We planned our Vietnam int. six months prior to our trip, but packed the night before… On Christmas Eve. Yes… we packed on Christmas Eve, strange, right? Anyhow, my mom and Niam Jain Autism Artist (niamjain.com) decided to crash the bed early, leaving me and my dad to pick up the mess. Pack the electronics, get Niam’s clothes, preparing my mom’s camera gear (because she can’t do it) and the list kept on growing until 1 am. Did I mention what time we woke up… 5am for an 8am flight. Sounds fun, right? I had one backpack, one camera bag and shared one suitcase with Niam. My parents had their own suitcase and brought a spare. Niam of course was not carrying anything because he’s “the special, but I don’t mind taking the brunt of the work.
Flight #1 – YYZ to ORD
We arrived at the airport for a prompt 5:30, quickly checking in our bags, passing US customs and going through security. We chilled in the A lounge who let the four of us in (instead of the usual 2) because it was Merry Christmas! Ho Hoe! Long story short, we had a 1 hour flight to Chicago.
Flight #2 – ORD to NRT
12 Hours. That was a long and gruesome flight. I had to watch 5 movies, don’t get me wrong, I love movies, but I got bored after the third. So what did I do during the 4th movie – watched a TED Talk and started to read a few books: Rogue One, Foreign Affairs and Weapons of Math Destruction. I was sitting next to my dad, who was snoring. My mom didn’t fare much better, falling asleep on her iPad reading some book recommended by Oprah Winfrey. Couldn’t she pick a more interesting book? Meanwhile, my brother was up and about, sneaking into the business class washroom, watching movies and playing on his iPhone. Both me and him had one thing in common, no sleep. Yeah. So yay we landed in Japan. One more flight to go.
Flight #3 – NRT to HAN
Ah one more flight to go… six hours to Hanoi. We went into the lounge and ate steamed rice with soy sauce, mushrooms, and onions. It was pretty good. After a nice couple of hours, we went onto the plane, and slept. We were out cold.
Landing in Hanoi
Yay – we landed @ 12 am on December 27th – Niam’s birthday. But he didn’t know the wiser. Speaking of which, climate change is bad. Real Bad… We were wearing jackets… it was freezing. I lost my phone in the airport, when it was in my bag. Sigh… Long story short… hotel then crash
Hanoi
Sheraton
Things to do
- Old Quarter
- Hanoi Prison or Hotel for Americans
- Liquid Nitrogen of Ho Chi Min (if you have time)
- Holong Bay
Hoi An
Rivertown Hotel (5)
Things to do
- Yaly
- Old City
- Mison
Nha Trang
- Beaches (3)
- Good Morning Vietnam (Restaurant) (4)
Saigon
Things to Do
- Post Office
- Old City
- Presidential Palace
- Reunification Museum
- War Museum
Restaurant
- Hum (5)
- Pizza 4P (4.5)
- Hotel (4)
The Social Poop 