An Enthusiastic Traveller

  For two nights I came to Dalat to cool down. Here the weather is spring-like instead of tropically hot. The daily temperatures hover between 15℃ and 24℃. For this climate the colonial French came here, fleeing the heat of Saigon. They left behind their holiday homes and a resort vibe, which the Vietnamese have added to with their own unique touches. Dalat is Vietnam's honeymoon capital and extremely popular with domestic tourists. From Hoi An I was thinking to go to Nha Trang first, and then here. From Danang to Nha Trang there was only one early morning flight and to Dalat there were more options, so I booked the flight to Dalat. The city itself doesn't have too many sights, the area around has more to offer, but I didn't organize myself to book a tour to explore the sights around.  Although in the first day I arrived early I didn't see much because after I had lunch I fall asleep and woke up in the evening to go for dinner. Yellow noodles salad with tofu and mushroo...

  From Ninh Binh I headed south to Central Vietnam to visit the graceful, historic Hoi An, Vietnam's most atmospheric and delightful town. I have to admit I fell in love with this place at first sight. Now that I've seen it during the day and night I can't decide when I love it the most. From Ninh Binh it was quite a journey. It took me almost the entire day. First I took a bus (2-2.5h, 340000₫), that I've arranged via the hotel reception from Ninh Binh, to Hanoi airport. From Hanoi I flew to Danang (1h, 54 EUR). From Danang airport I took a Grab to my hotel in Hoi An (~1h, 400000₫).  After I checked in, I went out to have dinner and explore the old town. Hoi An is a culinary hotbed and there are some unique dishes I had to try. Banh vac ('white rose') Banh vac ('white rose') is a delicate, subtly flavoured shrimp dumpling topped with crispy onions. This was the starter. Next to try was cao lau, an amazing dish: Japanese-style noodles seasoned with herbs...