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A full day of travelling lies before me, on what is really an elongated journey to Sydney. It begins with a 20 mile trip from central Hanoi back to Noibai airport. From here, 3 hours sees me return South to Singapore where heavy thunderstorms close in as we approach, looking more black and angry with each drop in altitude.
While the Communist propaganda on TV reminds me of the country I am in and a proportion of decorational elements inside my hotel are native to it, it is never far detached from its true nature – a multinational chain. The comparisons are therefore striking each time I step outside into all that’s unfamiliar and exciting.
I took a day out of the city to visit Halong Bay. The drive, while long at 3 hours, is an ideal opportunity to catch a glimpse of Vietnamese countryside and small town life, as well as to be quizzed on life in Capitalist Europe. The displaying of Communist banners and flags only intensifies the further into the country one gets.
I’ve returned to the Old Quarter several times and the foray on the senses does not dwindle in intensity. Nor can the magnitude of the visible difference with home be justifiably articulated. It is nothing less than another world – one that has me engrossed and captivated. But Hanoi also has what some would call ‘typical tourist sites’.
Another desperately early start. From the hostel I share a white knuckle taxi ride to the airport with a South African and English girl, each heading off to Indonesia and Australia respectively. I check in at the massive opened planned Changi Airport for my morning flight to Hanoi. I’m on the move again, and it’s great!
