Man! I've been renewing my research into travelling to Vietnam, and I' m just as intrigued now as I was last year when I first began.

I must, however, learn to stop giggling at the currency. Also, some of my mates might wonder at my sudden interest in the Vietnamese Dong. OK. That's my first and last joke about it. I hope. (Probably not, working with teenagers one tends to adopt their sense of humor...)

Any way, The Lonely Planet guide has been useful. Its my first title in the series and I find the advice to be very practical. In a country where you can spend US$3-300/night for lodging, it's nice to have some information on what you get in the lower price ranges (quite a lot it turns out--if the book is accurate.)

I was intrigued by Iceland until I discovered how bloody expensive it is. I'll add it to my places to visit, but I'm afraid vagabonding there would shoot my budget in about a month.