Traveling to Asia during coronavirus was interesting and at times worrisome. I recently returned from Vietnam and a lot has changed around the world in the last few weeks. I wanted to share my experience, not to sway people on whether or not they should travel. That of course is up to each person to decide for themselves. Rather, I would like to highlight what it was like traveling to Asia during a global crisis.
I was a little worried about traveling to Asia during the coronavirus. It was less about getting sick, even though I definitely did not want that to happen. The surge of global cases was just starting, so I was more concerned with the possibility of having to cancel my plans. My mind had been set on going to Vietnam in early 2020 for more than two years. I have not met a single person who did not enjoy their time in the country. So, my excitement only grew as time drew closer. Then in January, the world started to hear about people getting sick in China. Even though my flight was supposed to transit Beijing, I did not give it a second thought at the time. Even as China quarantined the entire city of Wuhan, I told myself that at least it was not Beijing.
Then, things started to rapidly change. Traveling to Asia started to become increasingly more difficult. Airlines canceled flights to China, to include Vietnam. Now I was worried. I knew it was only a matter of time before Vietnam would not except travelers who transited China. So, I proactively changed my flight with United Airlines free of charge for piece of mind.
In the lead up to my trip to Vietnam, it was hard to watch and read the daily news. The number of infected and deaths continued to rise. Just days before boarding the plane, South Korea, Italy, and Iran had huge spikes in cases. Fear began to set in that I would have to cancel my trip. Mostly, it was a fear of being trapped or being quarantined. If a single person on a plane or train, or someone in a hotel tested positive for the coronavirus, it would have changed everything. Most of my friends and family asked me if it was wise to be traveling to Asia during this time.
With all of that said, I still wanted to go on vacation. So, here is what was it like traveling to Asia in February and March 2020 as coronavirus cases around the globe began to spike.
On my way to Vietnam, I had several travel legs. Every experience was different at each airport. While they all acknowledged that the world was in crisis over the coronavirus, there were very few overt measures in place during most of my trip.
In the days leading up to my trip, Europe saw a spike in cases of those infected with the coronavirus. My first transit point was Frankfurt and it felt like business as usual. They were not doing temperature checks, at least none that I saw. Only one person asked me if I had recently traveled to China and hardly anyone was wearing face masks. The next leg of my trip was to Thailand. I saw more people wearing face masks, but airport officials did not check temperatures or ask any questions about previous travel.
On my return trip from Vietnam, I transited Japan. I was fortunate enough to be able to use miles to sit in first class. The first class lounge put restrictions on travelers’ activities and they limited people’s contact with other each other to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most airport personnel wore face masks, but only person asked me if I had transited China. Besides the fact that not a single flight I took was full, my trip seemed mostly normal.
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Southern Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, one of Vietnam’s major cities, still felt crowded but there were clearly fewer tourist around. And, the Vietnamese were definitely concerned about the spread of the coronavirus. As soon as I got into the taxi at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City, my driver asked, “have you heard of corona?” When I responded yes, he asked me where was my mask.
The people sitting at the front desk of my Airbnb apartment building took my temperature. I also had to give them a copy of my passport just in case I or someone else in the building got sick. That way they would be able to do accountability for travelers. However, they only checked my temperature once, so I’m not sure their methods were effective.
Some public places, like the Jade Emperor Pagoda, had signs asking that everyone wear a face mask. While other places, such as the War Remnants Museum, would not let you enter the premises without taking your temperature.
Traveling to the Mekong Delta was calm and peaceful and it felt like the pandemic was happening a world away. All of the tourists still washed their hands or used sanitizer regularly. But, everyone on the trip shared a communal meal and spent an entire day together in close proximity.
Central Vietnam
As I traveled to the central part of Vietnam, people seemed to be slightly more relaxed but still had their guards up. People definitely wore face masks. But, I was surprised that my Airbnb host in Hoi An did not talk to me at all about the coronavirus. And, they did not ask me a single question about my recent travel or did they take my temperature. There was a noticeable difference in Hue, possibly because I stayed at a hotel. They not only took my temperature, but asked me several questions about previous travel and how long I spent in each location.
The biggest and saddest sign of the coronavirus in central Vietnam was the lack of people. Chinese and South Koreans make up the large majority of the some 5 million people who travel to Hoi An and Hue each year. Since Vietnam put travel restrictions on both of these countries, the towns and all major sites were nearly bare. I never expected to have such freedom to roam Vietnam. When visited tourist sights that are normally extremely crowded, I was able ot take photos without a single person in my shot.
My Son Sanctuary
The Citadel, Hue
Northern Vietnam
My luck started to change as I traveled to Hanoi. Just a day before I had arrived in the city, a woman returning from London tested positive for the virus. She was staying within a few minutes walk from my Airbnb and the government had locked down the streets surrounding her house. They also quarantined at least 200 people and isolated another 500. Because of widespread panic, my taxi service was nervous about dropping me off at my Airbnb. Also, one tour company canceled my tour since they considered my location too close to the outbreak zone.
For the first time during my trip, my anxiety started to build. I was not so much worried about getting sick. But, I was worried about being quarantined in Vietnam or the US.
At the time, there was little I could do to change my trip or the situation besides wash my hands and clean surfaces I came in contact with. So, I enjoyed the rest of my trip. As someone new to the city, Hanoi’s old city seemed to be alive and packed. But, the locals made it clear that tourism was down because of the coronavirus. And, just like Hoi An and Hue, tourist sites in Hanoi were bare, hardly a person in sight
My final destination in Vietnam was to Halong Bay, which most consider to be one of the most touristy sites in the country. It normally has 5,000 to 6,000 tourists everyday, largely Chinese and South Koreans. However, during my time in Vietnam, the government forced companies to limited the number tours to Halong Bay because they had confirmed cases on one of the islands. Every site we visited turned out to be fairly empty and I hardly saw anyone who was not in my tour group.
Interesting Observations...
It’s getting hot in here…
During my trip, I do not think I chatted with a single Vietnamese person who did not say that it was too hot for the virus to survive in the country. Of course, that information is questionable since places like Singapore and Australia continue to see new cases. The virus is new and scientists are still trying to understand how the virus will behave in warmer weather.
Cover your mouth!
There are lots of interesting things you will discover while traveling in Asia. One thing that I found to be particularly odd, is that I rarely saw anyone cover their mouth when they sneezed or coughed. Considering all that is happening around the world because of coronavirus as well as the new outbreak in Vietnam, I was really puzzled by this.
The face mask
It is more common to see people in Asia wearing a face mask regardless of coronavirus. So, without fail, it seemed like almost everyone on the street wore a face mask. Probably because wearing a masks provides some sort of false comfort. However, most people did not properly wear them or wore them for way too long to be effective. Occasionally, I saw people take off their mask to openly cough or sneeze, and then put the mask back on. It was unbelievable.
Final thoughts...
It has been three weeks since I boarded a plane from the United States and just one week since I returned from my trip to Vietnam. Life in both countries has changed quite a bit in that short time because of coronavirus. As I finish this post, more than 85 people in Vietnam have been infected. That is up from 16 just three weeks ago. As for the United States we have gone from about 65 cases when I started my vacation to more than 24,000 today. That number will surly be higher before I publish. We have gone from a country with a vibrant economy, to more than 2 million filling for unemployment benefits this week alone.
Travel to pretty much every country on the globe has been suspended, schools are closed, and business have stopped operating. It is unclear what the next few weeks or months will bring. But, I am so grateful that I got to visit one of the most beautiful and fun countries I have been to in a long time. I am looking forward for things to get back to normal. Then, we will all once again share our cultures and ways of life with each other!