(Originally posted 4 March 2016) Vietnam has a wonderful way to travel between cities that are spread out, and it is called a sleeping-bus. It sounds like a great idea – fully reclined seats that allow you to sleep while travelling overnight to your next destination.
In principle, this can be a comfy way to travel. But only if you are under five feet tall, which we are not. I am a reasonably tall girl at 1.78m, but my husband Schalk comes in at 1.96m. So our first sleeping bus experience was interesting.
Each bus has three rows of double-stacked sleeping births. The back row differs depending on whether the bus has a toilet on board, but this was the only place Schalk could ‘sort of’ fit. His feet dangle off the edge, much to the bus conductor’s annoyance.
To make things more comfortable, you are expected to remove your shoes in front and are given a plastic packet for them. Unfortunately, there is no space for carry-on luggage, so in our case, we had to place these bags of shoes on our laps, together with a large day pack each.
Once you are settled in and have found some way to get as comfortable as possible, the disco mnight’sd lights start to get you in the mood for a good night’s rest. The experience is a little bizarre, to say the least.
Three legs on the sleeping-bus and three cities further, we have spent a few days longer in Hoi An than originally anticipated. Partly this is due to it being a lovely quaint little town, but it is also because we are faced with a gruelling 24hr bus trip to get to Ho Chi ‘inh ‘ity (a bus ticket already paid for as part of the ‘open’ sleeping-bus ticket).
This morning we had a hard and honest conversation with each other and booked a flight. Yes, we are weak but older and have better credit than most backpackers. Hence, we are both in complete agreement on this call.