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Arriving in Hanoi

August 16, 2016 / danawanders / 5 Comments

So far, so good! The airport was nowhere as chaotic as I thought it would be. I was second in line for passport control, my bag was fifth off the conveyor, and no line at customs. So, from the time I stepped off the plane until I was out front meeting my driver (arranged by the hotel), it was maybe 15 minutes. I figured at least an hour! So, I arrived at my hotel way earlier than expected, which was very nice. 

Got to my hotel and my room was flooded. Hanoi’s been having major floods for a few weeks. No problem because they put me up at their (slightly nicer) sister hotel around the corner. I’m on the top floor (eighth) with a balcony.  I’m hoping the pics will post okay. 

It’s nice, it’s clean, it’s in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which is 1,000 years old and still has the same street names, and it’s very Vietnamese. I couldn’t be happier. 

It’s strange. Everything is exactly as I expected, right down to the smells. I don’t know if I’ve really done that much research or if this is just one more piece in the puzzle that has compelled me to visit!

Have to be up in less than 5 hours for my early morning walking tour to experience Hanoi as it wakes up. I can’t wait to explore the city tomorrow!

5 Comments

  • Mary says:
    August 16, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    Gorgeous! And are their any language issues, or do a lot of people speak English (or do you speak Vietnamese!)

    • Dana says:
      August 16, 2016 at 5:05 pm

      I started learning Vietnamese in March, but it’s a very difficult tonal language, so I only have the basics. So far, I’ve only interacted with my driver (a lot of pointing, lol) and two hotel desk clerks who both spoke English. All of the tour guides I booked speak English.

  • CLynn says:
    August 16, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    Beautiful! Looking forward to seeing more of your photos and hearing about your early morning tour.

  • Vivian says:
    August 17, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    So glad everything went smoothly at the airport. The place looks beautiful!

  • Bonnie says:
    August 20, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    Catching up on your first few days. Fascinating!

Comments are closed.

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