24 hours in Saigon Airport

I was on a two-stop journey across Southeast and South Asia: Indonesia to Vietnam, then onward to Ahmedabad, and finally to Mumbai. After landing in Saigon, I settled into a seat near my gate for the flight to Ahmedabad, keeping a casual eye on the departure screen.

Every few minutes I checked the boarding status, but nothing changed. After a long stretch of silence, I finally walked up to the counter to ask about the delay.

"Oh, you’re six minutes late," the agent said. "We even called your name. Where were you? The gate is closed now, and the bus is already taking passengers to the plane."

"You can catch the same flight tomorrow at the exact same time," he added. Then, spotting my US passport, he paused. "Do you have a visa for Vietnam?"

I didn't. I had never planned on stepping foot outside the transit area.

I scrambled around to see if I could secure an emergency short-term visa, but had no luck. I checked if there was a transit hotel inside the terminal—another dead end.

My best remaining option was the airport lounge. The agent at the desk informed me that stays were strictly capped at three hours per visit. "However," he added with a slight smile, "you can check out after three hours, rescan, and come back in for another three."

Unsure how strictly they enforced the policy, I settled into a chair and began to doze off. Sure enough, like clockwork, an attendant woke me up every three hours to rescan my Priority Pass card. I would swipe, nod, and head right back to sleep.

I repeated this three-hour ritual eight times.

Finally, it was time to board the next day's flight. This time, I didn't rely on the departure screens. I stood directly in front of the gate, determined never to make that mistake again.