most scenic parts of the Mekong Delta. Chau Doc as a town was OK, although it was quite dirty and stank of fish - not my favourite smell it has to be said! We booked our minibus to Vinh Long which was due to leave at 8.00 a.m. the next day.

The minibus ride to Vinh Long was something of a white knuckle ride. It was awful, the driver was a complete maniac, who drove far too fast on really bad roads. Neither of us felt either safe or comfortable. The girl who was sat in front of me was sick and continued to be sick for hours. The driver didn’t even bother to stop or slow down. We were both highly delighted when we finally came to a stop on the side of some road, about 4 km outside of Vinh Long. The only way into town was on an Om, which is basically a ride on the back of a moped! I refused point blank and said I would prefer to walk than ever get on or in another vehicle in Vietnam!!! After

walking a short distant a man pulled up on a bike with a trailer, so we climbed in and hoped for the best!!!

Over to Rob for the rest!!!

We arrived at the hotel, which was not too bad at all, we got an air conditioned room which was nice in the humid heat. We headed out into Vinh Long to check it out. We can’t say we were impressed really, the rough guide had described it as a riverside town with a Riviera atmosphere. I can only assume that they had never in fact been there!! We checked out the tourist office which was recommended in the guide book to see about a home stay on the island, or failing that a boat trip. Their prices were ridiculous though, so we left rather quickly!! We found another tour place that was more reasonable, but a home stay was still out of our price range,