How I fell in love with Vietnam.
Vietnam was a place where my dreams have danced since my earliest memories. Although this may seem a bit strange to recall as a source of my inspiration, I remember watching Apocalypse Now and my eyes widening with intrigue and wonder. I compartmentalized the harrowing theme and focused in on the sights and sounds of the south Vietnamese villages and narrow waterways of the Mekong Delta. The desire to experience it for myself was strengthened by watching endless Anthony Bourdain series and hearing that, ironically, he too felt this passion to visit a place amidst of watching such a terorizing war film. Because I deeply respected his take on travel, I knew it had to be special for such an inspirational figure to claim it as his absolute favourite place on Earth. But to be completely honest, I didn’t fully realize to what extent a visit to this far away land could transform my entire psyche.
After a grueling journey 20-somewhat-hour joruney, we landed in the rainy, humid, chaotic, and energetic capital of Hanoi. I remember taking the taxi to our Airbnb in the old quarter and, our usually talkative selves were completely silent. We were utterly and completely awestruck. We tried to take it all in. Not like we possibly could. The sights, the sounds, the smells; our senses were overloaded in the best way possible. We opened our balcony doors to a hustling and bustling city that, at the same time, was tropical, green, and humid as hell. Next door to our place we chowed down on probably the only Vietnamese meal we knew of, good ‘ol Pho. By the way, it is pronounced “Fuh”, not “Fo”; locals told us the latter was actually how you say street in Vietnamese. Cool, I had been ordering a chicken street from the first time I found out about that savoury soup dish. That simple language mixup was the catalyst to us deciding that the next day, we would do what I would recommend to any first-time Vietnam traveller — a food tour. That night, it was the hottest and most humid weather I have ever felt in my entire life. Our clothes were soaked. We were not only fed the most delicious assortment of northern Vietnamese dishes, but we also learned how to cross the motorbike mania streets (spoiler alert: you just walk and pray you don’t get hit… don’t stop because you will get hit… fun!). This was the beginning of my love affair. Vietnam was already proving its worth in value as I expected. Every experience was better than the last.
We travelled through the entire country for the next two months, north to south, by train. Our next destination, in the mountains of Sapa was when things took a turn for the worse. We were thrown off of our motorbike. by some darting goats. We were bruised, scraped, and pretty much traumatized. I hyperventilated and screamed I would never get on another motorbike again even though it was the only way for us to get back to our hotel. After spending a few weeks recovering, we still continued on our journey with (some) high hopes. That was until my husband’s birthday, when I fractured my ankle on our way to breakfast in the morning in a beautiful place called Ninh Binh. Once again, we were out of commission for another two weeks. It just continued to spiral downwards from there. We hit the monsoons in central Vietnam and were rained in for another week. We lost some of our stuff and had numerous items of clothing ruined. We had a really hard time getting used to all the pushing and lack of line etiquette. Doubts about our decision quickly crept in. Had we made a mistake? Were all these setbacks (read: signs) telling us that we should go back home to the comfortable life we once had? The problem was, we had no “home” to go back to. We had gotten rid of it and it was, mainly, my idea to do do. Daily conversations turned into obsessions, and disagreements strained our relationship. We turned on one another so we could find someone to blame. Yet, amid the doubt, an undeniable force kept pulling us back. The people, culture, food, and landscapes conspired to teach us that worthwhile things in life come with obstacles, and it’s the perseverance through perceived failures that truly matters. To be fair, it wasn’t that hard to be persuaded. Do you have any idea how majestic Vietnam really is?
The chaotic and scooter-filled streets of Hanoi… the limestone karst’s of Ha Long Bay… the cascading rice terraces of Sa Pa… the emerald-streams of Ninh Binh…the culturally enriching Hue…the ancient and lantern-lit Hoi An…the sand dunes of Mui Ne…the mountainous coffee haven, Da Lat…the historic and bustling Saigon…and, of course, the majestic canals of the Mekong.
But, it proved to be even more special than just what meets the eye. Vietnam challenged the very essence of the dreams I had envisioned. It became a testament to my resilience when an unknown force was propelling me toward my aspirations. Because it wasn’t just about the destination. It was the journey that mattered. All of those obstacles were teaching me to look beyond the image I had seen online. Vietnam taught me patience, humility, and dedication. Most importantly, it compelled me to slow down and appreciate the world around me. The pursuit of Instagram-worthy selfies and ticking off bucket list items took a back seat. That was me when we left. I had a list I had been working on for nearly a year. All of the things I wanted, needed, and expected to experience. Vietnam taught me to let it go. The bruises, the cuts, and the scrapes taught me to let go of what I could not control, so that I would have the time to appreciate the magic that is all around me.
That’s it, my friends. That’s how I fell in love with Vietnam.
