The Whole of Us

Have I got a story for you.

Our entry into Vietnam hit a major road block when we got to customs in Hanoi and realised we had made a fairly big mistake.

We forgot to get our kids a VISA!

Ok not quite forgot. In fact I had been SO organised that I’d gotten them a month before, or so I thought. When I applied online the website only allowed me to add the girls to our adult VISAs, listing them as dependants. Turns out this isn’t a thing. Every single person needs their own.

Unfortunately not understanding the language or having a clue why they weren’t letting us through customs we were ushered away to a different section before having our passports taken away from us for over an hour.

Eventually we were told we could buy a visa on arrival for the girls. No problem. Wrong! Problem. We needed $50 USD and we had none. The only ATM in the airport was broken and extra cash and the ability to grab a SIM card (hello internet) was on the other side, with our luggage, of customs. Oh and to make matters worse we had a connecting flight we needed to make. 

You know that feeling when you’ve gone through all the options and not one of them will work. Yup. We were at that point. Panic stations everyone.

After curling up in a corner and rocking back and forth a couple of times and a *few* short words with one another, followed by a ‘let’s not turn on each other’ conversation, we realised our only option was to ask someone if we could borrow some money.

Gathering our courage we asked an American tourist for some cash until we could reach our luggage. Oh the kindness of a complete stranger who happily leant us some money until we made it to the other side. The world is really very kind.

Something we’ve seen over and over again this year is that eventually a solution presents itself. There is almost always a secret option C!

After grabbing our luggage (which we found shoved in a corner?!?) we raced to catch our connecting flight. Thankfully it was delayed…by like 5 hours! Lots of time to go over the events of the day as we sat waiting. Finally by 1am, we made it to Hoi An where we were dropped off by a taxi in a dark alleyway. We spent the next 30 minutes stumbling around in the rain with all our suitcases looking for our airbnb. Eventually our kind host found us, put the girls on the back of her scooter, while Tom and I ran after her, and took us to our home for the next week.

So after all that here are three things we learnt and would recommend you do before arriving in a new country:

✈️ Always carry money in the currency you’re arriving in. If you can’t do this then google if there is another currency accepted. In Vietnam USD is widely accepted. 

✈️ Arrive with an approved VISA. Some countries allow you to buy a VISA on arrival but you’ll save time and hopefully quite a bit of hassle (and even money) if you come prepared and apply online prior. Many countries are moving to ONLY online applications, so do your research. 

Vietnam have recently changed things so that you can only buy a VISA on arrival if you’re travelling in a tour group. 

✈️ Don’t book a connecting flight soon after arrival. Give yourself PLENTY of time to make that next flight. I would suggest at least three hours unless it’s a booking made through the same airline as part of one ticket. 

Have you had a customs nightmares? 

Don’t forget to checkout Why Hoi An is a Must Visit with Kids

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