Our Central Vietnam journey continues…
At Phong Nha Cave we explored this World Heritage Site. We 
entered the cave by boat and journeyed inside about one and a half kilometers, seeing the beautiful rock formations. We were able to get off the boat a walk the last 1/2 Kilometer inside the cave to exit on foot. During rainy season the entrance to the cave is completely submerged.
We went to another UNESCO World Heritage Site, The My Son Sanctuary. 
The ancient Hindu complex was built between the 4th and 14th centuries then the site was abandoned late in the 1500s. The area, as with other sites in the jungle, became grown over and “lost”. In 1898 it was rediscovered by French Explorers. Unfortunately, during the Vietnam-US war the Viet Cong used My Song as a hiding place thinking that they would be safe in a holy site – the US bombed the area destroying many of the temples.
Our final stop in Central Vietnam was the town of Hoi An. This charming village was a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century. The charm is shown best in the UNESCO recognized historic old town area where every evening motorized traffic is prohibited which allows the town to be the quaint lantern lit town that it has been in the past.
We spent our time in the town walking from our hotel 
to the old quarter (about 1 mile) and looking in the shops, historical buildings, and eating in their wonderful restaurants. We barely had time in our day to sit by the pool and drink our fresh banana daiquiris.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of approximately 17 million and approximately 12 million motor bikes. Just crossing the street you take your life into your hands.
We were able to see the French colonial buildings as well as some of the former political buildings (the capital moved to Hanoi after the war).
The final stop in this beautiful country was the Mekong Delta where we were able to board a boat and experience the waterways 
first hand. The highlight was visiting the floating market and seeing all of the local fruits as well as other items for sale, we even bought some iced coffee off the boat.
Our time in Vietnam has been fantastic. We saw some of the most beautiful scenery and met some wonderful people. We hated to leave but we are off to the exotic country of Nepal.