To visit Viet Nam in 1993 happened to be a very good time to do so for me. Gone, just three months earlier, was the requirement to provide an itinerary to obtain a visa for travel via tourist buses to designated places and tourist hotels. The whole country was now wide open to travel by any means available and stay where-ever one wanted. I was graced with two visa extensions enabling me to spend three unforgettable months in this beautiful country.