Doughnuts and jazz? This award-winning airport bursts with personality
Despite the terminal servicing both international and domestic passengers, it's alarmingly well-organised and calm at the American Airlines' self-check-in area. No one is shouting directions at me, how can this be? Staff are friendly and helpful, and assist us in receiving boarding passes for both our flight to Miami and onward flight to Quito. We each pay for a checked bag at the kiosk, as is, rather nonsensically, how they do things in the US.
Security
It's the trifecta: shoes are off, laptops are out of the bag and so is the camera. Even so, it's very swift and organised, and no TSA staff members are losing their temper, although the woman performing the body scan machine has woken up on the wrong side of the bed. As is commonplace at airports in the US, staff check your passport and boarding pass before you reach the scanners.
Food + drink
This is where the airport shines. Café du Monde starts serving up its world-famous beignets from its small takeaway airport outpost at 4am on the dot (the icing sugar evidence is soon all over my pants), while Starbucks was serving coffee from 3.55am when I visited. If you're flying a little later or feeling festive so early in the morning, you can sink back a cocktail or two at Bar Sazerac or tuck into Vietnamese eats at Mopho. Most of the bars and restaurants are operating by 5am.
Retail therapy
Some quality souvenirs here, most of them edible. New Orleans Marketplace sells 'The Big Easy' T-shirts, Mardi Gras memorabilia, cute coasters and hoodies, pecan pralines and Café du Monde's famous beignet mix. It's worth perusing the CNBC store to pick-up some quirky local buys such as Creole praline.
Passing time
Whether it's eating, drinking or shopping, there are plenty of ways to keep yourself entertained here. If you simply feel like sitting, the gate chairs are conveniently equipped with both cup holders and power points to charge your phone.
The verdict
You had me at beignet. This airport is efficient, and as quirky as its world-famous city. Spending time here is done so without even an inkling of resentment, even if it is 4am.
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Courier-Mail
10 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
I've been to Vietnam 19 times, don't miss these must-visit spots
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Dressed in elegant ao dai tunics, hundreds of Vietnamese high-school students posed for graduation photos while the sun slipped behind Hanoi's splendid Hoan Kiem Lake. Laughing giddily and smiling broadly, their glee enhanced the atmosphere of what my brother, Conor, just described as an uncommonly upbeat city. 'There's some seriously good energy here,' he told me as we watched that jubilant spectacle unfold this January. I had promised Conor he'd adore his first holiday in Vietnam, a country with which I've become besotted across 19 visits. Hoan Kiem Lake is among Hanoi's must-visit attractions. Not only do I consider it Asia's best travel destination, but it's shaped my life in many ways. Vietnam is where I first travelled solo, where I got engaged, where my wife became pregnant, where I decided to become a travel journalist, and where I did cherished, one-on-one journeys with my mum, my brother and my late father. In the 18 years since I first landed here, Vietnam has changed enormously. I can't pretend to have a deep understanding of the pros and cons of its swift modernisation. But what's undeniable is the mood. Vietnam is on course to become Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy, overtaking Thailand, and recorded an extraordinary 40 per cent increase in tourist arrivals last year. X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY It is a country on the rise. A land of booming opportunities. During recent trips I could feel this optimism as I wandered its tourist-soaked cities, chatting to taxi drivers, hotel staff, restaurant servers and students trying to sharpen their English skills. Of course, positive vibes alone can't make a destination desirable. Fortunately for Vietnam, it also offers incredible value, elite hospitality, reassuring safety, varied landscapes, tremendous historic sites, and a world-class cuisine. Vietnam seduced me from the get-go. Somehow it's only become even more appealing. Ha Long Bay was named one of the seven new natural wonders of the world. Ha Long Bay: A natural marvel WHY: Hundreds of jungled peaks rise out of the glassy, emerald-hued waters of the South China Sea, 130km east of Hanoi. These tall limestone karst islands decorate Ha Long Bay, which is a Unesco World Heritage site together with the adjoining Cat Ba Archipelago. Both are havens for hundreds of unique forms of flora and fauna, although it is their dramatic scenery that lures most visitors. Each day, dozens of Ha Long Bay tour boats depart Hai Phong port. The best tours are on large, luxurious vessels that have on-board accommodation, and cruise the bay for two or three days. All of these boat tours commonly involve the chance to enjoy the spectacular sightseeing, a visit to a floating fishing village, passing by giant sea caves, and water sports such as swimming, kayaking and snorkelling. HOW: Hai Phong cruise port is reached by minibus from Hanoi. Avoid the Ha Long Bay day trips advertised all over Hanoi – the minibus trip alone is five hours return, which makes for a very long day. Better to book an overnight cruise, like Intrepid's Ha Long Bay Junk Cruise, which costs $395 and includes bus transfers, meals, and a modern, private room. DON'T MISS: Witnessing the sun rise or set over Ha Long's spiked islands will embed itself deep in your memory. Do this from the sundeck of the plush La Regina Legend cruise ship during Inspiring Vacations' 17-day Premium Vietnam and Cambodia tour. The cable car overlooking fishing boats and An Thoi harbour on Phu Quoc Island. Phu Quoc: A booming island destination WHY: Because Vietnam's tourist trail focuses on its historic cities while the country's beaches are largely overlooked by foreigners, even though its coastline is 3260km long. Vietnam is trying to broaden its tourism industry by investing heavily in beach getaways like Nha Trang, Mui Ne, and Phu Quoc. The latter aims to join Bali and Phuket as Asia's top island destinations. Which is a realistic target given its affordable luxury resorts, impressive theme parks, and tropical splendour. Located in Vietnam's deep south, Phu Quoc is a 50km-long island with a jungled interior, and a coastline of serene beaches, like Khem, Ong Lang and Bai Sao. Fringing these shores are many reefs where tourists can dive or snorkel among teeming marine life, a memorable activity included in Vietnam Hello World's seven-night Phu Quoc Island Beach Escape package. Meanwhile, a colossal family entertainment precinct flanks Bai Dai Beach. It consists of Disneyland-style theme park VinWonders, massive Phu Quoc Aquarium, Vinpearl Safari zoo, and Vinpearl Golf Course Phu Quoc. HOW: Australia has no direct flights to Phu Quoc. But there are up to a dozen flights a day between Phu Quoc and nearby Ho Chi Minh City, which has regular direct connections to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. Just $110 a night secures a room, with buffet breakfast, at five-star, beachfront hotels like Sonaga Beach Resort, The Shells Resort & Spa, or Thien Thanh Phu Quoc Resort. DON'T MISS: Phu Quoc is surrounded by 21 handsome islands, some of which are uninhabited, and can be visited on boat tours booked via local tour agencies and large hotels. A pho stall at a street food market in Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh Market area. Ho Chi Minh City: Food heaven WHY: Ho Chi Minh City revolves around food. Even as it's become increasingly modern, its streets remain the domain of old-school vendors doing a brisk trade in classic Vietnamese dishes like banh xeo, goi cuon, banh mi and pho. Food lovers' havens to seek out include Vinh Khanh and Co Giang streets, and Tanh Dinh Market. The latter, which is exceptional for banh xeo crêpes, is just north of several key attractions: the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Independence Palace. Prawn, pork and bean sprouts bulge inside these crispy crêpes, cooked from turmeric batter, and dipped in spicy nuoc cham fish sauce. Banh mi, meanwhile, is all over the city. But some of its best vendors are on the streets directly west of Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City's giant indoor tourist market. At these basic spots, freshly grilled pork and paté banh mi start from just $2. Pho noodle soup is similarly easy to find, with a cluster of cheap, impressive venues along the southern edge of popular September 23 park. All these Vietnamese treats, and more, can be savoured during Intrepid Travel's 12-day Vietnam Real Food Adventure package. HOW: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane all have regular direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City, which makes a great base from which to explore southern Vietnam. The Aquari Hotel in the modern District 1 neighbourhood has spacious, 40sqm Premier Deluxe rooms from $130 a night, including breakfast. DON'T MISS: Cholon is the busiest area of one of the world's busiest cities. Despite its frenetic energy, there's an undeniable charm to this, Vietnam's largest Chinatown, which revolves around its intriguingly chaotic Binh Tay market. Exploring Hanoi's Old Quarter is a must for tourists. Hanoi: Historic treasure trove WHY: While Ho Chi Minh City represents Vietnam's modern future, Hanoi embodies its glorious past. Hanoi has Vietnam's best array of historic wonders, including the giant Temple of Literature, two Imperial citadels, and the charming maze of the Old Quarter. Hanoi has been inhabited for more than 2300 years. Back then, it was commanded by the Au Lac Kingdom, which built a giant walled capital called Co Loa. Tourists can wander Co Loa's 60 remaining buildings, from temples to gates, pagodas and community halls. They also can explore Hanoi's Thang Long Citadel, built a thousand years ago to replace Co Loa Citadel. Ringed by three layers of fortifications, it has a grand collection of halls and towers and a small museum explaining Hanoi's royal history. Similarly ancient is Hanoi's Temple of Literature, a vast complex of prayer halls, pagodas and gardens. The Old Quarter is a network of 36 streets lined by heritage buildings, populated by ancient artisans, and otherwise brimming with tourist hotels, bars, cafes and souvenir shops. HOW: Hanoi has regular direct flights to Sydney and Melbourne. From Brisbane and Perth it can be reached via a flight connection in Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore. Rooms at chic La Sinfonía del Rey Hotel & Spa, alongside Hoan Kiem Lake, start from $95 a night including a buffet breakfast for two people. DON'T MISS: A side trip to Sapa. This majestic mountainside town, populated by colourful hill tribes, can be reached from Hanoi by overnight train or by sleeper bus. The Ba Na Hills and its Golden Bridge is a popular attraction near Da Nang. Da Nang: A family-friendly city WHY: Da Nang has bloomed into Vietnam's best family travel destination. Children savour its theme parks, beaches and kid-friendly resorts, and parents its luxury spas, bargain shopping and elite golf courses. This city of 1.2 million people in Central Vietnam also suits families due to being safe, clean, efficient, modern, friendly, and its setting sandwiched between a sublime coastline and forested hills. No other large Vietnamese city offers such a close connection to nature. Tourists can swim at their resort's private beach, then drive just 10 minutes into its lively downtown to get a massage, scour fascinating Con Market, gorge on fresh seafood at a rooftop restaurant, and sip local specialty coconut coffee at a cute café. Or in just 35 minutes they can reach the verdant hills directly east of Da Nang. Up there, amid the forests of Ba Na Hills, are a trove of family-friendly attractions. Wine cellars, spectacular cable cars, a recreated French village, a world-class golf course, huge SunWorld theme park, sublime landscaped gardens, and the social-media-famous Golden Bridge. HOW: Flying to Da Nang from Australia requires a connection via Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Ho Chi Minh City has direct flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, while Hanoi links up with Sydney and Melbourne. For accommodation, Flight Centre has five-star hotels in Danang from just $120 a night, including plush Four Points by Sheraton Da Nang, a 36-floor hotel with stunning views of adjacent My Khe Beach. DON'T MISS: About 15 minutes south of central Da Nang is the magnificent Marble Mountain. Tourists can ascend this cluster of limestone peaks via stairs or elevator to enter historic temples and earn panoramic views of the city and its coastline. The Hoi An ancient town at twilight. Hoi An: A photogenic wonder WHY: Few Asian cities match the colourful beauty of Hoi An, a tranquil, riverside city on Vietnam's central coast, anchored by its Unesco-listed Old Town. About 1000 historic, timber-frame buildings decorate that area, blending European, Chinese and Japanese architecture, and painted in a palette of pinks, golds, oranges, reds, greens and blues. Hoi An boomed as a trading port, in the 18th and 19th centuries, but nowadays revolves around tourism. Most of its heritage buildings host hotels, cafes, bars, and souvenir shops. By day the Old Town is dazzling, as sunlight drenches its every colour, mural, statue, stonework and wood carving. After dark, it becomes even more memorable due to the rainbow-hued light emitted from thousands of colourful traditional paper lanterns strung above its streets. HOW: Fly into Da Nang, the nearest airport to Hoi An, from a range of Vietnamese cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Then catch a 50-minute taxi ride south to Hoi An. Or visit this charming city during a cruise, such as Scenic's 18-day Highlights of Vietnam, Cambodia & Luxury Mekong, from $12,775 per person. DON'T MISS: Lady Mai's Lantern Making Workshops teach tourists how to handcraft these delicate Vietnamese lamps. For a day trip, head to Bay Mau Coconut Forest, just 3km from town, and take a basket boat trip on the river. Originally published as I've been to Vietnam 19 times, don't miss these must-visit spots
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cheap eats are (thankfully) delicious in this wallet-draining paradise
Located on Kalakaua Avenue, a 25-minute stroll north-west of downtown Waikiki, the Food Truck Park serves a local version of world cuisine, from tacos to Vietnamese barbecue (meals start at around $US15/$23). For the best-value local foods head to the strip of eateries along Kapahulu Avenue, a 10-minute drive east of Waikiki. Rainbow Drive-In is a popular drive-thru (pedestrians are welcome, too), where you can order loco moco, a bed of sticky rice topped with hamburger patties (or other meat), gravy and a fried egg. This popular style of meal, the 'plate lunch', costs around $US12 ($18) and will give you energy to tackle the afternoon surf or the hike to the top of Diamond Head (Le'ahi), the volcano crater east of Waikiki. Beyond Rainbow Drive-In is Ono Seafood, a top spot for quality and reasonably priced poke, the Hawaiian dish of raw fish covered with soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli flakes and topped with ogo, Hawaiian dried seaweed. For dessert, continue north to Leonards, a Portuguese bakery that introduced malasadas, Portuguese doughnuts, to Hawaii in 1952; here a mere $US1.85 ($2.90) will bring you sugary joy. And for some of the best Asian-inspired local food, spend half a day in Chinatown, six kilometres north-west of Waikiki. For about $US15 ($23) a meal, the food hall at the bustling Maunakea Marketplace transports you to every Asian country; Maguro Brothers is a must for sushi and sashimi. Elsewhere, dotted around the surrounding grid of Chinatown streets, are great dim sum locales and bakeries. Join the throngs at Sing Cheung Yuan, a Chinese bakery, for freshly baked char siu manapua (barbecue pork in bao buns; $US3.65/$5.60) among other things. Lastly, the famous treat of Hawaii, shave ice (no, not 'shaved ice'), is available throughout Waikiki, but for atmosphere and history nothing beats Matsumoto Shave Ice in Hale'iwa, 51 kilometres north-west. Since 1951, millions of locals and visitors have ventured here for a bowl of finely shaved ice that's topped with a vibrant rainbow of syrups and your choice of ice-cream, adzuki beans mochi and condensed milk. Nothing better represents Hawaii's colours, blend of cultural influences (past and present), and intriguing flavours of Hawaii than this concoction. All for about $US5. That's sweet indeed. The details Fly Qantas' new non-stop Melbourne-Honolulu flights depart three times a week. The airline has daily Sydney departures.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
Cheap eats are (thankfully) delicious in this wallet-draining paradise
Located on Kalakaua Avenue, a 25-minute stroll north-west of downtown Waikiki, the Food Truck Park serves a local version of world cuisine, from tacos to Vietnamese barbecue (meals start at around $US15/$23). For the best-value local foods head to the strip of eateries along Kapahulu Avenue, a 10-minute drive east of Waikiki. Rainbow Drive-In is a popular drive-thru (pedestrians are welcome, too), where you can order loco moco, a bed of sticky rice topped with hamburger patties (or other meat), gravy and a fried egg. This popular style of meal, the 'plate lunch', costs around $US12 ($18) and will give you energy to tackle the afternoon surf or the hike to the top of Diamond Head (Le'ahi), the volcano crater east of Waikiki. Beyond Rainbow Drive-In is Ono Seafood, a top spot for quality and reasonably priced poke, the Hawaiian dish of raw fish covered with soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli flakes and topped with ogo, Hawaiian dried seaweed. For dessert, continue north to Leonards, a Portuguese bakery that introduced malasadas, Portuguese doughnuts, to Hawaii in 1952; here a mere $US1.85 ($2.90) will bring you sugary joy. And for some of the best Asian-inspired local food, spend half a day in Chinatown, six kilometres north-west of Waikiki. For about $US15 ($23) a meal, the food hall at the bustling Maunakea Marketplace transports you to every Asian country; Maguro Brothers is a must for sushi and sashimi. Elsewhere, dotted around the surrounding grid of Chinatown streets, are great dim sum locales and bakeries. Join the throngs at Sing Cheung Yuan, a Chinese bakery, for freshly baked char siu manapua (barbecue pork in bao buns; $US3.65/$5.60) among other things. Lastly, the famous treat of Hawaii, shave ice (no, not 'shaved ice'), is available throughout Waikiki, but for atmosphere and history nothing beats Matsumoto Shave Ice in Hale'iwa, 51 kilometres north-west. Since 1951, millions of locals and visitors have ventured here for a bowl of finely shaved ice that's topped with a vibrant rainbow of syrups and your choice of ice-cream, adzuki beans mochi and condensed milk. Nothing better represents Hawaii's colours, blend of cultural influences (past and present), and intriguing flavours of Hawaii than this concoction. All for about $US5. That's sweet indeed. The details Fly Qantas' new non-stop Melbourne-Honolulu flights depart three times a week. The airline has daily Sydney departures.
