Hoi An may be the prettiest place I have ever been.

If you only have one day in Hoi An Vietnam, you are in for a visual treat. The old town is a Unesco World Heritage sight and you can immediately see why. Bustling streets are lined with buildings, their fading yellow facades evocative of bygone era of river trade. These days you are more likely to find yourself bartering for a silk scarf, or purchasing handmade gifts, than trading in fish. However for a glimpse of what the more hectic pace of commerce may have been like, head to the Market where countless stall holders will converse with you to get you to buy their wares.

Hoi An is also the stronghold of Vietnam's tailoring tradition. I indulged my shopping instincts for the first time this trip and walked away with many a bargain (tailored skinny jeans = sent from heaven). The one thing I would recommend is to get a tip on a good tailor to go to, as from what I have heard there can be great discrepancies in quality.

Hoi An also boasts many a culinary treat. White roses are delightful mouthfuls of dumpling stuffed with shrimp, and an unmissable experience is sampling the local noodle dish by the river, marvelling at the floating lantern creatures. What could be better than fantastic food, brilliant views and an atmosphere that feels like the Asia from a 19th century romance?

Definitely a favourite place to be lost in for a while.

Sent from my iPhone

Cyclo tour of Saigon

If you have one day in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) I would highly recommend a cyclo tour. Although not the cheapest way to see the sights it definitely affords great views of the city and is more atmospheric than jumping in a taxi. As we wove through the traffic, my elderly cyclo driver huffing and puffing, wiping the sweat from his brow and frequently having near misses with all manner of other vehicles on the road, my eyes were drawn to many sights that would have been impossible to see from the window of a cab.

Our tour involved a visit to the palace - a building left exactly as it was found when the northern tanks rolled in in 1975. It was mostly like walking around a hotel until we reached the basement where the war operations rooms were concealed, with maps and information on troop numbers still pinned to the walls. A place left as a time capsule of a time pre-communism.

The next stop was the war remnants museum. After studying the fascinating array of propaganda posters and countless images of anti-war protests from across the globe, I was then faced with room after room filled with photos and information about the far reaching and atrocious consequences of what the Vietnamese call 'the American war'. Although there is an anti-american propaganda feel to some of the exhibits, the truth of the lasting affects the use of agent orange and the dangers of unexploded ordnance have is undeniable. You cannot help but leave feeling humbled by the resilience of the Vietnamese people.

After the war museum we drove past Saigon's Notre Dam cathedral before weaving through the traffic back to our hotel. I ended the day having loved seeing the city but with a feeling of melancholy for all the country has been through.