We had to leave Cambodia after a bit more than a week - which is definitely not enough time to discover this wonderful country!
We crossed to border to Vietnam by bus. As we had organized our visa in advanced but then slightly changed our itinerary, we entered the country one day in advance. This was enough for the custom officer to refuse our entrance. Not sure if this was an official fee or just the mood of the officer, but after handing him the amount he wanted, the problem was solved.
We continued our bus ride to Ha Tien. We didn't have to wait long to see the first people with those conical hats as we had seen them in pictures. We soon envied them for those hats becuase the sun gave its really best.
In Ha Tien we had to change busses again - it's very common here that you're picked up by a little bus and then have to change at a bigger bus station. In the next bus we were the only not-vietnamese-speaking people, so we had some trouble to understand why the bus made his first stop just 5 minutes after we started the trip. The other passengers gesticulated to us that we should eat something, but all we wanted was to get ahead. The driver apparently expected other passengers to join him, so he equipped the bus with some plastic stools.
We arrived in Can Tho in the evening. Can Tho is the biggest city in the Mekong river and especially famous for its floating markets. The hostel owner was about our age and welcomed us very friendly with some German words.
I was very happy when we found a vegetarian restaurant for dinner - and even more happy to eat the traditional "Pho" soup in vegetarian style. It was delicious!
The next day, we got up very early in the morning as our tour startet at 4 a.m. We were joined by guide Linh (who spoke a bit German too as she had watched "Verbotene Liebe", a German soap opera) and a Polish couple. As a group of five, we wanted to explore the famous floating markets.
When we arrived at the river, our boat and driver were already waiting. During the whole trip, our driver didn't stop to produce jewellery for us - bracelets, hairbands and flowers knotted from palm leaves - and to supply us with fresh fruits - pineapple, which were cut like an ice cream, fresh mango, banana chips - it was wonderful!
 |
| Vietnam fashion made by our boat driver - while driving :-) |
When the sun finally came up, we reached the first floating market. It was fascinating to see how business was made here - everything on the water. People live here on boats for some days to sell their things and then return back at land.
We had breakfast on the boat - fresh "Pho" soup, made by a woman on a boat. This was the best soup I've ever had!
 |
| Supermarket in front! The spikes with the food indicate what you can buy here. |
Our first stop on land was a rice noodle factory. It was really interesting to see how these noodles are made - especially for me who has a very hight noodle soup consumption! :-)
We left the very touristy area and explored more of the beautiful nature along the Mekong river. It was so nice!
Sometimes it looked a bit like in the jungle - the only thing that was missing were the crocodiles! Well... Not that I was sad about that, but just for the feeling, you know! :-)
We stopped by a big plantation and saw all kind of flowers and fruits growing.
 |
| Pepper |
 |
| Pomelo |
We could have stayed in the boat much longer, just exploring the Mekong river and the little villages around. But sadly, everything has to come to an end, so we said bye to the ever-smiling driver, our fantastic guide Linh and the Polish couple and after a short break at the hotel we started to explore Can Tho by ourselves.
A highlight was the restaurant that we found for an early dinner. Here we were forced to roll our own spring rolls. We had to squint a little at the locals to see how they did it, and of course we didn't get it so elegantly - but the spring rolls were still heavenly!
The next stop was the local market of Can Tho. Not so special as the floating one but still worth to see. It broke only my (vegetarian) heart that the many fish and crabs on the plates were still alive, twitched and could have jumped at any time.
 |
| Inhabitants doing morning sports - it is very common to start with it early in the morning, because it gets too warm very soon |
The next day, we started our last trip to Ho Chi Minh City, also known by its old name Saigon. We were fascinated by the cozy bus - it was much better than the ones we are used at home! The seats were close to the floor, but you could stretch your legs fully ("(stow them under the seat of the front one") and move the backrest so far back that you could sleep comfortably. No comparison to our plastic chair adventure a few days before!
Little tip: If in Vietnam, then absolutely select "Futa" as bus enterprise! :-)
We soon noticed the difference between Ho Chi Minh City and the cities we had visited before. This city was huge. The traffic, the noise, the dust - everything was much more.
We were lucky to check in in a veeery nice hotel called "Liberty Central Saigon Riverside". It was pure luxury after the cheap hostel the nights before. The view from the pool area was just fantastic!
 |
| Typical drink for Vietnam: Coffee with condensed milk. Soo yummy!! |
We started to explore the city. Ho Chi Minh City (short HCMC) reminded me of an Asian New York. The skyscrapers were almost as impressive!
What fascinated me the most was the contrast all over the city. Very old, shabby buildings in front of brand new skyscrapers. I found this a strange, little world but fascinating.
We had lunch in the "Secret garden", a restaurant that you don't find if you don't know it exists. Or would you dare to enter a house like this?
What we found on the rooftop of the house was beautiful and we enjoyed a delicious lunch.
Off course we had to try one of the well known skyscraper bars in town, so we had a drink at the 52nd floor of the Bitexo Financial tower. The drink was expensive, the bar freezing cold but the view awesome.
The next day, we had to leave Ho Chi Minh City and Asia already. It was much too short to explore it all but it was a wonderful introduction to a fascinating continent. I'm sure I'll be back one day and explore it more!