Got up early to be picked up for my 7:00 bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh. Had some toast and coffee in front of the hotel, since they did not tell me when the pickup bus was coming. I guessed it would be a good idea to be there around 6:20. Waited in vain till 6:50 and took a tuk-tuk taxi to the bus station, a little nervous of being too late. It turned out they had changed departure time to 8:00 - which means I could have had a normal night's sleep, more or less. Anyway, the extra time spent at the heaviest corner of Cambodia's capital was interesting enough, watching families having their breakfast on the street, all the overloaded minibuses, the bike taxis and the small motorbikes carrying 4 or 5 people. (and in some cases the better part of their belongings, as well)
The 
trip across the Mekong delta went smoothly except for the first hour, due to excessive roadwork. After the ferry across one of the main arms of Mekong the roads improved and the modern Vietnamese coach held a steady cruising speed of 90 kmh, using it horn constntly, clearing the road of tuk-tuks and tractors.
The border crossing into Vietnam was swift, officials on both sides being polite and efficient. As a Norwegian - unlike most of the other passengers- I did not even have to pay for a visa. Hmmm... - if it is because they think our current Norwegian government is up to their socialist standards I'm not quite sure I am comfortable with it, although I always like not having to spend the extra dollars for a visa....
Entered Ho Chi Minh City early enough to have a little look around before I found a hotel in a back alley - the Hotel Kim. Have to come back to Vietnam again, what I have seen so far looks pretty good.
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