24 December, Lang Son to Tien Yen, 94km
Khanh  Ha Guest House 200,000VND

Trust is such a precious and fragile commodity. Before we entered Vietnam, we met travellers in Laos who said they were concerned about visiting the country as they had been told the Vietnamese thought “only about money” and were always trying to “rip travellers off”. Bloggers complain about the bargaining system, saying that it is dishonest. Charl and I think it is OK to think about money, OK to set your price higher than market value and play the game with your buyer of finding the exact price at which you are both happy to transact. We are even prosaic about the fact that in tourist centres such as Hanoi, travellers might be asked to pay four times the going rate on the street and eight times the rate in, for example, the Hilton. We, of course, in rural Vietnam, have had the opportunity to learn what the going rate is and while happy to pay more than a local would in Hanoi, try to ensure it is not too much more. The downside, however, of travellers feeling ripped off, is a diminution of trust, which works both ways. Long story short... We recently accused hotel staff of stealing $20 from our room. Their riposte? Budget travellers often make such accusations in order to force hotel owners to refund them monies that were not in fact stolen. Kinda sad. Fabulous ride, though long, on a road wending its way gently east toward the sea.

Using any available space to grow veg

Christianity with Asian flair

Between Lang Son and Tien Yen

Between Lang Son and Tien Yen

Between Lang Son and Tien Yen