With an unscheduled short break in my work commitments, I had the opportunity for a reprise. My primary goal was just to have a nice little vacation but I was also going there for a bit of reconnaissance. The few who know me well are quite aware of my disenchantment with Bangkok. Phuket is a primary option but I also wanted to have a look at Vung Tau before making a final decision. A short side note here regarding Thai Airways β and this is something Stick mentioned a few weeks ago in his weekly column β Thai Airways are still bussing people from the terminal to the planes.
Because of the ongoing refurbishments to Suvarnabhumi a number of the gates are out of action. This has been going on since the beginning of the year and Thai Airways are being just a wee bit cheeky in not coming clean and letting the public know how long it will continue for.
Now I know some will say why not fly with another airline? The flight to Saigon is a relatively short hop β 75 minutes β and by 9. As far as visas go, getting one in Bangkok before traveling is probably the better option for avoiding a delay on arrival. Just on that it seems Thai Immigration is now using a discretionary method, not in line with the mandated APEC program, for an authorized entry period.
Is there anyone out there from either New Zealand or Australian Immigration who can shed some light on why Thai Immigration seems to be out of step in regards to length of entry, on arrival, on an APEC card? An additional service they provide is free airport pickup and as I pushed my way through the throng gathered around the arrivals hall exit doors I spotted the driver holding up an A4 sheet of paper with my name on it; all very efficient.
Most of the major shopping malls, such as Vincom and Parkinson, are only a ten minute walk away. September in Saigon is the rainy season and the prevailing weather patterns for that time of year were THE same ones hitting Thailand. Simply step out of the front door, go straight and its two blocks down on the left. A strange phenomena of this area in Saigon is seeing how many local males seem to be sat around on the street doing nothing at all except drinking coffee and smoking for a large part of the day.
