Hanoi - Luang Prabang

Sunday, March 22nd

We finally bid farewell to Hanoi and Vietnam and get to the new international airport well ahead of time (it's Sunday morning, after all).

Our guide Lam insists on taking us through check-in even though we're more experienced travelers than him. We wait a couple of hours to board, and then discover it's a prop-jet to Luang Prabang - that explains the small number of passengers and the bus to the plane!

Hanoi airport clearly still serves as a military airport as well.
 

The flight takes an hour, visas another hour, but the ride to the hotel only about 15 minutes. 

At the airport there's a hitch! I get detained and taken to a back room without explanation...guess who's not a "Smart Traveller" then?

"Make sure your passport has at least six months validity from your planned date of return to Australia. Lao immigration authorities may refuse you entry into Laos, or fine you, if you have less than six months validity."

My passport only has 5 and a half months validity, but after a bit of discussion they decided to let me stay, this time. Phew - I wasn't looking forward to spending the night at the airport and catching the next plane out of Laos.

But, what about Cambodia...?! When we got to the hotel, I checked SmartTraveller.gov.au:

"Cambodian visas are normally available on arrival as well. Your passport must have at least four months' validity remaining when you apply for a visa on arrival in Cambodia. You should be aware however that all neighbouring countries (Thailand, Vietnam and Laos) require passports to have at least six months’ validity. Local immigration authorities may deny entry and deport people who do not meet this requirement, even if they intend staying only for a short period."

I can relax, I think...

Our hotel is lovely, but basic - that's the price you pay for a view of the Mekong from your room in a relatively small and remote town.

Our 10 room guesthouse is just over the road from the river - quiet, but still a bit of noisy traffic occasionally.
 

I take a walk to investigate the town while Prue has a rest - she's not been 100% since we had our coffee at the Chinese border yesterday.
 

We're on the ground floor, but will relocate to the first floor tomorrow when a room becomes free.
 

There's still a smoke haze as the ferry crosses the river and a barge goes down (up?) stream - I'm a bit confused since we looking north west.
 

Back in the centre of town (two blocks away) the regular night market is in full swing. There's the usual duplication of wares, but at least they are different from Vietnam, and the vendors are not as pushy.

Right beside he market is one of many Wat (Buddhist temples) in the town.
 

Prue's wasn't up to eating, so I dined alone - Mekong fish and chips and a (large) bottle of Beer Lao.