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Unfortunately, I was stuck with a middle seat on my flight, but it was only a two-hour hop on a Boeing 737, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable, especially since the seats had decent padding and seatback entertainment monitors. According to Skytrax, Garuda Indonesia won the Best Cabin Crew award last year and I can see why. Service was excellent even in economy, with full meals and very pleasant interactions, on this short haul to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK).

I was very surprised to have a hot breakfast in economy class on such a short flight. I guess what surprises me with better service outside the country is the frequent domestic US flyer. It wasn’t a restaurant-quality meal, but the omelet tasted fresh and the sausage was decent. I also appreciated the eco-friendly wooden cutlery.

The only downside of this flight was the lack of Wi-Fi, although since it was so short, it wasn’t a problem for me.

Flight 5: Vietnam Airlines

My day was going pretty smoothly until I got back to CGK and was checking in for my Vietnam Airlines flight. That’s when I encountered a few snafus.

My visa for Vietnam was not originally processed because there was an error and it needed some corrections. I submitted revisions on time and was told that it would be resolved within three working days, but in the end, it was not processed on time. Because of that, I was forced to pay a hefty fee of $370 to get an expedited emergency visa on arrival. It was just my luck that my original visa was processed the morning after I arrived in Vietnam.

Once I sorted that out, I asked the Vietnam Airlines check-in agent to add my SAS Eurobonus number to my ticket, and they told me I was the 11th person that day to ask for it to be added. I really hope there are some TPG readers out there chasing this million miles with me.

After clearing security and immigration, I went to the Plaza Premium Lounge, where there weren’t many food and drink options on offer and the air conditioning didn’t seem to be working. Needless to say, I didn’t linger.

Once I boarded the Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 that would take me to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, I realized I was lucky to have an exit-row seat with extra legroom.

During this flight, there was another full meal service with a choice between a chicken or beef dish. I chose the beef, the sauce was delicious, but the meat itself was very tough.

Like my previous Garuda flight, this one had no Wi-Fi, but that was fine because the flight time was less than three hours.

Vietnam Highlights

From motorbike-filled streets to bustling cities to scenic beaches and mountains, I wish I had five days, not five weeks, to explore Vietnam. I will definitely be returning.

For this trip, I started in Ho Chi Minh City, which was bustling with pre-holiday activity. I spent a few days exploring its various neighborhoods and wandered through the temples, its impressive central post office and the famous Bui Vien walking street that is popular with backpackers.

I stayed at Le Méridien Saigon, which had an excellent breakfast and cost about $130 or 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.

Of course, I ate as much local Vietnamese food around town as I could, from steamy pho to crusty banh mi sandwiches to ultrafresh goi kuon (summer rolls). It was all delicious.

After two days in Ho Chi Minh City, I took a quick two-hour shuttle flight to Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), where I spent the next three days.

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hanoi, where I paid a total of $260 for three nights. This turned out to be an excellent choice as the hotel had free laundry facilities and I had a pile of clothes that needed washing.

In Hanoi, I saw temples, pagodas, the Old Quarter and the famous Hanoi Train Street, which was something to behold. The number of markets, cafes and street vendors selling food and other items along the train tracks was staggering. I arrived early enough to get a seat in the cafe so that I could watch the train roll by from where I was sitting. It was fun.

And just like I did in Ho Chin Minh City, I tried almost every local dish I could find, plus a delicious pizza at a restaurant called Pizza 4ps that turned out to be delicious.

Overall, I had a great time in Vietnam.

When I return, I want to try the Ha Giang loop, a famous four-day motorcycle route in the northern mountains, and hit the beaches of Da Nang on the central coast.