Vietnam to Thailand: Proof You Can Have an Amazing Trip Even If You Miss the Main Event

Sky Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand? Yes, please! Sign me up. The pictures on The Instas are amazing, and I watched an entire vlog about the experience in 2024, so I’m fully an expert now. I bought plane tickets and everything. But then… Thailand’s beloved Queen Mother died and the entire country entered a 3-month long state of mourning. I don’t blame them. She was much loved and will be remembered. Her birthday is also Thailand’s Mother’s Day. As another damper on the festivities, the rainy season was supposed to end in October. It’s November, and it’s still raining. Sigh.

Getting there

Before I left Hanoi, Vietnam, I finally managed to make my way to the two Train Streets in the city. There is one north of the train station and one south. You can have a coffee (or beer!) from either undercarriage level or up on a terrace. Then you get the experience of a lifetime as this massive heavy train loudly lumbers past close enough to reach out and touch! I didn’t actually stick around for a train, but I did get loads of pictures of the gorgeous streets for you all.

I also finally went downstairs to the adorable bar in my apartment building. My host has been trying to get me down there since the day I moved in, but they don’t open until 7:30pm, and drinking before bed messes with my sleep. I like my sleep. But I finally went and had a great time chatting with the host and gentleman from Türkiye. The bartender made me the most amazing Piña Colada I have ever had! Made with fresh pineapple!

My host was graciously having us try various local snacks and ultimately made a special shot for everyone. Here’s the thing. Many a cautionary tale has been told about accepting free shots at a bar… especially in this particular region of Southeast Asia. But the host is so nice, and there is no way to say no to her without being incredibly rude. Plus, the shot is delicious, so there is that. Nobody died or went blind. Winning!

Hanoi was fun with amazing food but extremely busy. Drivers of both motorbikes and cars do not stop for anything, so if you want to cross the street, you just have to start walking and weave your way through the traffic like a well choreographed dance. It’s actually kind of fun once you get the hang of it! I walked all over that city and tried a ton of different restaurants. And then on the last day, I finally found the best Bún chả place! I miss you already!

Lounge

My flight out wasn’t until 3pm, but Hanoi airport has a really nice lounge, so I want to get there early. With my shuttle scheduled, I was really surprised when the driver texted me to ask if we could leave early because traffic was getting such that I might miss my flight. Come get me! He wasn’t lying. An accident had closed down the highway to the airport, and we had to take the side streets. Glad I left early!

Now I know what you are thinking. What about all the whingeing about packing? Well, I purchased an authentic replica duffle, so that I could check one more bag and not freak out trying to get my carry-on and backpack combined to weigh less than 7kg. And this airline 100% weighed my carry-on to make sure I met the weight requirement.

Once through security (are we really back to taking off our shoes again!?!) and immigration, I walked into one of the nicest lounges I have been at (thanks travel credit card!). So much food and all kinds of drinks! I was finally able to try the Salt Coffee I had been reading about in Hanoi. It’s really good! It has a salty-sweet foam (egg yolk?) on top of Vietnamese coffee. You have to try this if you visit. I had a great time people watching as well.

I think I need a restroom

Unfortunately, I’ve been having some stomach issues lately. Too much salt? Fatty foods? Gluten? Either way, I was very excited (but nervous) to find an extremely fancy Japanese toilet in the lounge bathroom. You know the kind with all the buttons and heated seats? I must admit that the heated seat was really weird in a shared bathroom. It was freakishly warm!

Well, lucky for me, the directions were in English and Vietnamese. There were buttons for spraying front, back, or a broad gentle mist. Then another button for air dry. I took a chance and pushed hard-spray-back. The water was warm! And the Stop button worked instantly. Way easier than the bum guns I’ve been getting used to all over Southeast Asia. I feel so clean! Can I travel with one of these in my luggage?

Time to head to the plane

I got to my gate about five minutes before boarding is supposed to start, to find there is no plane there. Um… I guess we are running late. Looking around, I started to realize that a good half of the people waiting for the plane were wearing identical hats and appear to be some sort of tour group. Lots of older folks going to Chiang Mai for possibly the same reason I am? Got to love a good festival!

Their guide made those poor folks stand up and get in line around the time that boarding was supposed to start. Still no plane. Some rebelled and sat back down. There was lots of chatter in several languages that I couldn’t understand. Then, I was surprised when boarding began immediately upon arrival of the plane. Don’t people have to get off the plane? Turns out there is yet another sealed waiting-area down the ramp.

An hour later, we finally take off and arrive in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in no time at all. So remember that tour group I told you about? Once we all got to immigration, those poor folks were having the hardest time. Actually, loads of people were getting sent out of line to a different line. There was definitely a language barrier. From what I could gather, the tour group filled out their paperwork for Thailand more than three days ago, so they now have to do it all over again before they can enter. 

There was a tour group coordinator with a printout of all of their entry QR codes floating between all the different immigration lines (is this legal?) trying to get people entry despite the more than 72 hours of filing out the form. The immigration agents were having none of it (politely). To the computers in the corner! Unfortunately, as such a large group without their paperwork in order (and not understanding why it wasn’t in order), it created a significant delay.

Get me out of here!

What a pain! I use a website (IATA Travel Centre) that tells me all the paperwork I need and when it can be filled out. It’s based on the same system, Timatic, most airlines use to confirm you have everything you need to board the flight. Every country has something different, and it changes constantly as systems are upgraded or countries make agreements with other countries for improved relations. In August, when I entered Indonesia, they required three separate forms (no more than three days old) along with a visa application (no more than 90 days old). Now it’s just one. And my new visa application for my next trip to Vietnam could not be done while I was actively in Vietnam. It keeps me on my toes!

Time to find an ATM and grab a taxi. Here’s the thing. I could not find an ATM, so no cab for me. With that, I ordered a shared ride. That was a bit weird because they wanted a photo of my credit card before I could get the ride, but I used a virtual card that could only be used for a single company (technology is amazing!). So, I pulled up a picture of the card on one device and took a picture of the virtual card with my phone. It worked! And I got a female driver, which makes me happy.

Crap! Crap! Crap! We are back to driving on the left side of the road. It took me forever to get used to that in Indonesia, then I switched back in Vietnam. One of these days, I’m so going to get run over looking the wrong way while crossing the street. Sigh. The hotel is cute but tiny, and the shower is a wet shower with no curtain. So, the toilet and floor get wet every time I shower. Weird.

Um… are you sick?

At least the toilet comes with a bum gun (though quite violent, this one!). You can’t put toilet paper in the toilet, and you can’t drink the tap water. The hotel gives me two bottles of water a day, so I’ll have to head to 7-11 (yup… you read that right) for more water (another surprise is that the 7-11s, aka Sevvies!, have a plethora of ATM’s). There are water refill stations around town to help reduce plastic waste, but I read they are not serviced often and recent testing had a 50% failure rate. I’ll skip that, thank you very much.

Plus, my travel buddy definitely has food poisoning (from that fancy lounge? plane food? who knows). It’s not pretty, and I’m glad I didn’t eat whatever caused the issue. With that in mind, healthy, safe hydration is very important right now. At least the food is pretty dang good here! Although, I’m surprisingly having a hard time finding gluten-free foods. I’m used to Thai food in the US being gluten-free, but most of the oyster sauce is thickened with wheat flour, rendering a lot of Thai food not safe for this lady.

The main Northern Thailand dish is Khao Soi, which is egg noodles smothered in red curry and topped with fried wonton noodles and some kind of meat (like a bone-in chicken leg or crispy pork belly). It looks and smells delicious… but I can’t eat it. Most of the other curries (Gaeng) are safe though, and I’m working my way through all of them (Red, Yellow, White, Green, Phanaeng, Massaman, Tom Yum and Hung Le!). I even have to watch out for the ice cream and desserts with shaved ice here because some vendors add cake. Tricky.

Chiang Mai really surprised me because it is massive (second biggest city in Thailand) but really feels like a small village, at least where I’m staying in Old City. Everywhere I turn, there is a new or old Buddhist temple or gorgeously decorated entrance to a hotel or office. There are flowers and vegetation everywhere. Traffic is light with very few honking drivers (complete opposite of Hanoi, Vietnam, where tapping the horn is commonly how you enter any intersection… meep-meep!). Sidewalks are few and far between and still the most dangerous aspect of walking around.

Let’s talk about why I’m really here

I’m here for the Sky Lantern Festival! Yi Peng! Which happens to overlap with the Water Lantern Festival (Loy Krathong) so I get back-to-back festivals! If you don’t know, a sky lantern is a rice-paper sack with a candle attached to the open end by a bamboo frame. You light the candle, let the sack fill with hot air until the entire thing starts to float upward, and release it into the sky. You send your bad luck up and away while you pray for good luck during the coming year.

A water lantern is very similar in purpose but very different in style. Instead of sailing off into the sky, after lighting the candle and some incense, you release your gorgeous flower-decorated floating lantern made of banana leaves down a river or canal. Styrofoam has been banned, so I’m really hoping all the ones I saw were made from that biodegradable corn stuff. Otherwise, it’s not very lucky for the river!

Here’s the thing… Thailand’s beloved queen just died, and the country is in a state of mourning. Therefore… a lot of things are canceled. No fireworks. The free sky lantern launching festival at Doi Saket Lake is closed. Plus, with so many humans releasing sky lanterns this close to the airport and, therefore, delaying or canceling flights, sky lanterns are no longer allowed to be sold or released within city limits. And they were not messing around this year, with police in full force.

No sky lanterns?

That means the only way to see the sky lanterns is to pay for a tour ($100 USD per person!) and travel out of town… and they are all sold out, anyway. Sigh. It’s super rainy, and my stomach makes me think I should not be in a vehicle for a 45-minute drive, so I’m not too bummed. Plus, there is a ton of stuff to see close to home. Time to head to the opening ceremony. Fire spinners! Daab sword and Phlong staff drills by Krabi-Krabong practitioners! Dancers! Drummers! So many costumes and colorful lanterns! People are lighting candles everywhere in celebration… and to bring good luck.

It started to rain slightly, and I decided it was probably best to head back to my hotel. I did make one detour to check out a heavily decorated Buddhist temple with loads of lanterns. So pretty! And then the rains really started! By the time I walked into the lobby, I was completely drenched, and my tennis shoes were squishing. Which is ridiculous because the hotel offers free umbrellas to use, but I forgot to grab one.

Okay, it’s time for Loy Krathong. I read online that people gather along the Nawarat Bridge to watch the release of thousands of water lanterns into the Ping River (I’m hoping no styrofoam as that has to bring bad luck!). Venders were selling bright, flowery, homemade water lanterns everywhere, and several streets were closed for pedestrians. Here’s the thing… the closer I get to the bridge, the more and more people there are until hardly anyone can move, let alone see anything. I think the thousands of people who came for this festival read the same thing I did!

No water lanterns?

I finally made my way to one side of the bridge, and this nice gentleman gave me a spot at an overlook. Below me was a tiny trail down to the water, where dozens of people were desperately trying to release their lanterns without slipping on the mud into the fast-moving water. Desperate tourists were lighting their lanterns on fire and tossing them in with a splash, consequently putting out the lantern. It was very amusing!

Another guide on the internet mentioned a canal where water lanterns could be released. Time for an adventure! I had to legit force my way back through the crowds while avoiding traffic. Everyone was still trying to make it to the bridge! Chaos! It was a long hike, but I finally made it to Mae Kha Canal. The city had recently spent a lot of money to clean up the canal, and it shows. It is beautiful! Lots of lights and statues and venders. Plus lanterns, of course!

The canal has raised sidewalks on both sides with the occasional pedestrian bridge connecting them. In order to get the water lanterns into the water upright and still on fire, volunteers had wire-mesh ladles (spiders) attached to long poles so they could gently place the floating pieces of artwork into the flowing water. Unfortunately, there are a few small waterfalls along the canal, and most of the lanterns didn’t make it over the falls. Fun to watch though!

The next day

I had a very pleasant walk back to my hotel room, spotting several more Buddhist temples, lots of street art, and bats. I really love bats! Total walk was 8k. The next day, I left early for the parade. It was supposed to start at 5pm, but I suspected 6pm because it’s a lantern parade and those look best at night. I saw a couple of the beautifully decorated floats as I was walking to find a spot to sit. As I was looking, I was super excited to find a second-floor balcony with only one person on it.

After purchasing drinks downstairs, I headed up and grabbed a seat with an absolutely epic view of the street below. The lady up there said the parade would start after dark (6pm) and come from the other direction than I expected. If she’s right, we will be here a really long time before they get to us. I don’t think she’s right, though. So we wait and wait and wait. The street below fills up (people are getting snacks from vendor carts and sitting along the curbs) and our balcony becomes a hot spot. And we wait.

The sunset is very pretty, especially with the temple across the street. We wait. Finally after two hours, floats start lumbering down the street. So pretty and all lit up. After fifteen minutes, the last float slowly travels past, and an absolute sea of people follows. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in all my life. Thousands are following the parade. And did I just wait two hours for a 15 parade? For real? I wait for the mob to clear and head downstairs for the bathroom.

More parade?

Outside I found a vendor selling charcoal-grilled meats on a stick! Noms! Once those were gone, I looked up to spot another gorgeous float heading my way. The parade is still going!?! The balcony I was just on is fully packed now. I’ve lost my spot. And while the locals are about my height, most of the tourists are too tall to see over. But a lot of them are still moving with the parade, so I actually end up getting a very good view.

All in all, I had a great time watching another hour of parade festivities go past. Floats and lights and dancing and music and so many lanterns! It was really good. I chatted with a really nice Australian for a bit. He said he’s never seen it this busy with tourists. That reminded me that a couple of days ago, I met a German tourist who said he couldn’t stay for the festivals because hotel rooms were going for €1,000 euros a night! I’m so glad I booked my place six months ago, so I’m only paying $30 USD a night.

After a pleasant walk home with several bat sightings, I realize that I’m glad I came to Chiang Mai for these celebrations. But I’m looking forward to my train ride to Bangkok coming up soon. All the research I did about buying train tickets indicated that I could buy them a couple days before the ride with no problems. Buy a week before if you want a sleeper car. Well, I walked down to the station two weeks before my travel date, and they were completely sold out for the express train. I’m going on the slow train and in 2nd class with no AC. Whatever. The weather is lovely, so it should still be wonderful. I’ll be up for the sunrise! Wish me luck!