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.

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.

Just as I am finishing my shower in the morning there is a knock at the door. I say ‘hello’, and someone replies and then unlocks the door and tries to come into the room. Strange. I get dressed and unbolt the door. A guy says the TV is not working and that he wants to fix it. I say ‘don’t worry’ as I am not using the TV. He says that the other TV’s are not working and tries to walk in. Abby is still in bed, and I have to stop him with my hand and push him back out. Very strange.

We decide to check out and find another hotel. We intend to catch the train further south, and there is a recommended guesthouse near to the train station. We pack up and whilst checking out the receptionist asks where we are going. We have a small conversation about the man trying to enter our room, during which time he walks by and I point him out. The girl says he is the boss.

We leave and make the walk across town to the other hotel, eventually finding it in the warren of streets. This hotel (Queens) is much more friendly and the room is better. We inquire about trains to Hue. There are now only 2 trains stopping at Ninh Binh, and only 1 has sleeper berths, but arrives at 1.30 am. This is not ideal for us. We decide to take the overnight sleeper bus, something we have been keen to avoid as I had read it received so many complaints.