Hanoi
23 December 2019.
Approaching Hanoi, 1325 hr.
By around 1350, we pulled into My Dinh Bus Station. I actually never knew there were Grabbikes until I saw small crowds of motorists wearing distinctive green helmets waiting by the roadside. I walked around for a bit, moving away from the crowd of motorcycle drivers who approached the bus when we first alighted. I needed to look for someone with a green helmet. The Old Quarter where my Hostel for the night was located is about half an hour by transport from My Dinh Bus Station. I decided to forgo the taking the public bus as it would take more than an hour and I only had the rest of the day left to explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
I passed a Grab motorist and decided to sought his help, he had a very very long thumbnail that was at least ten centimetres, it was so thick and long he had to use both hands to hold my phone in his palms to see the address. Later, I found out that he actually did not know exactly know how to get to the Old Quarter, he subsequently turned on Google Maps on his phone and would look at it when the surroundings were “safe” enough to see if he was heading in the right direction. I eventually tipped him a little for the effort and his ability to look for directions whilst safely maneuvering busy traffic, passing him 80,000 dong instead of the earlier promised fare of 58,000 dong. Little Charm Hostel operates like a Hotel. I arrived at 1434 to a hostel with high ceilings and welcoming staff, there were quite a lot of staff compared to the usual one or two at every hostel’s reception desk. I could see the need for many staff though, the hostel offered all day dining options under an ambience so inviting that most tourists opted to have their meals within the comforts of the hostel. They even house an indoor swimming pool on the second floor and provide free walking tours around Hanoi’s Old Quarter. I arrived too late for it though, it was 1400-1700 every afternoon and I would have to put my name down the day before to indicate interest. I was allocated the upper bunk but I had no trouble climbing up and down this time for they had installed stair steps, unlike the ladder rung kind which can be painful for the feet when hoisting myself up to the upper bunk.
Swimming pool within the Hostel. 1458 hr.
I am starting to think that it is customary of Vietnamese Hostels to provide toilet necessities and towels when you check in. Maybe even complimentary breakfast too. I would have to stay at more options in future to see if this holds true. With plenty of shelf space, I have been quite sold by this hostel and will stay again the next time I’m in Hanoi for its comfort, convenience and the walking tour! One night’s stay was around SGD$12 which is comparatively more expensive than surrounding options yet extremely worth every single cent considering its location, quality of stay and the value of its complimentary breakfast I was about to find out the next morning.
I spent the rest of the day walking around the Old Quarter, making simple turns so that I would be able to find my way back without relying too much on Google Maps. It is very easy to get a SIM in Hanoi, they literally sell it everywhere with shops making literal advertisements in English on the pavements.There are also endless options for local tours to Halong Bay, Ninh Binh and Ha Giang, usually priced in US dollars. Somewhere along the street, there was a man painting on a live sized gold car. The car was normal Tucson, only that it was now covered in gold paint everywhere, even its seats and door handles were gold. It was parked next to a shop with standing wreaths, it was a shop handling funeral arrangements, which spoke volumes about the gold car. There were gold Buddhas on lotuses sitting atop smaller white cars nearby, they were preparing for a grand send off. Interestingly, I spotted a HSBC branch and in place of 7-11s, the Hanoi people have Vinmart and Circle K as their convenience stores. Street food is everywhere and the best part seemed to be that there would definitely be something one has never seen before and it would turn out lip smackingly good. Bowls of Bun Cha and Pho are mostly around 30 000 dong although there was one street in particular which served dishes for prices averaging 100,000 dong. Of course, they were those kind of shops with both Vietnamese and Western options. Bottles of water are 5000 dong each for a small bottle and 10,000 dong each for a 1.5L bottle. Similarly, the sun sets by 1800, although the temperature in Hanoi was higher at 18-20 degrees. By 2030, the streets were still very much alive, tourists can be seen having their dinner/ supper everywhere which was quite unlike in Ha Giang where the shutters would have been shut by then. With a morning flight the next day, I turned in at 2130.
Bun Cha Lunch, 1518 hr. Local time.
Snacks whilst walking around the bustling area. 1823 hr, local time.
24 December 2019.
I checked out at around 0645 and proceeded straight to the dining area for my complimentary breakfast, expecting to have toast and eggs for breakfast. Instead, I was given a menu from which I could choose from a short list of choices that mainly included pancakes with different flavourings and noodle soup. There was even coffee, fried rice, juice and fruits at the free condiments station. I ordered a bowl of Pho which came in clear soup, perfect to start off the day with.
Breakfast in comfort and style at Little Charm Hanoi Hostel. 0718 hr.
There was a bus 86 which goes to Noi Bai Airport fifteen minutes away from the hostel on foot. Before I left the hostel at 0725, I found that my Viettel SIM was no longer working, Google Maps simply did not load so I got the Vietnamese name of the Long Bien Bus Station from the staff where bus 86 would stop at. Simply get to Dong Xuan market first and from there, it’s easy to ask passer bys for the exact location as it will only be a few metres away.
Walking to Long Bien Bus Stop, 1734 hr.
Walking along the streets of the Old Quarter in cooling 20 degree weather that morning was something I really enjoyed. The city seemed to be covered in fog or was it haze but if it was, there wasn’t any burning smell within the air. I reached Long Bien Bus Station at 0755, I kept looking at the direction signs for the number 86 when some motorists pointed it out to me. It’s interesting how they would also gather at public bus stations in addition to long distance bus terminals. Bus 86 was at Bay 1, there was a foreigner and his accompanying Vietnmese friend/ guide waiting so I knew a bus would be coming within half an hour. Sure enough, I didn’t have to wait long before a bus 86 pulled up at 0800. There was a uniformed bus attendant who would help with your luggage with an assuring “Going to the airport? Please come in!” The bus is filled with tourists geared up for their flights, suddenly I heard some Chinese from a Malaysian couple next to me. Locals who work at Noi Bai Airport were also seated within the rather spacious bus, it didnt take long to realise that one of them is a pilot when he decidedly put on his blazer and tie in the bus. As written on most blog posts, the ticket is 35,000 dong. Next stations are also announced and shown on digital screens beforehand and the bus attendant made an announcement before we reached Terminal 2( international departures) at 0835.
Standing at this bus stop was a surreal experience by itself, the atmosphere echoes a scene from a film. 0801 hr, local time.
With my flight home at 1110, I had plenty of time to roam about. I weighed my bags out of curiousity, my backpack was a surprising 6.6kg and I was carrying a total weight of 10.2KG. Scoot allows 10 Kg maximum for carry on, maybe I was lucky that they did not ask to check the weight of both my bags. Along with the check in counters on the first floor, there was Burger King, souvenir shops and more restaurants on the second floor two departure gates one at each end. Things aren’t cheap indeed once you get to any airport, a milk packet or small bottle of water costs 25000 dong each and a packet of chips, 25000 dong.
Free airport wifi is available throughout the airport without the need for a registered number in Vietnam for sign in. There is also water refill once you are in the departure hall, something I starting to realise not every airport had. As it was Christmas eve, there were dance performances and free photoshoots to enjoy. Shops within the departure hall accept both USD and Vietnamese Dong, if you choose to pay in Dong, the shop assistants are able to tell you the Vietnamese Dong equivalent immediately when the menu is written in USD. I decided to splurge 120,000 Dong on three shrimp rolls as i would be missing out on lunch later. There was a little flight delay, we boarded at 1100 instead of 1025.
0857 hr, local time.
Performance along the way to my boarding gate. 0943 hr.
Time to board! 1020 hr, local time.
Prices in USD at the departure area. Settled for spring rolls with the remaining Vietnamese Dong I had whilst awaiting departure. 1023 hr.
There was a flight before us, passengers walking up the connection and air mail being extracted from the plane by the travelator. Then air mail from Vietnam starts to be loaded into the plane, some airline crew walking down the Broadway into the aircraft and a few minutes later the call for boarding.
1107 hr, local time.
Scooting off from Hanoi at 1126, I landed back home at 1545. Ha Giang gave me a plethora of smiles this time, I would have to find time to return again.
Touch down in Singapore. Home Sweet Home! 1610 hr, Singapore Time (GMT + 08:00)