail, the rooms and the breakfast.

We really enjoyed the cruise; the boat was excellent and not too crowded. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with stunning beautiful scenery. it was nice to relax and chill out, eat excellent food, the itinerary included been taken in a sampan rowed by locals to some caves and the chance to go for a swim which we took. The level of customer service, the attention to detail and doing those small things which make all the difference was excellent.