13th January - Happy Birthday R

It is R's birthday today. Our plane lands just before 5 am. First impressions are a bit muted as it is still dark. Once we disembark we find ourselves in a modern and brightly lit terminal. The immigration desks are well staffed and checks carried out with minimal delays. As we move on to the baggage reclaim area it becomes apparent that we are the first flight in this morning and the place is just beginning to wake up.

The bags arrive promptly and we pass through customs into the arrivals hall where we watch for a Mercury Holidays sign. A slightly harassed looking short chap asks if we are with Mercury and when we confess he leads us to a quiet area and asks us to wait. He explains that he is not allowed to hold up a Mercury sign but does not elaborate. We are the first people to clear customs and we need to wait for a further twenty six before we can move on to the coach.

D takes the opportunity to try his luck with an ATM. This goes quite well apart from the lack of receipt. The local currency is the Vietnamese Dong. Stop sniggering at the back. £100 is around 3,000,000 dong and some of it is dispensed in 500,000 dong notes, complete with a rather jaunty picture of Uncle Ho. The flock finally gathers and we have a short walk to the coach. The short chap repeatedly counts us and only relaxes when we are all seated on the charabanc. He introduces himself as our guide for the first five days of our tour. His name is Dinh, pronounced Ding. I won't tell you lot in the back row again.

He welcomes us to Vietnam and Hanoi and explains a few basics, interspersed with some rather feeble jokes. A particular worry is the severe cold weather Ha Noi is experiencing. Today will be only about 13°C. Dinh would not like high summer in Arbroath. The traffic has not really got going yet and the forty minute transfer to the Muong Thanh Hotel is quite smooth. The bad news is that we are booked in for another breakfast, a subterfuge designed to buy time while rooms are made ready. We settle for cups of black tea and chat to a couple from York who know Linlithgow. Small world.

The wait for rooms is not too bad and by 8 a.m. we are lying in bed wondering if we will get to sleep. At 13.00 the backstop alarm wakes us. Our room is spacious and quite well fitted out, with very good WiFi. The shower cubicle is bigger than the bedroom we had in London two nights ago. We sort ourselves and the luggage out, including the refixing of the suitcase handle, and head out to explore.

The first target is a Viettel shop, recommended as a good place to get a SIM card with a data pack. Google maps shows a couple of options within walking distance and we head for the closest one. The streets don't seem too busy although we heed Dinh's warning to cross only at traffic lights. On the second of these a motorcyclist jumps the light. It is Saturday afternoon and not all businesses are open but there seem to be a lot of useful places near the hotel. Off licence, several banks and the Ha Noi Rolls Royce dealership.

The route we have selected includes a walk along the shore of a lake. By way of a bonus quite a large area around the water has been barriered off to all traffic, even two wheelers, which is a very pleasant surprise. The promenade immediately reminds us of the French Colonial heritage of the city as do some of the older buildings. The lake has an island with a ruined pagoda and several fountains. It is clearly a major draw for the locals who are wrapped up in quilted jackets against the chill. So are their pet dogs.

We arrive at the intended destination but can see no sign of a Viettel shop. There are various large buildings around a large open and traffic free place, most of which seem to dedicated to eating or drinking on a grand scale. A thriving local industry seems to be the rental of child size, ride on electric cars. Infants drive these around while their doting parents record every move on mobile phones. Larger kids scoot around on things a bit like Segways without a handle. There are not too many collisions.

Google maps suggests an alternative location so we press on and soon find the shop. This is a modern, airy sort of place with smartly dressed female staff. The young lady on the door asks "SIM card?" and then directs us to a counter at the back of the store. Here we are invited to be seated and handed a printed sheet that lists the available options in English. We have no friends here so opt for a 20GB data only option at around £9. This stays valid for 30 days and should be just the job. The young lady behind the counter asks D for his phone, swiftly fits a new card, presses a few buttons and we are in business. No requirement for passports, photos, father's name, residential address or any of that malarkey. She shows us how to check the balance and we move on, remembering to take the UK SIM with us.

We celebrate this success at a rather smart cafe that has a terrace overlooking the lake. R rates the local coffee as most acceptable and D manages to down a beer. After a further briefing from Dinh we board our coach for the half mile trip to tonight's restaurant, which specialises in Vietnamese cuisine. Very good, as is the Ha Noi beer that we have with it. Still getting over the flight we turn in at 10 p.m.