Vietnam Top Gear tour day 1/2 - Hoi An to Hue
Our first stop today was at a sculpture factory - run almost entirely by local women who hand craft everything from tiny jade figurines all the way up to huge marble statues. All of the work is done by hand and is incredibly detailed.
From here we headed up to the infamous Hai Van pass over the mountains - our first real taste of the incredible riding roads and scenery that we'd be experiencing over the tour. Our poor little 150cc LIFAN motorbikes really copped it today.
As we approached Hue, we stopped at the city of the dead, a town almost entirely made up of crypts and family temples for their departed loved ones. They really know how to do a cemetary in Vietnam and no expense is spared to honour the dead.
Arriving in Hue, the first thing I realised is that its a crazy mix of old and new - from wet markets and produce in the street to modern bars and take-away shops, side by side with each other. Several times I was asked by random men on scooters if I wanted to by some "marijuana" or meet a "nice lady" - it's just this sort of place.
After a good sleep, we headed for a tour of the Imperial City (Citadel) from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1802 - 1945. We only got to explore a tiny part of the 520 acre "city within a city" and even that was spectacular.
One of the shots shows bullet holes in a giant metal vase - these were from the Vietnam war in the 60s and are a stark reminder of Vietnam's recent, turbulent past.
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