Schweboo

Saigon…hot, steamy and exotic. Back for a third visit to find the city growing in confidence and becoming an increasingly modern city. The open sleaziness of Saigon of the 1990s has gone - and instead, modern commerce is on the rise. You can buy most things here - fake watches, fake bags and pirated DVDs jostle with hand-made dresses made of the finest silk.  The great markets provide a window on to the industrial changes that are taking place in Vietnam - a mix of imports from China and home made products of every kind.  We like Saigon.

 Sapa…normally cool and fresh, Sapa was hot and humid as a period of heavy rain had just come to an end. Secluded in the northern Highlands of Vietnam, Sapa is an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border known as “the Tonkinese Alps”. Home to many ethinic monorities -including the Hmong and the Dao. We wandered through their terraced paddy fields and were invited into their homes. Their smiles and traditional costumes were truely photogenic - as were their country markets. Away from the tourist traps in Sapa and by the main road, there is a community living in harmony with their environment. We all loved Sapa and the people who live there.