Buổi tối tốt Hanoi.

Local flavour.

Hanoi, Vietnam – Curling my eyes open, I am greeted by a thunderstorm that lights up the clouds like Chinese lanterns. Below, Shanghai glows orange against the darkness. Still more than an hour to go.

We land in Hanoi under a rusty scythe of a moon, and I am immediately embraced by the familiar leafy aroma of the tropics, and by the humidity, which clings to my every pore like a grieving widow.

The drive from the airport seems endless – so close now – taking well more than an hour to travel 25 kilometres into the city. The ground vibrates from the endless rows of scooters, carving new directions to find Saturday night. Red lights – where they have them – appear to be nothing more than decorative.

A young girl, clutching to her father's flapping windbreaker, wears no more head protection than a plastic tiara.

After 26 hours of travel, it is nice to see the smiling faces at Church Hotel, and even nicer to have dinner and a couple beers unexpectedly arrive in my room.

Let this experience begin.