June 3, 2024
Leaving Narita
A close friend had just left his job and said, “This is the perfect chance to take a long break. Let’s travel abroad!” So we decided to go to Vietnam together.
I booked our round-trip tickets between Narita Airport and Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on the official VietJet Air website (37,932 JPY). Our plan for this ten-day trip was to visit three cities: Halong, Nha Trang, and Hanoi.
We met that morning at Narita Airport Terminal 2. Since we had checked in online, we joined the “checked-in passengers” line and dropped off our luggage. The staff also weighed our carry-ons and warned us, “If your cabin baggage exceeds seven kilos after shopping in duty-free, we’ll charge you an extra fee.” I remember thinking, “They’re running their business very thoroughly.”
After security and immigration, I used Priority Pass at the food court area to eat a beef rump steak.
Then we visited the I.A.S.S Superior Lounge – KoCoo – with Priority Pass. But it was quite small, with only a few seats, a single restroom, and simple snacks with a coffee machine. It felt underwhelming (as of June 2024). Still, as an anime fan, I enjoyed seeing original drawings from Studio Ghibli and One Piece on display.
Leaving the lounge, we walked to our gate, and no one weighed our carry-ons again. Boarding was easy.
Flying to Hanoi
Because VietJet Air is a low-cost carrier, nothing is free on board — food, drinks, even blankets require payment. The seats also felt a bit cramped.
The man sitting next to me played games on his iPad. Every time he tapped the screen, his elbow hit me. When his game went well, he clapped, celebrated, and even shouted “Yes!” with a triumphant fist pump. A classic case of “an adult on the outside, a child on the inside.”
We landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at 13:16 local time. Immigration was smooth thanks to the many counters, and no customs form was required.
Hungry, I bought a chicken banh mi and a Sprite at a café near the exit (110,000 VND).
The chartered taxi I had booked in Japan was waiting for us, and it took about two hours to reach Halong.
Checking into the Hotel
We arrived at the hotel I had booked through Booking.com. At the front desk, they told me to call the number listed on the website. It seemed the room was owned by someone who rented it out in an Airbnb-like manner.
Since I don’t speak Vietnamese, I nervously called using simple English — and, unsurprisingly, understood almost nothing. My English skills were painfully inadequate. But the person on the phone ended the call with a cheerful “WhatsApp!” so I figured he meant to switch to the app. I messaged that we were waiting in the lobby, and a man who said he was sent by the owner came to guide us to our room. I was relieved. Chat apps are much easier because I can use translation.
The room looked clean and comfortable. I had booked a two-bedroom setup, but what we got was one double bed and a folded mattress on the floor. Calling this “two beds” seemed a bit of a stretch. From the window, we could see the Ferris wheel.
Dinner and an Evening Walk
We dropped off our luggage and went out for dinner. Halong felt very relaxed. There were piles of French bread everywhere.
We walked into a pho restaurant we found online (see on map). My friend ordered beef noodles, and I ordered chicken noodles (80,000 VND total). Both were delicious. The herbs were slightly bitter in a good way, and adding chili sauce made it even better.
After dinner, we strolled through the night market area. On the way to the market (see on map), we spotted an H&M sign. Since Vietnam has many garment factories, we joked that some factory-made items might be slipping into local shops. We even saw a store with a UNIQLO sticker.
Vietnam has surprisingly few places that accept credit cards, so I used an ATM to withdraw cash.
We arrived at the market just before 7 p.m., but it was closed — despite Google Maps saying it was open until 9. Later, I realized that Google Maps isn’t always accurate in Vietnam. Opening hours and locations were often slightly off.
On the way back, we stopped at a small shop near the pho restaurant and bought two 1.5-liter bottles of water and two 500-ml bottles (30,000 VND). There were potato-like vegetables on the floor, and dirt didn’t seem to bother anyone. I liked that relaxed attitude.
We then visited a seaside café (see on map) for coconut coffee and Vietnamese coffee (90,000 VND). It was still so hot that even after dark, sweat kept running down my back. The cold drinks were perfect.
Before returning to the hotel, we found a convenience store (see on map) where we bought a towel, yogurt, and mango. The mango was ripe and delicious.
