We have arrived in Vietnam and my god what an intense journey to get here. Staff travel stress (do we get on the plane yay or nay), did we get ourselves killed whilst roaming the streets of Hanoi, did we get scammed? I’d stay tuned to find out. So… it all started in Canary Wharf when I was setting off to meet my friend at Whitechapel station where we took the Lizzy Line to LHR terminal 5. First I had to get on the DLR, then jump off at Shadwell and sprint (Usain Bolt I’m coming for you) to the overground to get to Whitechapel station, where I ran for my life down the escalators with a suitcase in one hand and my carry-on bag in the other, trying not to hit anyone, or trip down and end up with a broken limb (did I nearly kill 3 people in the process, whilst running down the escalators with my suitcase, including myself? Yes, yes I did but hey we move). At last and just about on time, I made it to the platform where Thomas was waiting for me and so the trip could officially begin.

Of course my life wouldn’t be my life if something didn’t go as planned, so when we finally arrived at the airport we had to figure where to find the staff travel desk. We then got in line with about 7 to 10 people waiting in front of us, one helpdesk open, and Sally Sue behind the desk clearly still discovering the system for the first time (which, btw had been ‘new’ for 4 months) – classic. What ended up feeling like a 3 hour wait and a slight panic moment whether we were going to get on or not, we then finally got our confirmed (business class – thanks to staff travel hehe) tickets. Anyway,  panic over and 3 champagnes and 2 cocktails later, we were on our way on the first flight to Doha where we had, yet, another stressful moment as apparently when we landed, there were only 13 seats left on the 2^nd flight to Hanoi and there were 9 staff travellers in front of us on the list… Alas we got the last available seats, thanks to this absolutely lovely Qatar staff member and before we knew it, we were another 7.5 hours later ready to touch down in Hanoi.

The humidity was like being slapped in the face with a wet towel that’s been fermenting in jet fuel and questionable street smells – Welcome to Hanoi I guess! But it was nice to finally get some fresh air and being able to stretch the legs after being on an airplane for 14+ hours. So after a long bus drive into the city and a walk which felt more like we participated in the next Squid Games: traffic edition. Except instead of a cash prize, the reward is not dying. The streets of Hanoi are not made for the weakest, it’s like a sensory overload of scooters passing by left right, and centre, street vendors at every corner whilst you hear people honking at each other every 30 seconds and that all, while there is no proper pedestrian path and you try very hard not to get yourself killed in this traffic setting. So when we finally reached our homestay, we were greeted by our lovely, but mainly iconic host Jullie J. She reminded us no fewer than six times that an “inside bathroom” would be better (translation: pay more, babes). Unfortunately for us, Julie J. wasn’t a woman of her words… as when we checked out, it seemed that the “inside bathroom” was more expensive after all. Alas, luckily the prices in Vietnam (especially during rainy season) are very low so it wasn’t too bad, but still what a way to get swindled!

The first 3 days we stayed in Hanoi with a 1 day trip to Ha Long Bay during one of the days. What we didn’t realise as well, is that we arrived on a national holiday, which meant that everywhere we went it was absolutely crowed with a sea of people. Luckily, we managed to find a nice rooftop bar (there are loads in Hanoi) where we ordered our first (of many) Ha Noi beer and Vietnamese spring rolls of the trip. Not even an hour in and I already managed to spill soy, or fish sauce all over the table, including Thomas his trousers (again, sorry Thomas) call me clumsy Clara. Despite the clumsy moment of spilling the juice, well in this case the sauce and Thomas his trouser smelling of fish, we had a good first evening with an overall good impression of Hanoi, looking forward to what the rest of the trip would bring. After a good first night sleep, probably because I was absolutely knackered after a long day of travelling and getting used to the humidity and heat, we managed to make it in time for breakfast before Julie J. was going to throw a little military fit (trust me when I say that Julie J. was an officer in the military before becoming a homestay host, and ohhh boy was she good at it). After breakfast we headed into town where we went for our first egg and coconut coffee. The egg coffee wasn’t a big success (I know there are people who’d describe the drink as “a sweet cloud”, but let me tell you that it tasted more like a raw egg yolk in disguise…) the coconut, however, 10/10. I’d definitely sell my soul for another one. We walked, talked, saw a lot of what Hanoi had the offer, grabbed our first Grab (the best way to get yourself from A to B) of the trip, went for our first massage and did an amazing food tour in the evening. It is safe to say that we survived our first day in Hanoi without being road killed – I call this a success.

The next day we did a day trip to Ha Long Bay. We woke up early as it was a long drive up to Ha Long Bay. Julie J. booked the trip for us, we were told the bus driver would meet us in the morning at the hotel. Well… that didn’t go exactly as planned (ohh Julie, I see a bit of a pattern. First we get scammed and now this lol) at 8.30am we received a call from Joey (our tour guide for the day) with the question where we were; to which we replied “waiting at the hotel for the driver to pick us up” after no longer than a 5 minutes wait, a guy with bleached blonde (more leaning towards white/greyish, very ‘I did this in my kitchen vibe’) hair shows up yelling “You Thomas? You come now!” and before we knew it Thomas and I were clinging on for dear life on the back of Joey’s scooter, weaving through Hanoi rush hour. Again, not for the weak, but hey, a free adrenaline rush is always welcome. So, after a 2 hour bus drive and a quick pit stop to get a coffee (Vietnamese jet fuel, cause my god does the Vietnamese coffee hit differently compared to the one in London), we made it onto the boat off to see the wonders of Ha Long Bay.

It felt like a completely different world, it looked straight out of Avatar minus the blue aliens, plus about 200 tourists with selfie sticks, but hey we move. So, with our beloved tour guide Joey, known for being obsessed with the time and his obsession of constantly repeating words, we were guided through the bay. We got to see the first cave of the trip, we did some kayaking, with a special performance of Thomas singing Lady Gaga and we ended the day with THE Sunset Party of the year on the boat with the one and only Joey hosting it. One of the things I learned that day, is that Joey is a tour guide by day and a professional performer by night. No, No, not that kind of performer. Apparently our good ol Joey J. is a DJ and singer by night – someone get the man his Vegas residency pleaseee!

So, survived Hanoi, got scammed by Julie J. drank questionable egg coffee, clung onto Joey’s scooter for dear life, trying not to get myself killed whilst roaming the streets, drank loads of beer to stay hydrated 😉. But hey, if this is just the start… I am already looking forward to what the rest of Vietnam has to offer

Love,

Rose