Kem Dừa - Coconut Ice-cream

I have been eating bananas and fluffy eggs for days now  (since I am in the middle of a heap of dental work and I can't chew) so when Sáng picked me up after work we went and had cháo ngan (rice porridge with duck) - the ultimate comfort food.  Ahhhh!

So I was feeling very comfortable when we met up with Trung, Thảo, Hà and Trung Ho and rode into town for some Kem Dừa   -  Coconut Ice-cream ... yum!  Absolutely no trouble eating that!!

Trung Ho, Sáng, me, Thảo, Hà and Trung

While we were sitting there eating our ice-cream, a trio of foreigners came in and the boys wasted no time in striking up a conversation with them. They joined our table and were peppered with questions, with our crew eager to get to know them. My friends are such delightfully friendly company, I'm sure the visitors were surprised with such a warm reception. They are Cody, from Sasketchuwan, Canada; Steve, from Surrey, England; and Maria, from France.

They were in Hải Phòng just for the night, on their way to Cát Bà Island tomorrow.

As we were leaving, Marie lit up a cigarette as she stepped out of the restaurant and my crew commented that she is like a man!  For them it was a shock to see a woman smoking ... traditional Vietnamese girls definitely don't smoke.