On my last trip to Viet Nam I thought it was slow going getting through customs. I don’t mean the line in front of me was slow; I was at the front. The guy checking my passport was just taking a really long time. I thought it might be because of my passport photo. When it was taken my hairdo was something akin to Henry Rollins’. On the day of my arrival I was sporting something more like an unwashed Pat Metheny.

Anyway, I started to suspect there might be a real problem when the young officer went off in search of a supervisor. That’s never a comforting sign at the border. Fortunately, he soon returned with no further questions or delay. He stamped my passport, smiled at me, and let me in. It was only as I getting ready for this trip that I realized what was the matter.

On my last trip to Viet Nam, my visa to enter the country was valid from June 16th. I hadn’t paid careful attention to this point and arrived in Hanoi on June 15th!

I’m sure there were all sorts of unpleasant scenarios that could have followed. Instead, they treated me like a welcome guest and made my arrival hassle free. They didn’t even say anything about it. Now that I’ve clued into it three months later, it has me thinking about the all little things people do when you’re traveling to make your stay in their country better. Quite often we don’t even notice the ways in which people go out of their way to accommodate us.. I’ll certainly enjoy this trip that much more, knowing the kindness that was extended me last time.