A little background

Last year I really wanted to go to Asia. I had thought about Japan but decided it was too expensive. China was also on my list, but I was concerned about the culture shock. I decided I was going to check out Thailand because it has a pretty well developed tourist industry and then fly over to Cambodia to see Angor and the surrounding temples. That was the idea and I was pretty set on it.

So how did Thailand become Vietnam? Well..

While hiking with the Calgary Outdoor Club I met Mr. Ung, a High School science teacher hailing from Cambodia. As we became better friends I thought I would invite him on the trip. To have a friend who speaks Cambodian with you in Cambodia would be priceless. However, Kheang wasn't that interested in seeing Thailand, as he's already been there and he proposed the idea of going to Vietnam instead. Though I wasn't too keen on it at first, I gave the it some thought. While reading about Vietnam I stumbled upon the photography website of QT Luong. I was sold.

There isn't much of a plan in place. Kheang wanted to take motorcycles through the Ho Chi Minh trail, which cuts right through the jungle. The north Vietnamese used it to supply their armies during the American war. I liked the motorcycle idea, but suggested that we follow the main highway instead. It was a deal and that's pretty much the plan. Ideally we'd like to buy motorcycles so that we don't have to come back the same way, but if that doesn't work we'll take the bus or train from town to town, and rent and ride to the surrounding areas. Either way, it seems like a great way to see the country. When we reach Hanoi and are done exploring north Vietnam, we'll try fly over to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and try and get over to Angor. After we'll have to return to Ho Chi Minh for our return flight.

So that's the general idea, but nothing is written in stone. We'll see how it goes.