Another early morning start, with a 2.5hr drive down to the Mekong Delta and a boat trip around the islands.

We boarded a private boat to Ben Tre to visit the coconut gardens and stop at a local home to sample tropical fruits and coconut jams.

We then took a tuk-tuk tour around the villages and learnt about rural life and the industry created around coconut products like brooms and coconut fibre mats.

Next we visited a bee farm to try a few of the products they make from honey, including honey tea and also royal jelly.

After another short trip on the boat taking in the views of the Mekong, we went to try the local wine, infused with snake, a lethal combination if there ever was one!

To help with the fermentation process, the cobra can be left in the bottle for up to 5yrs.

The tuk-tuk tour took us through the main section of the island on our way to our dinner stop, in the heart of the delta. We (others!) sampled regional specialties including the famous elephant ear fish.

After dinner, we cruised down one of the inlets in a kayak rowed by one of the locals. Sadly the rain had arrived and we had to put on rain macs for the first time in a long while.

After an enjoyable few hours we boarded the boat one final time and were treated to coconut water, before returning to dry land.

After a fun time back on the Mekong, we returned to Saigon. After a quick shower and change we got together for our final night out on the Vietnam part of the tour, when we said goodbye to Ian, Christina and Dave who were each heading home.

Once the meal was over, as it was a Friday night we decided to go and explore the famous bar & restaurant street, called Bui Vien, where the party was already in full swing.

Wow, what an overload, bright lights, music pumping, podium dancers everywhere and people harassing you to come in each bar. Not seen anything like this for a very long time.

Whilst it was exciting at first, it had a seedy element with young girls hanging in front of the bars, clearly offering more than just company!

It took us about 15mins to ‘fight’ our way along the stretch of large bars before we eventually came up for air and were able to escape the chaos.

Another side to the city of Saigon nevertheless.

Tomorrow we have arranged a private trip to go north of the city to Cu Chi tunnels, used by the Vietnam Cong during the 21yr war with the Americans.