We have past six months of travel now and it finally hit me that I've changed because the customs agent in Vietnam did not believe I was the same person as on the passport. I had to sign a piece of paper and another officer looked at my passport but was eventually allowed through. You hear stories of people growing beards etc and are denied but I didn't think it would happen to me.
It's been about two weeks since Hoi An and a lot and a little has happened. From Hoi An we made our way by bus to Hue which is about half way up Vietnam. We spent the first afternoon on bicycles touring around the city. The next day was spent on scooters taking in some sites. We went to the Citadel which was unimpressive but worth the trip to see the 72" Samsung flat screen that gave us a history of the palace. From there we went to Tu Duc, one of the many tombs. Hue is one of those cities that can be skipped if you are short on time.
From there we went on a 9 hour train ride to Hanoi. Back to hectic city life. We killed 6 days there doing nothing because Laura got sick and actually had to use the emergency antibiotics. There was also the Mid-Autumn festival going on and the streets were jam packed. One night we went out to have some cheese, bread and wine by the lake. Along the way a group of women had staked out Kristen and Laura who attempted to rob them (came real close), I saw three people get hit by motorcycles and the amount of people leaning on their horns made the whole process exhausting.
With Laura feeling better we organized our trip to Halong Bay with a tour group. Very impressive and picturesque place. The only annoying thing was the people on boat trip. We arrived at our junk boat and from that moment on people bitched and complained about how they were not getting what was in the pictures or promised. It can really spoil the mood but we kept to ourselves and managed to have a good time. We spent one night on the boat and then did a trip onto Cat Ba where we biked around and then went to a private beach on Monkey Island where we spent the night. Halong Bay is one of those places you have to see but has become extremely touristy, so much so that there's a floating ATM in one of the floating villages. 
From Halong Bay we got back to Hanoi and that night went on an overnight train to Sapa in the north of Vietnam. We organized a two night, three day hike into the mountains to see the villages. Our guide was one of the local girls who took us on day long hikes through the mountains which was not easy but very rewarding. It was amazing to see how these people live and farm in the mountains and we really enjoyed ourselves. Both nights we stayed in a local family's home who would cook us meals and provide open dorms (meaning the floor) for us to sleep. The meals were a bit authentic but still catered towards the Westerners pallet. However, day two we got to try water buffalo which was delicious. The rice we ate was also from fields probably 100 meters away which was fluffy and flavourful. The first night we were with a group of 6 people who were tons of fun. On the second night it was just Laura, Kristen, the guide and myself. That night it rained so hard that in the morning we were informed that our plans had changed because the road was washed out. We had to hike back up the mountain which tested all of us. The guide had never even attempted it. There were no smiles at the top, lots of sweat but we made it. Muddy, sore and tired we showered back in Sapa and changed our clothes for the first time in three days. You can imagine the smell. Then we made our way on an overnight train back to Hanoi. We arrived in the pissing rain and paid a fortune for a hotel room but kept our sanity as we had to refuel before getting ready for our flight to Laos where we are now.
Hue
Halong Bay
Appropriate caving attire?
Sapa
When kings starts getting creative
