Arrival in Vietnam - 6 October 2008

Well, how should this story start? After a very busy time balancing packing the house, packing to travel, discarding, still helping David and Bruce out at the surgery, still finishing up at IVP, trying to say goodbye to everyone (and not quite succeeding), I left Sydney with my baggage only 20 kilos over the allowed limit of 30 kilos, and with one bag officially too heavy to carry!

The plane was not full - but it did contain a large contingent of women soccer players from the Australian Institute of Sport and a large group of high schoolers. The flight was uneventful but because it is an older plane (as are all Vietnam Airlines planes) only business and first class had individual entertainment units. So it was a rather boring trip especially when the second movie came on. It was a Vietnamese comedy called The cook and the boss, which is one of those stories where one character gets mistaken for another. It probably was a good laugh but all the dubbing was in one person's voice so it was just a bit too much work! I've since found that this seems to be the usual method of dubbing films here in Vietnam.

HCM City from the air is much larger than I remember and just seems to stretch forever, rows and rows of buildings without much green space to break it up, and the Saigon River winding through. We landed in an atmosphere that threatened a storm but never quite broke. And so began my introduction to the heat and humidity of the wet season.

Getting the visa was a little more involved than I had expected - more forms to fill - but went without a hitch. The arrivals hall at this new airport is huge but most of the channels were closed and there was not the volume of passengers and planes to require them to be open. Given there are only 5 or 6 baggage conveyer belts and a very small customs area I wonder if there is any need for such a gargantuan immigration area.

I was quickly met by Gemma from ILA and taken off to a hotel in Cong Quynh Street in Pham Ngu Lao area of District 1 as it was too late for the last ferry to Vung Tau. From then I was on my own until midday the next day. Off for a short walk in Pham Ngu Lao - many more businesses than I remember from 9 years ago but all the landmarks from that time still there: the Giant Dragon Hotel, Sinh and Kim travel cafes. The construction area across from Pham Ngu Lao street is now a long park. Had pho ga for dinner and a soursop juice then back to the hotel, a bath and bed. (the time is now 4 hours different to Sydney thanks to daylight saving starting there on the weekend).