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Our room last night was a bit below par, so first thing we take a walk and look at a place we looked at last night. We come back, grab our bags and get some breakfast. We feel much happier in our new room.

We relax for a while and set off for a swim. But, the wind is so strong that there is no sandy beach left, and it is certainly too dangerous to swim. A bit deflated we decide to rent a motorbike, something that is always fun.

Our bike is a bit battered, but we head off full of enthusiasm. We ride right down to the local fishing village, as far as we can go. The views are good, although a little windy. We turn around and ride back towards Phat Thien. The town is pretty small and we seem to ride right through it. We go back and watch a photo shoot on the beach for what looks like a music video. We jump on the bike and stop for some souvenir shopping. Then back to the hotel for food and sleep.

Up early to catch the bus to Muie Ne today. After paying we head over to the Sinh Cafe office. We jump on the bus which is very good. The landscapes are very different to those we have seen so far. The further south we head in Vietnam the more sandy it becomes.

The roads are fairly good in this region and we make good progress. We turn off the main road and head closer to Mui Ne. The landscape becomes very sandy with interesting rivers and settlements. The bus pulls up in Mui Ne, by the Sin Cafe office. We get our things and I ask about rooms at the resort we have stopped our, but it is outside of our price range. Handily, touts are hovering and we agree to take a look at a resort 100m away. The rooms are basic but cheap, and the beach is so close it's practically in the restaurant, so we take the room.

The sun disappears and the winds get stronger. We grab some lunch and look at another place to stay for tomorrow, which looks quite a lot nicer. Back at the resort we get out feet wet in the sea, as the waves are too rough for swimming. We relax for the rest of the day.

After a late start cloudy and rainy weather rolls in. We take a stroll around town and later go to the beach. There are lots of locals playing football and swimming. Mainly guys though, but we see a few Vietnamese women swimming.

When we go back to the hotel the guide who met us from the train station asks us about tours, suggesting that we have not done anything since we have been here. We say we are leaving tomorrow, we asks about bus tickets and we say we bought them earlier. We gets quite aggressive and says that they sell them there. This upsets me a bit and I walk off. I really don't like being pressured or suggested as to what to do.

After a nice dinner our we get back to the hotel room. The AC isn't working,and we think that maybe they have turned it off. I go down to pay. The clerk tries to overcharge me, although this does seem like a genuine mistake. I take the calculator and total everything up. He agrees this is the real price, but then doesn't have the right change when I try to pay, so I leave it until the morning. The AC is turned back on, but I think this is also genuine, as all the power board switches were turned off earlier as there was a power cut.

We grab breakfast and spend some time at the beach. This is the first beach we have sat on for about 6 weeks, and is well overdue. We take a swim, but the strong onshore winds have blown quite a bit of debris to the shore.

Later we take a stroll around and buy some DVD's.

We check out and get a lift to the train station. We are catching the 22:44 train to Nha Trang today. It is an 11 hour journey, so we have opted for the train, something we have been keen to do in Vietnam. We booked the tickets a few days ago, and seats were already all taken, so we took the soft sleeper option.

After showing staff our ticket we sit and wait in the waiting room. There are a lot of people in the room, and its hot. We get quite a few stares from the local people. We have to wait in the room until the train is approaching, when a staff member opens the door and we are allowed onto the platform. The train arrives fashionably late, and we jump on. Our cabin is empty and an attendant gives us clean sheets. We settle in and are quite excited to be on the train today.

The train ride up to Danang is amazing. The views down to the deserted bays are amazing. We hope the beaches at Nha Trang are as nice. We haven't been in the sea for nearly 6 weeks, and we miss it, especially in this very hot weather.

At Danang we get a new cabin mate. We get chatting and he is a nice lad, from Danang, who now studies IT in Saigon, where he is heading now after the holidays at home. I talk to him for a while about IT and the technologies he is studying. He is keen to hear about western wages. But I also tell him how much a house costs.

We get some ordinary food from the strange restaurant car. Later in the trip a girl takes the last of our cabin spaces. After her family tuck her in, she keeps herself to herself.

At Nha Trang we get off and are met by a friendly hotel tout. His sales pitch is good, and a taxi ride later we are at one of the nicest hotels we have stayed at.

Today we are taking a boat ride up the Perfume River. We get up early and motorbikes wizz us to the boat jetty. We get on-board the big boat and soon enough we are cruising up the river.

Our first stop is at the big Pagoda. It's an impressive building with stunning views over the river.

Back on the boat we cruise a little further and then take motorbike to a temple that was the residence of a former King.

Back on the boat we stop at another temple, but we don't go in. The temples are expensive to visit, about $6 per temple. We sit on the steps and enjoy the views.

On the boat we eat lunch whilst cruising to the next temple site. We take a walk to the site, but just sit outside. We chat to a French girl who has come out. She says it was similar to the first temple site, and not such a great visit. We throw away the water we bought at the last stop, as we think it has been re-filled and potentially bad water, something that is not worth risking.

Back on the boat for the last stop. We take a motorbike across some rough terrain to a temple site high on the hill. I get a ride on a motorbike that looks like a relic from the war. It's a fun ride though. This temple site is stunning. The stone figures are so life like. Inside the temple at the top of the stairs we are stunned. The decorations and fittings are amazing, as are the views. I notice a huge butterfly that has come to rest inside a massive glass lamp.

Back on the bike down to the boat, and a slow chug back to the boat jetty. It's been a long day. I tend to not like arranged tours, as they heard us around like sheep. But, today has been good, and only at the end was I tiring a bit.

On the way back to the hotel we get some food, and a new bag for Abs as hers was falling apart.

We take a walk down to the train station and buy our tickets to Nha Trang for tomorrow. It is the end of the holidays in Vietnam, and the seats are all taken on the train. We buy soft sleeper beds which should give a comfortable ride. We have been keen to take a train ride in Vietnam, as we much prefer traveling by train.

From the train station we take a walk to the Citadel, probably the biggest sight in the Hue city area. Once inside the walls we walk around the various temples and royal rooms. It is an interesting place. We see an elephant, but after a look around can't find anymore.

We take an interesting walk back through the city, across another bridge.

Our overnight bus stops at the bus station in Hue. We're both tired, but to our delight there is a friendly hotel tout at the bus station. He takes us to the hotel in his mini-bus. The hotel is very good, and in a quiet area. We rest for a while and take a walk around. Hue has a relaxed feel for such a big city. We like it here and think that we will stay for a few days.

We check out, rent a motorbike and ride out to Tam Coc. After parking and buying our tickets we are ushered onto a boat. We're surprised by the amount of people here; it's busy and touristy, mainly with Asian tourists. After a few minutes of rowing the crowds thin a bit and we get to some nicer scenery. We go through a few caves which are impressive. The rice paddies and the shrines scattered in them are a strange and beautiful backdrop to the region. We enjoy the trip, but we get the customary attempts for more money when we get off. It's a shame this is so common in Vietnam, it easily leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

We head back to the guesthouse but decide not to spend anymore time riding on the bike. My license is not valid here (no foreign licenses are) and I do not fancy a run in with the police. If they try to extort money from me like everyone else here then I'll be broke!

We spend the afternoon walking and sitting in strange places, trying to pass the time until 21:00, when we will catch the overnight bus to Hue. Many people complain about this bus, but our guesthouse owner has been spot on with everything else, and he says this bus is comfortable, so we've got to trust him. We'd love to have taken the train, but the only overnight train doesn't have sleeper berths. This seems bizarre to me, and although the Vietnem Railways website suggests that the train does have sleeper berths, the guesthouse owner and the the railway staff says it doesn't.

We try to take a look around the railway station, but get shown the exit. We also have a drink at a cafe which looks strangely like a brothel, but Vietnam cafe.

Eventually 21:00 comes, and the guesthouse guy personally shows us to the bus. Excellent service. The bus is exactly as it looks in the picture, a first on my travels. It is clean and comfortable.

Well, fairly comfortable, We choose two beds at the back, which don't go completely flat. I have a bit of a lump in my bed, which doesn't put me off too much. Our beds are inclined as we are so close to the engine cover. Ear plugs come to the rescue again.

I get a pretty good nights sleep, but Abs doesn't. In the morning we are woken to the sounds of Boney M.

Today is Independence Day in Vietnam; the day North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon in 1975. I heard some loud singing early this morning, but by the time we go down for breakfast the little tent that was outside has gone and some bright confetti is on the road. There are Vietnamese flags lining the road, but no other indications that today is a holiday. It seems a regular day for most people.

We head out as we have a few jobs to do and a few things to get. We wander around, finding a few markets, finding a few of the things that we needed. We also managed to get a Vietnam flag for about 50p.