We travelled from Dien Bien Phu to Sapa in a minivan, and apart from a lunch stop that was more for the benefit of the driver catching up with some mates than us actually being able to obtain any food, it was a pretty easy 10 hour trip. On arrival in Sapa we were swamped by the ladies from the surrounding hill tribes trying to sell us their treks and home-stays. They had remarkably good English (all learnt from practicing with tourists) and were incredibly persistent. The 2 ladies that attached themselves to us followed us around the town for 2 hours! The 2 hours part was more our fault though because we had encountered another unexpected holiday - Sapa Cultural Week! What joy... everything was booked out and we felt like it was ground hog day as we were turned away from dozens and dozens of hotels, guesthouses, hostels... you name it! The only ones with a guaranteed vacancy were the hill tribe home-stays! 

We eventually found a "room" in a nice little hotel, though to be honest it was actually a storage room with a set of bunk beds, boxes, no mattresses... (but they very kindly cleaned it  out, put mattresses on the beds and charged us $6.50 for the night). The next evening they were able to move us into a proper room - it was just bad luck that once again we had managed to turn up in a town where everyone else in Vietnam had also decided to be... (and after we had been convinced in Dien Bien Phu that everyone in Vietnam wasthere and that Sapa would be sooo quiet!). 

The next day it was cloudy and rainy so unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see much of the spectacular views surrounding Sapa. We decided against a hill tribe trek and home-stay because we had so recently done the one in Laos, and Sapa seemed a LOT more touristy. We opted instead for a bit of a food safari (as we tend to do when we're feeling a little tender), and ate our way past banh mi trolleys, stick food stalls at the market, pork rolls, and a splurge on proper red wine and soft cheeses at a fancy deli! Sapa really has it all, and it's restaurant after hotel after food stall after pub after guesthouse after market street after souvenir shop! I think it would be very different to be there when it was as quiet as we were expecting... the businesses must really rely on these busy weeks. Let alone the local tribal ladies (who appear to be more attune to the tourist culture and english language than their Han-heritage Vietnamese neighbours) that spruik their handmade wares on the streets and opportunities to drink rice with them in their homes. 

We decided that Sapa had had its chance for this trip, and booked the train for the following day to Hanoi. But Vietnam hadn't finished with us quite yet...! The train trip was the most uncomfortable transportation decision we'd made so far on the whole trip. We took a minibus down the mountain from Sapa to Lao Cai - when the minibus arrived to pick us up it was already over-filled with locals so we had to share a seat. It then took us a while to determine where to pick up our ticket for the train, which was supposed to leave at 9.50am. At midday we had just managed to get on the train and settle into our deluxe wooden park bench seats. We finally departed  over 2 hours late, and instead of the train taking a recommended 8-10 hours, 13 hours later we arrived in Hanoi station. Luckily we had booked accommodation ahead (see how we're learning!), and the guesthouse was still open at 1.30am to welcome us, about 6 hours late, tired, sore and wondering what we'd done to Vietnam to deserve such consistent challenges! 

The next day we did very little as we were pretty ruined from the train journey... but Hanoi is a fantastic city! We stayed in the old town, and every street is lined with food stalls, restaurants, shops and markets, and of course the famous bia hoi corners! There is so much to see in the little alleys with people sitting on tiny plastic stools enjoying ice tea or coffee, soups and BBQ'd meats. The food was truly amazing, and washed down with a 25c beer, we were pretty much in heaven. 

We decided that we would do a 2 day1-night tour to Halong Bay, and booked a pretty nice boat to take us out there. It was a beautiful couple of days - Halong Bay is so spectacular, and even though you're out there with hundreds  of other boats, it still seems magical. The tour included all meals (with delicious seafood), a cave tour, kayaking, some squid fishing and a visit to one of the islets to take in the view from the top. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to jump from the boat for a swim, but we did manage to get in at a little beach for a quick dip. It was wonderful to see one of the natural wonders of the world! 

We stayed a couple more days in Hanoi as we had a friend to meet up with, and we wanted to get a good feeling for the city in case its where we end up coming back to live later this year. I think it's safe to say we would both be very happy to call Hanoi home for a while... just need the jobs to match!.