Stories from My Travels — Vietnam
I’d like to tell you a story from my travels. There are a lot of stories, some that aren’t so long and some I simply do not remember as I write this. I thought that the easiest way for me to retell stories from my travels would be by country rather than by experiences. Whenever I get asked the unfair question, “What was your favorite country to visit?”, Vietnam is always the first that pops into my mind. Why? You can eat for $1 on the street, be completely full, and then be genuinely hungry in an hour and get to fill your belly with delicious food all over again. I imagine it’s what my heaven will be like!
Vietnam — September 2014
I’ve been lucky to visit Vietnam twice, once for pleasure and another for work. I have a friend from high school who has lived there for years, and when I was first planning my Asia trip in 2014, I was only originally planning to visit my college friend in South Korea and my cousins in Thailand. When I remembered that my high school friend Beka lived in Vietnam, I quickly did flight searches to see if it was even possible and affordable. I searched a multi-city flight from Atlanta to Seoul, Seoul to Hanoi, then Seoul to Atlanta. I booked individual flights from Hanoi to Bangkok and Bangkok to Chiang Mai as they were much less expensive bought separately than as part of an itinerary (due to the flights being similar to “in-country”). Believe it or not, a multi-city flight was cheaper than a simple roundtrip from Atlanta to Seoul!
My arrival to Hanoi was picturesque. Flying over blue waters into a country that I had never known felt like a true adventure. You need a visa to enter Vietnam and had to apply for it ahead of time. Once I arrived in Vietnam, it was an odd waiting experience. You were ushered to what looked just like a customer service desk, but for visas, check in with the attendant who would give you a number on a piece of paper, and then wait for your number to be called; it felt similar to waiting at a deli or butcher shop. It was more awkward than concerning, but they reviewed my paperwork just like they would in immigration and I was allowed in the country.
My friend, Beka, met me at the airport. I ended up giving her my departure time and not my arrival time so my poor friend had been anxiously and worriedly waiting for hours wondering where I might have ended up! Luckily, she was patient and we started our trip together from the airport. It was mind blowing to hear her speak a language I was oblivious to. Vietnamese is a tonal language, and even though she felt she knew little at the time, I was in awe that she could communicate at all!
Since Beka had to work, she set me up with a local Vietnamese friend of hers who took me on a motobike tour of the city. It was so long ago that I forget all we visited, but we saw the historic center of the city, a rare Vladimir Lenin statue, and visited a Tim Burton-esque themed coffee shop. Picture halloween type decorations, dark lighting, and cubbies where small tables and benches were set for you to enjoy that vanilla latte you just ordered. I *wish* I had pictures of the place but the place was so dark that you could hardly see around. It was the end of the day and I was exhausted from the travel so we didn’t stay long.
One of the places that I remember as a video reel rolling through my head was riding the motobike on a road that crossed over a field of lotus flowers on West Lake in Hanoi, and although it was the end of the season and while there were no longer blooming flowers, it was still surreal. (If you’d like to watch a video from a pre-historic phone in 2014, click the link above.)
One of my travel goals is to ride every form of transportation in the world and Hanoi had a new one for me — a cyclo. It’s like a backwards tricycle: Customers sit in a 1 or 2 person bench seat in front and the driver is behind on a bicycle seat, peddling and steering the cyclo. Some come with an awning over top to protect you from the sun, which is what mine had. Hanoi used to allow cyclos to transport clients anywhere in the city, but due to the congestion from general car traffic, the immense number of locals using motobikes, and the general difficulty and low paying aspect of the job, cyclos are only allowed to operate in the Old Quarter of Hanoi where the tourists usually are, like me!
My friend Beka loved showing me her new home and I loved being a part of the adventure! Motobike rides with her were like navigating a puzzle with no instructions, but she knew what to do. I wanted to try the foods that Hanoi had to offer and she set up me well by ordering for me in Vietnamese and telling me exactly what I was eating! We had bánh mì from a street cart for under $1, breakfast pho, and more. I’m always the happiest when I’m eating! The best part of food in Vietnam besides how inexpensive it is, is that you can eat until you are full and then be hungry in an hour. The food is quality so it doesn’t leave you feeling gross when you’re finished.
I had virtually no expectations for what Vietnam would be like and maybe that is why it ended up being so wonderfully surprising. I can’t attribute it all to that simple fact, but it sure helps me see, experience, and try new foods with a sense of excitement and wonder! While I only got to experience Hanoi, I was still met with kindness from the people and my friend was so great to let me see her life there during my trip through Asia. I never believed I’d be able to afford to return, but luckily work brought me back just 4 years later! That’ll be one of the next stories.
What country or destination surprised you unexpectedly?
If you’d like to know more about a certain travel destination or experience, let me know by leaving a comment!
