Tomorrow we will be leaving Vietnam.
The heat, humidity and crowded streets of this Asian gem will be replaced by... Well, much the same to be honest as our next stop is Cambodia.
But now is the time to reflect on the weird and wonderful month 'that was' in Vietnam.
We travelled roughly two and a half thousand killometres during our 27 day stay, soaking up as much as possible of the Viet culture.
The most obvious observation to make is the profound difference between the North and South of Vietnam.
The influence of China is far more obvious in and around Hanoi. The lack of investment and a smaller tourist industry also makes the North more of a 'culture trip' than you're likely to experience in the southern blockbusters of Nha Trang and Saigon for example.
With a lack of money comes an inevitable desire to have some and for this reason the South is far preferable for a hassle free trip.
You can barely walk 2 metres in Hanoi before someone offers you exactly the same rip off wallet another street vendor forced upon you a few steps back.
Despite the need for a human 'bug zapper' the atmosphere was surprisingly more relaxed in the North than South.
The further you head down Vietnam, the more I felt like a tourist and unfortunately, in a lot scenarios, a bit of a fool.
The assumption is: 'You're white - you've got money and I'll make you pay double the amount a Viet national would.'
I'll give you an example. During the most generous rain storm I have ever been in, I scrambled to a local street stall that sold plastic, full body rain macs. Whilst hiding under an umbrella, I asked how much it would cost. After around 3 seconds of eyeing me up and working out if the Ray Ban's I foolishly took out with me were real or not (they weren't), she told me 70,000 Duong. Around 2 pounds.
Considering that is a few days wages for a Viet national and everyone but the cat and dog had a rain mac, I politely declined.
A wise move as it turned out, as two stalls down, a Viet woman was buying the exact same one for 8000 Dong. Around 25p.
This is Vietnam's biggest downfall.
The beautiful views of flowing rice fields, running alongside golden beaches with a backdrop of lush green mountains, is often tainted by the people you're surrounded by.
I don't mean this post to sound harsh as we met plenty of incredibly friendly and helpful people on our trip and the purpose of me saying this is not to tar with any brushes. But it is unfortunately true - I frequently felt uncomfortable in the presence of Vietnamese people.
Whether it was a snide comment or snigger that, despite your language barrier, you know is aimed towards you. (and before you say it, it wasn't just me that felt like this!) All those moments of insecurity add up to you feeling a little conscious when you need not do.
That said I will always remeber my month in Vietnam with huge fondness and enjoyment.
It is a country very much in limbo, slowly beginning to embrace the culture of others, as modern cities like Saigon demonstrate, but being held back by it's lack of trust towards anything new.
And who can blame them?
You only need to visit the excellent War Museum in Saigon to jog your memory of what a terrible recent history this country has been through. The consequences of the Vietnam War are there for all to see throughout the Indochina region.
With my experiences of Vietnam and it's reluctants to let go of its past fresh in my mind, there is no better place to continue the journey, than in the historically war torn capital of Asia, Cambodia.
I have been listening to:
Carly Rae Jepson - Call Me Maybe
Ellie Goulding - Lights
The Feeling - Sewn
