Today is the day we leave Phuket and head over to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Our flight flies to Bangkok first and we transfer there to head to HCMC.
I got some great sleep last night. I’m glad I decided to not work out nor do my daily journal. I was able to get in bed by 10:45pm and sleep until 7:00 am. It was much needed and refreshing. We wanted to enjoy breakfast because the other morning we rushed it because of the tour. Today, we wanted to make sure we tried everything they had since it was such a good buffet. Everything was free too because of Jason’s elite membership.
The buffet was incredible. I wish I could have eaten two breakfasts because it was so good. The food was fresh, options ah-plenty and the weather was spot on. Since we weren’t leaving until 2:00 pm we had time to take it easy.
Those black things were little frogs 
View from the outdoor seating area
After breakfast, we went back to the room and chilled for a bit to digest. We hadn’t used the gym up until this point and it was an awesome gym. I was not going to miss the chance of using it. The gym seemed newly built and all the equipment seemed new. It was spacious and had all the equipment you’d need for a solid work out. They had a squat rack. Anytime there is a squat rack in SEA, I take advantage of it because it’s rare.
Killer wall climb.
We got a solid work out in and then headed over to pick up our laundry we dropped off the day before. There was a massage and laundry place right on the beach front area of the resort. We dropped off laundry right when we got back from our tour yesterday so that we could have fresh laundry going to Vietnam.
The massage and laundry ladies at the hut. 
Waiting for the new keys… 
We grabbed our laundry and headed back to the resort but our keys weren’t working so we couldn’t get in. We called the front desk to have them bring new keys that worked but they never showed up. We had to get a cleaning lady to open up the room. We wasted precious time we needed to pack and head to the airport. We also needed to print out our Visa paperwork so we were crunched on time.
We quickly got ready and thankfully got everything we needed to get to the airport by 2:00 pm. This is when things started getting tricky though. We went to the domestic departure area since we figured we’re going to Bangkok first, which is domestic from Phuket, but they told us to go to the International departure area. It turns out, Jason booked his flights together, Phuket to Bangkok to HCMC so it’s considered international, but I didn’t. I booked it separately. This meant that I needed to go to domestic to get my ticket and drop off my bags.
Quick lunch at the airport
I headed over quickly but it turned out that Jason had a direct connection in Bangkok to his HCMC flight and I did not. I needed to exit the airport and get
Lo and behold they didn’t land on time. They were 10 minutes late. That meant I had a whole 5 minutes to get to the ticket counter of Vietnam Airlines. The Bangkok airport is big and there was almost no way it was going to happen. I prayed that somehow it would work out because it would be a killer for this trip if I wasn’t able to make it on board. Most likely, I would have had to get standby or buy another ticket. If they didn’t have another flight leaving today, I’d have to stay at Phuket airport overnight.
I also needed to get 25 USD for our visa payment once we got into the HCMC airport but there were no currency exchanges inside the gate area in Phuket airport. I didn’t have any USD or enough Bhat so I had to pull Bhat from the ATM and get it converted to USD. I had some time at the Phuket airport so I exited the gating area and went to the only exchange there on the second floor.
When I got
It was pathetic. It’s unfortunate that shady people make it look bad on a country. This short-term selfish thinking keeps a country from developing as fast as it could. I was annoyed and took my money and left. There were no other currency exchanges
When we get to gate 4, they tell us our flight gate hasn’t changed and that notice was for a different flight. I’m frustrated at this point since so many things were going wrong. I head back to gate 10 and we begin to board.
It was a short flight over to Bangkok. I prayed for a miracle that I’d be able to get my ticket in time. Luckily, I was in the third row back from the front and I only had
As soon as I bolt out of the airplane, I see a guy standing at the exit with a sign. To my surprise, it was my name on it and he called out my name. He said he was taking me to the ticket counter. It was a miracle. He told me we had 5 minutes to get there.
We ran as fast as we could. It was the fastest and longest I’ve ever run through an airport. It felt like I was in the army going through basic training. My backpack was heavy and I had my carryon suitcase I had to pull. We dodged tons of people to get to the ticket counter in time. There was absolutely no way I would have made it in time on my own had that guy not have been there.
When we got to the ticket counter, they had my ticket ready after I showed them my visa paperwork that I wisely filled out on the plane ride over. They gave me a pass to go through the expedited security check-in and I was in and out of the security line in 5 minutes. I head over to the final immigration check-in and a lady meets me there and calls out my name. It turns out she didn’t give me my Visa paperwork back at the check-in counter. She somehow found me as I was exiting the immigration check-in. I don’t know how she pulled it off but I’m extremely thankful she did. It would have been a disaster had I not had the paperwork.
Everything worked out and I’m incredibly thankful to God. It was a miracle that I made it. I got the very last seat in the plane and was the row with only two seats. I didn’t have anyone sit next to me so I had
This dude kept reaching his hand to the back of his seat. It was pretty annoying.
The flight was about 1.5 hours. We land and go through the arrival Visa process. We had purchased it online before our trip started. It was a quick process for myself but Jason ended up waiting 30 minutes. He apparently didn’t hear his name. It turned out that the lady pronouncing his name had a heavy accent and only said his first and middle name but not his last. He didn’t realize it until he finally asked her if she was referring to Jason Kwak. Lol.
We eventually made it through. We were thankful everything turned out fine. We left the baggage area, got sim cards for Vietnam, and a taxi for our hotel. When we exited the airport it was loud and crowded. We were escorted to our taxi and we were off. The hotel was 20 minutes away from the airport right next to the river.
The driving in Vietnam is similar
I’m not sure how I felt as we drove to our hotel. Being in the homeland of my parents, the place they fled from, is a bit odd. I also slightly understand the language so everything feels familiar. I haven’t been out and about yet so I can’t say how comfortable I feel but it’s going to be an interesting experience.
HCMC is still developing. The drive over, it’s clear that this country is still a third world country. As we arrived near our hotel in District 1, you can see more modern development but compared to Bangkok, I feel it’s much more behind. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow what it’s like.
We checked into our hotel. Our room got upgraded. We’ve had a room upgrade in all the hotels we’ve stayed at and free breakfast. The perks just keep coming. We only have a night food tour booked and a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong River. The tunnels were used in the Vietnam war by the Vietcongs. I’m interested to learn more about the history of this country.
