Hoi An

After a somewhat traumatic mini bus ride from Kon Tum (24 people in a vehicle designed for 16), we arrived in Hoi An.

We stayed with family friend Jane at the wonderful Christina's hotel. Jane works part of the year with the staff to maintain and improve the culture they have of genuine hospitality across the expanding hotel chain.

The staff had a welcome sign on arrival, a cake ready for Kellie's birthday, as well as a handmade card and bar of locally made chocolate. They really made us feel at home.

Jane and some of her friends showed us around the town over a couple days, including the best places to eat and drink.

Hoi An was an important trading port for centuries until the river got silted up, and business moved up the coast to Danang. The "old town" has been well preserved and has a collection of Asian influences including chinese and Japanese. The Japanese bridge is particularly interesting, it is featured on Vietnam's bank notes.

We hired a motorbike to travel north to Hue, we used a company that drops off a bike and transports your luggage by bus to the next hotel. It only costs $10 for the hire and service. We drove to Hue via the scenic Hai Van pass, made internationally famous by the Vietnam Top Gear special.