Vietnam 2006 Part 1 : Road to Hanoi

Day 1(Sat) : Arrival at Hanoi.
Touchdown
Our Tiger Airways’ Airbus A320 landed in Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi before 8pm local time. As Vietnam is one hour behind Singapore and Malaysia, the skies were already dark when we arrived.

The flight was slightly over 3 hours, spent updating each other on our latest news, finalizing our travel plans, watching people going to the loo that was conveniently located behind my seat, talking to a Dutch stranger, and wishing we could speak a little Japanese (the presence of five Japanese lasses sitting in front of us was purely coincidental).

After clearing customs at the airport, we headed to the money changer to convert some US Dollars to Dong. The rates (US$1 = 15,918 Dong) were better of the Dollar compared to other currencies. We became instant millionaires. Next we got a ride to the city by taxi for US$10.

Finding ‘Salute’
We had chanced upon Salute Hotel on the internet before coming for the trip. It looked pretty decent in the pictures and was reasonably priced. So that was the destination we told the taxi driver.

Outside the car, the air was cool and slight drizzle dripped from the skies. The road to the city passed through desolated areas, occasional rows of townhouses, and bridges spanning the Red River. Traffic was sparse but the incessant honking accompanied us through out the journey .

Entering the city, we were greeted by the sight of the Old Quarters - the trademark narrow streets, with mazy rows of shophouses and budget hotels, and groups of people sitting on low stools by the roadside enjoying hot bowls of Pho. Motorcylces weave through these streets like they own the place.

Stalls along the streets

The taxi finally stopped in front of a hotel(no Salute sign) but we were told that the place was full and had better luck at one not to far away(supposedly ran by his ‘brother’). The man from the hotel gave instructions to the taxi driver and we were off. A few streets down and we arrived at another hotel. “Salute Hotel?”, we asked the guy who greeted us and he happily answered, “Yes, yes.” The sign above door read ‘Backpackers Hotel’.

We decided to stay after viewing one of the rooms. It had an attached bathroom, a single and double bed, TV (plus cable), and even a balcony. It was going for US$20 per night and could fit four.

First Meal
After throwing down our luggage and grabbing our jackets, we headed for the streets in search for food, our first meal in Vietnam. We passed over a couple of smaller eateries serving local food and ended up in a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake. Not exactly the Vietnamese cuisine welcome meal that we were expecting, but the place really had a cool view.

View from the cafe. Hoan Kiem Lake at night.

As most of the shops were closed, we decided to call it a night and headed back to our hotel. It will be a long day ahead.