Day 19 - 23: Nanning - Hanoi - Hue - Saigon

Leaving China's nation of building sites behind, and with an uneventful border crossing, Day 20 saw us making an early morning arrival into Vietnam's capital, Hanoi and onto the sweaty, tout filled western backpackers east Asia trail.

We decided to play the touts at their own game and Vietnam saw us making the most of free internet, cheap motorbikes and food, knowing that sooner or later we'd get ripped off and karma would fall back into balance.

Hanoi is a bustling, busy city with action packed streets full of shops, markets and restaurants and overrun by scooters like no other city I have ever visted. Will's previous experience made him tour guide and in our 12 daylight hours we paid the obligatory visit to Ho Chi Min's mausoleum (although heat dictated that shorts/no entry won over trousers and getting to see Vietnam's much celebrated winner of independence), Lake Hoam Kiem's Jade Mountain Temple and lunch which we hope wasn't dog.

Lulled into a false sense of comfort by the backpacker environment we opted for the "luxury" overnight sleeper bus to Hue, probably the worst bus journey of the trip so far as we hit the roof or metal head rail every time our driver rode a speed bump or pothole. On the diary side, we did pass the supposed Demilitarised Zone, but about as noticeable as it was successful 55 years ago.

Day 21 from the outset showed us Vietnam's calmer side with us adopting local transport and moto-ing around Hue and its surroundings, visiting the city's impressive yet sadly, war damaged, citadel, passing the picture postcard paddy fields with their still predominantly manual agriculture, and finally the beach for a full hour of rip-off tempered relaxation by the South China Sea.

Our slight over confidence following the success of our logistics so far bit us for Day 22, with only hard seats available for the 22 hour train to Saigon (OK, now it's officially Ho Chi Min City, but I'm going to stick with Saigon). Hard it turns out means wooden (see photos to see just how uncomfortable..), and even only 3 hours sleep the night before didn't help us find a comfortable sleeping position, with Will ending up adopting the local position of lying on the train floor under the seats, and me draped over the mini-tables.

Luckily the train ride is probably one of the most beautiful I've ever taken, along the unspoilt, pristine Vietnamese coast before cutting through the paddy field and up to Saigon - just about sane, and kind of still able to walk, Day 23 had us walking into Saigon in a rather more peaceful way than the arrival of North Vietnamese forces just over 36 years ago.

Despite the beauty of Vietnam 2011, the delicious food and generally friendly people, it is impossible to visit this country and not be shocked by the impact and history of the various 20th century wars, in particular of course the French then US led western actions through the 50's, 60's and 70's. It's hard to remain objective and neutral when actually faced by photographs, stories and evidence of the evil's of war in a time where it is difficult to understand the geo-political realities and rights and wrongs from before either of us were born, but visiting places such as Saigon's War Museum really hit me with a hammer as to the disastrous long term consequences of separation and tactics including Agent Orange, chemical defoliation and torture.

Pushing that weight off our shoulders long enough to buy bus tickets, Day 23 lunchtime saw us on board a bus headed west for Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Nanning - Hanoi: 12 train hours / 396 km
Hanoi - Hue: 15 bus hours / 700 km
Hue - Saigon: 22 HARD seat train hours / 1,038 km
TOTAL TO DATE:12,300 km

FUND RAISING TOTAL: GBP 3,200 including Gift Aid - please keep these Doctors of the World donations coming!