Returning to Saigon / Flying to Hanoi

Following the typhoon that had hit central Vietnam resulting massive flooding coupled with the complete lack of information available, Andi, Gaby and I decided to take the bus back to Saigon to fly north to Hanoi. Maria and Michelle, however, braved the open bus through the flooded Hoi An and Hue.


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A straight forward five hour bus-ride back to Saigon and we booked ourselves into a guesthouse for the night before going out to eat dinner. The room had the coldest air-con of any place that I’ve stayed in which resulted in a poor nights sleep.

The next morning we took a taxi to the airport. A short delay of one hour and a two hour flight later - I slept through almost the entire flight - and we arrived in Hanoi’s rather underwhelming airport.

We took the free bus into the centre of Hanoi and then jumped into the world’s smallest taxi - one pack in the boot, two on the passenger seat and the three of us squashed into the back seat - which drove us to the Old Quarter.

We eventually found a place - The Happy Backpackers - with a triple room that only cost US$15 per night, dropped off our things and ventured out into the night to find somewhere to eat. We ate at a swanky little place called the Moca Cafe which was full of Vietnamese diners, which is always a good sign. The food was expensive but tasty - I didn’t realise just how much I’d missed broccoli and cauliflower until a plate arrived covered with them! After eating we struggled to find our way back to guesthouse - even the taxi drivers couldn’t help us! - and when we finally found it we decided that it was too far away from the bars, restaurants and shops. The next days priority was to find somewhere new to stay that’s located nearer to the main 'backpacker' area.