Vietnam!

Finally I'm in Vietnam. I had to wait about an hour in total for my visa on arrival. It's like they've gone out of their way to make the process as inefficient and backwards as possible. Getting a one year working visa for Australia was much easier!

After leaving the airport, my first experience of a local was a very kind man in his 20s who was on his way to work for a big hotel. He offered to pay the 5000 dong (15p) for the bus in to the city centre (I paid him back in dollars), gave me a map and some advice on the area. What a nice guy!

My guesthouse is more like a home-stay with a lovely family, right in the middle of the backpacker area of District 1. For £10 I have a massive room, balcony, fridge/freezer, A/C and a BATH (the first time I've seen one since leaving the UK in October).

Once I settled in, I went and had my first taste of real Vietnamese street food. First I had Phở then Bánh mì. Pretty damn tasty!

Oh and as you can see from the photo, there are lots of bikes here. Actually, that's nothing compared to a lot of roads around the city. It's crazy!