Moving to Việt Nam during a pandemic: Chapter 1, 26 November 2021

Viet Nam takes quarantine and the Covid-19 pandemic very seriously indeed. I'm sure they would be shocked to see the way Britain and mainland European countries have relaxed their rules on social distancing while the pandemic still rages on. Of course Asia experienced the devastation caused by SARS more than a decade ago, and I'm sure the geographical proximity and strong connections Viet Nam has to China, and to Wuhan, means it is front of mind for many people. And a good thing too.

To get to Viet Nam at the moment, you have to take a special flight and secure multiple approvals. In my case, I'm moving to Viet Nam to work, and I'm one of the few people who are eligible. I travelled from London to Singapore - flying over Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City - and then took a flight back to Ha Noi. Both flights were barely 20% full, and it was air travel of a kind I'd not experienced before. Arrival was markedly different as well. I was handed a full set of PPE - jumpsuit, goggles, shoe coverings, and latex gloves - for the short journey from the airport to the official quarantine hotel in Hanoi. My bags - and me - were sprayed with disinfectant three times before I was shown to the room where I'd spend the next seven days.

Quarantine in Viet Nam could be a lot worse. While you're not allowed to leave your room, other than to collect food from the little table outside the door, or to deposit your sealed bags of rubbish, the room itself is large, comfortable, with a big bed, a kettle, fridge and a good shower.

Meals are delivered with a ring of your doorbell three times a day, and occasionally someone takes your temperature or swags your nose and mouth for a PCR test. All the staff are fully kitted out in PPE. You can call room service for a coffee or a Bia Ha Noi or Bia Sai Gon from the menu; the meals are so generous you don't need any extra food.

The days pass quickly; I am working after all. I can now join morning calls with my colleagues in Viet Nam and other parts of Asia, and then check in with my European colleagues in the afternoon as they wake up. In the evening there are movies and box sets to watch, books to read, and online chess to play. There's even enough room to do some exercise routines.

I'll get tested again on Saturday or Sunday - it's slightly unclear whether the seven days started the day I arrived or the day after - and as long as I'm clear of Covid I'll take the one daily flight to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon Monday 29th November.

My AirBnB is booked and paid for, for the first two months while I look for somewhere more permanent and, importantly, unfurnished, as our shipment of personal effects is on its way from the UK. The AirBnB is described as an industrial loft with 5m ceilings, a walk in shower, a coffee bar and a hotel-style bed on a mezzanine. It's on the 4th floor of what the owners claim to be the oldest colonial building in Saigon, with cafes, bars, restaurants and a speakeasy to be found on the lower floors. It sounds lovely after several months of living out of a suitcase.

In the meantime I've downloaded the official Covid app, uploaded my vaccination certificate, and completed a domestic move declaration. What could possibly go wrong?