And so to Vietnam. This had not been a part of our original itinerary but at David's suggestion we agreed to go for a couple of weeks rather than just drift around in Singapore. There is still plenty to do in Singapore, but Vietnam is so close to Singapore that it seemed silly not to take the opportunity.
We left David's flat at about ten thirty, having carved the rest of the gammon into bags for the freezer.
The drive to the airport was uneventful and the airport was remarkably quiet.
The check in at the airport was fine and then David had to get a picture for his visa to get into Vietnam, we didn't need one as were travelling on British passports. David got us into the lounge at the airport and then we were on a plane to Ho Chi Minh city. At the airport we had to wait a little while for David to get through immigration but as we walked out into the heat there was a man holding up David's name, one of the most wonderful sights in the world. A large van appeared and two men clad in our hotel's livery put our bags into it for us and whisked us off to our hotel. Whisk is a strong word here as the traffic was amazing. It would be impossible to count the number of motor scooters on the road.
Our rooms in the hotel overlook the Saigon River and genuinely we were more than pleased. After unpacking we tried to meet for a beer in another bar, but there some misunderstanding and David went to one bar whilst we went to another one. Eventually the situation was resolved and we set off in search for restaurant in which to have our evening meal. As soon as you leave the hotel the heat hits you, the noise assails your ears, the people abound and generally your senses are assaulted. We walked to find a restaurant which was recommended on David's  phone, but they were full. They did recommend another just around the corner so we walked there. They were queuing out of the door to get in. We asked how long the wait would be and we were told ten minutes so we waited moving forward slowly as groups were taken from the front of the queue. The wait was worth it , the meal was very good and we relaxed before handing back into the turmoil that is Ho Chi Minh city to return to our hotel.