Stepping off the plane in Hanoi in early September the first thing that hits you is the Humidity. Leaving behind your nicely air conditioned plane it hits you like a slap in the face saying welcome to Asia!
Hanoi airport is much like any other major airport, you get your passport stamped, collect your bags and go on your way.
Then you get outside and you are presented with a large array of transportation options into the city. Myself and my girlfriend had pre organised a transfer so this was not a problem, however if you haven't organised anything in advance as I said you are presented with a large array of options.
For those on a budget you can jump on the Hanoi airport public bus which will take you an hour and cost 5,000 dong. A taxi to the old quarter should cost approx 400,000 dong, but you may be able to negotiate a price.
Once we had got to our accommodation and sorted ourselves out I went in search of a local SIM card for my phone (I recommend travelling with an unlocked phone) the traffic in Hanoi is something that may take you by surprise, crossing the road can feel like a great risk to your safety though the trick is to slowly walk across (trust me the bikes and scooters will go around you though watch for the cars) once i managed to conquer the task of crossing the road i got a great pre paid sim and price at one of the local stalls. Way2go is a sim designed for tourists visiting Vietnam we went with a pre paid plan that included unlimited text 100min of calls and 18G of data for all of 200,000 dong (about $10 Aussie dollars).Having a local SIM card gives you much more freedom and opportunity while out and about and definitely helps when you get yourself lost😅.
An example of a stall you get purchase your sim card
Hanoi traffic
A local trying their luck at catching some dinner
Now I was all set to take on the sights, culture and importantly the food!
Thanks for reading I'll post again soon with some of the sights and experiences of Hanoi
Cheers