Getting There

Vietnam is two flights away from Australia. First flight is to Singapore and then on to Vietnam. When booking flights it is important to think about how much time you have to recover. Travelling can tire out even the seasoned traveller so ensure that you have the smallest stopovers and if you do stop over for extended periods of time (I had a 12hr wait in Singapore), make sure you either have accomodation for sleep or some form of activity to keep you active. In Singapore many travellers take advantage of the free snooze lounges or even just sleep on the floor (like I did). The comfortable lounges, which are few and far between get snapped up quickly and they are hot property so don't rely on them. Mornings are interesting in international airports, apart from the people watching which is fun, being woken up by immigration police with machine guns can be quite intimidating if you are unprepared for such an image. The traders and shops are interesting to browse through but there is only so much window shopping one can take in a 12hr stopover.

Once in Vietnam travel options are plentiful. The most common form of transport is motorbike. Although daunting and scary at times you need to remember that those on the road are experienced and skilful riders. There are very basic rules which are flexible, such as ride on the right side of the road, indicate your direction and avoid collisions. Otherwise it is one eye on the mirror, one eye forward and finger on the horn. When oncoming traffic is on your side of the road, just check it is not you on the wrong side and don't panic. Just keep going in the direction you want to go and the traffic will go around you. I love seeing the family motorbike in use, Mum, Dad and the kids all piled onto the same small scooter going off to where they need to b. The other great sight is seeing the bike using instead of a truck. All manner of things get piled and balanced on bikes and zoom down the road.

The rivers are another interesting method of transport and a good way to see a different side of Vietnam. Hydrofoil transport are available and easy. Your complimentary bottle of water and towelette get handed to you when seated and all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the scenery. Occasionally the ferry will slow then stop and reverse to allow the engine to cool so don't panic if you are sitting in the middle of Saigon River miles from the edge feeling stranded, that is normal.

There are cars about but not many, you usually know there is a car around when you hear constant beeping from about 100m from an intersection, letting all of the bike riders know that a car is coming through and they are not going to stop.

If you choose to walk, do it with purpose. Know where you want to go and just go there! The traffic will negotiate you and you are safe as long as you don't hesitate (not even for a blink of an eye) or change directions without warning.