Vietnam: On Our Way

Kia Ora!

A popular holiday destination for Kiwis and Aussies is Vietnam. KC and I decided to follow the itinerary of our Kiwi friends from Invercargill and tour Vietnam from Ha Long Bay in the North to boating up the Mekong River in the South, stopping in Da Nang in between. We will post our adventures as we are able on the way.

We left Christchurch to fly through Auckland and on to Singapore, via NZ Air and Singapore Air. KC hates spending nights en route so we are stopping twice in Singapore for a transit hotel overnight at the Changi Airport. More on that later as the airport quite impressed me.

Long wait for luggage

The next day we flew into Hanoi (Ha Noi). This airport typifies that of a developing country. Frayed, musty carpet, somewhat disorganized flow pattern for visas, and split baggage claim areas on opposite sides of the terminal. We went to the wrong side first, but our luggage still had not arrived when we got ourselves in the correct place. It took so long someone apologized on the public address system.

Finally collected, we found our driver, Son, patiently waiting. He had been there for an hour through the slow process through immigration, customs and baggage claim, plus our plane's late arrival. Son is a very careful driver, a characteristic much appreciated in the organized chaos of traffic. We were pleased to find the major highways in excellent repair. Our room on the 8th floor of the Golden Lotus Hotel is small but tastefully appointed. We are eager to explore this city.

Cheers,
Kiwi Traveler