Du Commerce Hotel Haiphong

... for the same package.<br><br>We were picked up at 8.30 by a mini bus half full of middle aged Aussies and I started to get excited. Older people means its more likely to be a good quality trip as they don't have to watch the dollars and dong like we do. The guide checked the bus and singled me out. 'Amy, right', 'Yes' I replied. Had Mr Tam asked him to take special care of us? When we arrive at the port four hours later, it seemed he had. The group of ...

I'd booked myself on a 3 day/2 night tour of Halong Bay. There were a couple of types of tour available, a Party one or a Chilling Out one. I opted for the latter so that I could spend the days actually soaking in the beauty of the place as opposed to just playing drinking games (I can do that anywhere in the world and have done!).<br><br>The minibus picked us up at 8am on Wednesday ready for the 3 hour drive to Halong City. The drive itself was rather uneventful, considering ...

... the next minute I was in a kayak with a young German, who assured me he knew what he was doing). It was great fun!<br><br>Wednesday night during dinner the wind and rain came back, and oh my god, was that boat being tossed around! I don't think anyone got any sleep that night - I was convinced it was going to roll over or something. I heard the next morning that the authorities weren't happy that the boats had ...

... of karst inlets and took in the wonderful sea scape, we relaxed with a beer on the roof of the boat. We then headed into some kayaks and paddled in through some caves and explored the general area around some of the most spectacular scenery i have ever witnessed. the sun was beating down, and after a few minutes, mark and myself had got ourselves syncronised in the tandom kayak. it was really brillant. we got back then on the boat and after a while the group was separated. us ...

... 8217;s optional to have night squid fishing or taking part in interesting games. Relax and spend a romantic night on Bai Tu Long deluxe junk.<br><br>Day 2: Halong- Hanoi (B, L)<br>8h00: Tea, coffee and pastries.<br>8h30: A morning cruise to visit Man&#8217;s head island, Tortoise Island, visit Luon cave by small ...

... security guards or in a locker at the entrance. While it is perhaps understandable that people cannot take big bags into stores, security guards do not stop there. I was prevented from shopping at Big C Supermarket one day because I was wearing a cap. I refused to hand over my cap out of principle and asked whether the security guard thought I was going to steal something, and if so what he thought I would be able to fit under my cap. I soon found out. One ...

... in 1741, and it was he who began the tradition of buffalo fighting for motivating his soldiers. Buffalo fights are now an annual event in Do Son, and the finals are held on the 10th day of the 8th lunar month to commemorate the death at Do Son of the leader of an 18th Century peasant rebellion. It was also from Do Son pier that the last French soldiers left Haiphong on 15 May 1955. Do Son is also steeped in legend and the shape of the peninsula has ...

... of shops. Laos and Vietnam are poles appart. The difference is striking, but what I can't get my head round is the touts, they're so in your face that it boarders on being offensive. It took us 3 attempts in taxis to get to our hostel - it's difficult for a first timer not to get scammed. You say where you want to go, they take you to their mates hotel. 3 times. Ryan (the lad who'd been here before) was kind enough to give me his copy of the Loney Planet, which was a bit of a result - I ...

... someone, it becomes a bit like the boy who cried wolf, with the person ignoring the beep altogether. It seems to be a case of anything goes. While there are traffic lights at many intersections in Hai Phong, this does not mean that they are necessarily heeded, even at the busiest intersections. It is good practice to approach any intersection expecting someone to come flying through. The other afternoon I watched with an open mouth as a 10-year-old girl on a bicycle ...

... Europeans, selling everything from Chanel, Gucci, Benetton and Triumph to Rip Curl, Levis and Armani. If you wish to stop for a coffee on the ground floor, Highlands Coffee provides great coffee served in comfortable chairs looking out oversized windows at the comings and goings on the street outside. The staff at Highlands Coffee are amongst the friendliest in Vietnam and appear to have had their share of Westerner watching, meaning that they seem happy to ...