Vietnam

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Vietnam | Hanoi | Ha Long Bay
Vietnam is the Eastern most country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Vietnam is an extended narrow country with a long and dramatic coastline. It shares a border with China to the North, Laos to the Northwest and Cambodia to the Southwest.

The sheer length of the country gives rise to a diverse climate that varies considerably between the North and South. This can range from frost and the occasional snow flurry in the mountains of the North, to soaring temperatures of 40 degrees in the ‘hot season’. We be arrived at the tail end of the North’s monsoon season, just in time for the blistering heat of the summer season.

With an estimated 90.5 million inhabitants as of 2011, it’s no wonder the capital, Hanoi, is a bustling and vivid city, with people weaving and buzzing around the city on a wide and astonishing array of transport.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the main cities, the country boasts stunning landscapes, from soaring mountains to the dramatic coastline. Paddy fields, water buffalo, bicycles, conical hats, and street markets are common sights.

Vietnam | Our Verdict

In Vietnam we swapped steam power for pedal power and started the second stage of our overland adventure. Having spent 3 months travelling across land-locked countries, through the most inland cities in the world, without a beach in sight, we were in need of some fresh sea air.

After exploring the busy heady delights of Hanoi we headed straight out towards the coast to see the magnificent limestone karsts in Cat Ba Island. From there we travelled south towards Dong Ha on the Central Coast along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, then West to the Laos border.