Mai Linh, our safe bet
Crossed Lao border, jungle view
Relaxed sleepy towns

Febuary 28th 2011

Throughout Vietnam there were taxis whose meters would charge at twice the rate, taxis who would drive in a big triangle to let the meter run longer, and taxis who if you negotiated the fare before hand you could go 3 times cheaper by pitting one taxi drivers rate against another. Then there was the Mai Linh taxis. They were dependable, with a cheap meter rate, and drove straight to the destination (we have a GPS to check to make sure they do :). Our friend Vang told us about them in Hanoi and we went with them ever since. They also ran a bus company Mai Linh Express (Looking up Mai Linh website online they seem to be one of the bigger conglomerates doing not just transportation but construction, washing powder and who knows what else) which we took both from Danang to Kon Tum, and then from Kon Tum over the border to Attapeu, Laos.

The road over the border was windy and jungly crossing over the paths that were once part of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Once arriving in Attapeu we were stuck at how much more laid back it was to any town in bustling Vietnam.