Exploring Central Vietnam - 12 May 2023 – Cochin to Da Nang

As anticipated, the traffic from my residence to Cochin International Airport (CIAL) was heavy; it just wouldn't move at Idapally and Aluva. Siraj, the Ola driver, wasn't perturbed. He kept up a lively conversation and 'made time pass', taking my mind off the frustrating snarls. I had plenty of time to complete the check-in, immigration and security, having reached the airport three hours ahead of the departure time of 11 pm. I was taking the Air-Asia flight to Bangkok, en route to Da Nang, Vietnam for a short holiday. The Air-Asia flight, including meals and 20 kg baggage, to and fro, between Cochin and Da Nang cost me a bit short of Rs. 59,000 and the online visa, through the official site, cost $62.

Though not ostentatious like some of the other international airports in India, CIAL is functional, neat and spotlessly clean. I spent a couple of hours in the food court enjoying a Burger King meal and a vanilla softie. Frequent announcements to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and adopt Covid appropriate behaviour seemed to be just a routine exercise of government instructions. Que sera, sera was in the air - whatever will be, will be!

The Air-Asia flight to Bangkok was full and kept the 11 pm departure time. I was served teriaki chicken and rice with a small bottle of water for the meal platter I had booked. I slept tight till the landing announcements were made and the hostess came around to check appropriate seating and clear waste. The smooth landing at the Don Mueang airport in Bangkok was ahead of the scheduled time. There were not many passengers by the flight for international transfer. The transfer desk was adequately handled by the Air-Asia staff.

The Don Mueang airport was the primary international airport of Bangkok till the Suvarnabhumi airport came into operation in 2006. The owner of the airport is the Royal Thai Airforce and is Asia's oldest operating airport, having commenced operations in 1914 for defence purposes. Commercial flights began in 1924, almost a 100 years ago, staking claim as one of the oldest commercial airports in the world. Now it is a regional hub, serviced by low cost airlines. Air-Asia hubs out of this airport and I changed over from the Cochin-Bangkok flight to the Bangkok-Da Nang flight out of Don Mueang airport.

I had some time to kill before the 6.45 am boarding to Da Nang. I took advantage of the 1 hour free airport WiFi network to check emails and browse the net. The shops near the gates started getting active as the minutes ticked by and I was tempted to have a hot cup of coffee. I spotted the Au We White Coffee shop and ordered a cup of Cappuccino. When I presented the credit card the young man at the counter pointed out a worn out warning that no cards are accepted at the shop. I didn't have currency to break, except INR which naturally was not accepted. Finally, the young man told me to go ahead and have the coffee without any charge. I felt wretched. He consoled me saying that I am like his 'Baba' and that the free cuppa was not a problem!

Air Asia Airline is owned by Malaysian entrepreneurs through Tune Group Pvt. Ltd. Their primary objective was to provide customers affordability and accessibility. Therefore, it is no wonder that the tag line of the airline is “Now everyone can fly”. The budget airline has come a long way in the past two decades providing affordable air travel in Asia. It has had a huge role to play in increasing travel from India to South East Asian destinations. The services are basic – their fares are normally minus luggage and meals. You can choose what you want from a bouquet and pay for it.

The flight landed on time in the Da Nang International Airport. Da Nang being quite a popular tourist destination it was but natural to expect a crowded airport. Within about 20 minutes of landing I was through the immigration and waited a while for baggage. My first task to obtain a local sim card. There were many kiosks near the baggage carousals that beckoned visitors. I went to one of them and asked for a Vinaphone sim card, as I had read that that company had the best connectivity within Vietnam. As my requirement was limited to data I sought out a plan that gave me 30 GB data with limited SMS and free local calls.

The kiosk did not accept USD. Hence, after collecting the baggage I had to go to a money changer within the airport complex to change USD to Vietnamese Dong. The going rate was 23,447 VND to a USD, but what I got was 22,990, a fair enough rate at the airport, I thought. After paying for the sim card I got them to download the Grab App and booked a cab to the Avora Hotel, where I was booked to stay for three nights. Grab is the best way to go around in Vietnam; their bikes and cars offer the most economical transportation as compared to the Green and Vinasun taxis.