Merry Christmas from Uncle Ho.

The roadie for the Vietnamese Phonofiction prepares their instruments.

I arrived in Saigon at 5am as the city was waking up. I jumped off the bus, barged past the touts and found a coffee shop that had just about opened. I ordered a cappuccino and read about Ho Chi Minh City.
After breakfast I went to a nearby travel agency and booked myself on a [...]

I had just passed my diving course and had time to kill before my 10 hour bus ride to Saigon. I decided to hang around the beach.
I was there for about an hour when a bloke walked passed, said hello, and asked where I was from. Not an unusual question but he didn’t appear to [...]

Despite the rumors of biker gangs and ladyboy muggers, I decided to stay in Nha Trang for 4 more days while I learned to dive.
The course could be completed in 3 days but the people at Rainbow Divers recommended taking 4 at no extra cost.
The first day was spent learning the theory, watching DVDs, reading, [...]

From Hue I took a cyclo (3 wheeled bicycle taxi) to the train station to catch the 01.34 to Nha Trang. The streets were dead and the driver was so dodgy; trying to sell me weed and then heading off on a detour so I could buy him a coffee to keep him awake.
I managed [...]

Saturday 13 December, I arrived in the ancient capital of Hue on a bus from Hoi An.
I spent two days there. The first day I went on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone, the scene of some of the worst fighting during the American war (as the Vietnamese rightly call it). The tour was conducted by [...]

Back in Hanoi I checked into the Little Hanoi hostel and booked a flight to Danang. I had intended to meet a mate, Phil, in Phnom Phen but decided to slow things down. I’d get to Cambodia at some point and didn’t want to miss anything in Vietnam by rushing. Sorry Phil, see you in [...]

Forget your North Shore downhillers and your urban fixies; this is how we roll on Nam.
I’ll take you through the specs:
Angled top tube for maximum clearance.
Rear suspension (on seat).
Upright retention device (stand).
Single speed for minimal aesthetic.
Dynamic front mesh system (doubles as a shopping basket).
Front and rear spoilers (Also guards the rider against mud).
Ok, alright I [...]

I had Dog for breaky this morning. He wouldn’t go away so I ate ‘im.
 
Yum, Yum.