If you are familiar with cheap airline brands in Vietnam, you are probably familiar with this announcement too: “Chúng tôi thành thật cáo lỗi cùng quý khách…” - "We are regrets to inform you about the upcoming delays…”.

Me, at the airport, suffering a severe noise abuse made from apologise announcements from the Customer Anger Management Department at Tan San Nhat airport I assumed. 

After one hellish hour waiting when you are supposed to be up in the air, half way to the departure land, things decided to stop making sense. BL 802, the flight before us opened for customers. I looked at my BL 804 flight-labeled ticket and everything changed from gloomy sunday to a slightly less gloomy sunday. But it has stopped a split moment right after when the gate is opened for flight BL 806. Mathematically and logically, it doesn’t make any sense. Reality-wise, it still doesn’t make any sense. 

Things stopped making sense. Strange faces became familiar, strangers started talking to each others, swearing together...

To help stop the about-to-explode balloon of emotions contained within myself, I inhaled. I exhaled. I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes. And I decided to stop expecting. 

*taking a newly bought book and read like nothing ever happened… like never. . . 

Me, Tan San Nhat airport, flight from SGN to HAN, 4:58pm, July 27th 2014
Predict Departure: 3:35pm - Predict Arrival: 5:35pm
Actual Departure: 6:30pm - Actual Arrival: 8:30pm

A corner of Hanoi

Xoi Yen - one the the most popular street food for savoury sticky rice

Left Hanoi at dusk