Today’s post is going to be a photo overload.

I visited Vietnam back in 2014. Vietnam is a truly mind-blowing country changing at a frenetic pace. Today I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, but I have listed my favourite things I did in Vietnam, and a few things you might want to consider avoiding.

My favourite experiences in Vietnam

• Drinking lots of Vietnamese coffee - served with condensed milk it’s sublime

• Having my preconceptions about communism challenged by seeing first-hand how Vietnam is thriving. Also reading Vietnam Rising Dragon by Bill Hayton helped nuance my understanding.

• Learning to ride and ride pillion on a motorbike. And escaping with my life

• Enjoying the spectacular, and utterly tropical beaches around Hoi An

• Street food!

• Travelling from Hoi An to Hue by motorbike on the spectacular Hai Van Pass

• Learning the Vietnamese perspective on the Vietnamese war by visiting the fascinating War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and Củ Chi tunnels

• Having my tastebuds explode with flavour during almost every meal, and especially table barbecue

• Travelling North on the sleeper train from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang

• Drinking as much bia hoi as possible while sitting on tiny plastic chairs

• Taking a motorbike and visiting the Mỹ Sơn ruins at sunrise

Two things I would skip in Vietnam

• Hạ Long Bay - this precious, fragile natural wonder already has enough tourists. It was painful to see pollution and too much tourism spoil this spectacular place.

• Buying a tailor-made suit - it was a bizarre experience to be fitted for a suit, but ultimately the quality of what I bought wasn’t great and I didn’t wear it, so it felt like a waste.