Day 1

9th Dec 2012 Sun

Our flight , Jetstar 3K543,  at 3.20pm made it a tight squeeze to go to church and then to the airport, so we skipped that Sunday's worship, the first that year.

11am. We caught a taxi  to Changi Terminal 1  which cost us about $25. there was an early checkin facility at Jetstar Row 8 which we gratefully utilized before grabbing our pre-flight pizza at Pizza Hut.

After  clearing immigration , we were almost late for boarding because we spent too much  time at the Times bookshop.

Our hotel at Hanoi Holiday Diamond Hotel. A mouthful isn't it?

The hotel's unofficial restaurant, steps off the hotel, serves excellent food.

The flight departed on time. It was a smooth ride and we got into Hanoi 10 min shy of 6pm. Immigration clearance was impressively fast and efficient. After customs, our driver D171, fished us out of the airport and we  made it to Hanoi in a record breaking 30 min. His reckless driving was a sneak preview of what things would be in the coming 10 days.

Our welcome drink but we did not try it.

Hanoi holiday diamond hotel at 5 Nguyen Sieu Rd gave us a very warm welcome, with cocktail , towels and all.  Home for the night was Rm 401, free wifi in a smallish triple room that reminded me of the minsu in Hualien. For USD60 a night, this top ranking hotel from tripadvisor.com was a little on the expensive side. But its value was its being located at the end of the major thoroughfare, shielded from honking of scooters that went past midnight.

Rom 401 was cramped and had low water pressure. Post-Sapa was better.

If there should be a complaint or two, it would be that the water temperature was not consistent and we all had thermal shock when bathing. TV programs was non existent which made free wifi a much needed luxury.

Cha Ca soup style. It taste superb.

Claim and pineapple soup is a tasty seafood concoction.

Nem

Sumptuous meal at New Day

Dinner at the much touted New Day restaurant  at Ma May St for $14 ( cha ca, rice, clam soup, mixed vegetables, nem and drinks ) was not as cheap as I thought. Ambiance? Nil, though it was no fault of the restaurant. 10 odd China diners made our meal unbearable with their loud talk reverberating through the tiny room.

Believe me, this is a cafe without the customers.

Cafe cum fashion shop. Pop up stalls like this are common in Vietnam

Night market with stalls selling similar goods

Aspiring boutique owner

Wholesale market at night, steps from our hotel

Steamed buns stall with just a burner and food.

 

Food is cooked barely inches from the floor. We never once tried street food this way.

Pop up hawker stalls

We joined in the night market madness, wary of pickpockets ( thankfully none ) that stretched from Hang Buom to Dong Xuan. 

Made to order handicraft

It was nothing like Hong Kong, with stalls selling the things and most not of good quality at all. Despite the cool night (24C), most wore thick winter wear which we thought we excessive.

Late night shopping to bring a happy end to the day

After all the pushing and shoving at the market, it was time to call it a day, but no without stocking up on food and just-in-case shopping. One never knows! Probably we were very affected by the bustling food place where perching on a stool and eating over another slightly higher stool or table is the way to go.


Despite the complains of the small rooms, admittedly the beds were comfortable enough to make us fall asleep within moments of touching the pillows.