Hanoi

After a nothing special breakfast this morning (different restaurant, friendly waitstaff - maybe that was the problem) we headed to Hong Kong airport for our 2 hour flight to Hanoi. A pseudo Vietnamese meal was served, a little odd considering the short flight, and it turned out to be not too bad.
Hanoi airport was dead quiet. We were in customs for about 45 minutes waiting for our Vietnamese Visa approval and no other flights came through in that time. The terminal is new, spotless, and empty. The bored customs officers outnumbered the passengers.
After finally getting our visa’s we met our pre-arranged driver and began the 30 km drive into Hanoi. Then all hell broke loose. The very dark, ominous looking sky opened and rained like we have never witnessed. Living where we do we have seen some awful, heavy rain, but this was a whole new level. Monsoon type rain. Instant flooding type rain. Or as our driver put it “many water”. I’ve posted a picture below to show the view through the windshield.
Which brings us to driving in Vietnam. Absolute insanity. We've seen some terrible, questionable driving over the years, both at home and while visiting various countries (I’m looking at you, Crete taxi driver) but nothing comes close to what we witnessed over the 30 km drive. Firstly, most of the scooter drivers took shelter under overpasses during the storm but several continued on, travelling over 50 km/h in several inches of standing water, weaving in and out of traffic. Lanes in the road are merely suggestions. Driving on the correct side of the road is again, merely a suggestion. Jumping the green light in order to turn left is the norm. Not just for 1 or 2, but several. Scooters driving on the shoulder and sidewalk is acceptable. Constant use of the horn is encouraged. And yet, it seems to work. Organized chaos I guess. Terrifying to an outsider but the norm for the Vietnamese. At any rate, we made it to our hotel safely and with wtf looks on our faces.
Dinner tonight was at a non- Vietnamese restaurant. Food was decent but the highlight for Braeden was the fact that 18 is the drinking age in Vietnam. He doesn’t even like beer but had one because he could. Looking forward to the 38 degree Hanoi weather tomorrow.Read more