4 January, Giat to Vinh, 60km
Thanh Vinh Hotel 280,000VND (breakfast included)

We began this trip in Turkey on 1 May 2014. Usually there, having been asked where we come from and having answered “South Africa”, comprehension resulted in “Ah, Mandela!” Once it resulted in “Ah, Charlize Theron!” In Vietnam, it results increasingly, though inaccurately, in “Ah, Ebola!” In Turkey, following the 2010 South African World Cup, the word “vuvuzela” entered the Turkish vocabulary and is jokingly applied to a wife who talks a lot. In Vietnam, there is a chain of soccer-themed sports bars called Vuvuzela. Before departing Giat we paid a quick visit to their bamboo church. The large congregation will soon be attending services in a newly built church, entirely European in design down to the stained-glass windows. We are on a quest for Western food! Burgers, pizzas, pasta, fried chicken, anything other than rice-noodle soup! Hopefully once we have had our fill we will get back to enjoying Asian. The things one misses from home ... familiar, good-quality, varied meals, family and friends... 

Giat

Giat

Giat

Vinh