Last week was spring break and I somehow managed to convince my good friend Corey to travel all the way from Halifax, Canada, to meet me in Vietnam. We got to spend ten days traveling around the country.
Hey Corey, thanks for coming! You were the best to travel with!
Vietnam is amazing because:- There are gorgeous plants and flowers growing out of pretty much everything. SO MUCH GREEN!
- Everything looks absolutely stunning, like stop-in-your-tracks beautiful.
- The food is fabulous. Street food, traditional food, foreigner food, ALL the food was good.
- The people are so chill and kind and awesome.
- The sightseeing is a 10.
WE HAD A BALL!
HANOI
We started by spending a few nights in Hanoi. Everyone told me that Hanoi was cool to see, but that it was pretty chaotic overall. Surprisingly, I adored Hanoi and would have happily spent extra time there. I was weirdly into the chaos of it all. I LOOOOOVED it!
Yes, the pace was crazy, but the vibe was almost serene. It was busy, but CHILL busy. No one was in a rush, or cranky, or aggressive. Things were moving at all times, but everyone was just calmly doing their thing. Here is a clip I took while overlooking an intersection.
All the stories about crossing the street in Vietnam are true. It was quite a thing to get used to. Traffic never stops, so you literally just step into the street and slowly, consistently walk forward. It's only when you stop that you are in danger, since the scooters are 100% used to just driving around you. It's your hesitation that throws the drivers off. One guide made a joke that the best way to cross the street is to close your eyes and walk straight ahead, which honestly would have probably worked out fine. It felt like those trust fall exercises except with racing motorcycles and cars almost running you over at all times. We definitely got the hang of it though!
We went to see water puppets, this super cool traditional art form where people stand behind a curtain and use rods to control these puppets in waist-deep water. SO COOL!
We visited the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university.
The food was so, SO good.
There was also an AMAZING trend of altars worshiping Choco Pies. ALL HAIL THE CHOCO PIES!
Asian power lines I tell you.
There are gorgeous lakes in Hanoi which are perfect for leisurely strolls.
HA LONG BAY
We then spent two nights on a boat cruise in Ha Long Bay. There are no words for how great that was. SO MAJESTIC! The only downfall was my uncontrollable and incessant singing of I'm On A Boat (which was funny for all of two seconds). Corey, thank you for not throwing me overboard during that difficult time.
We got to do so many cool things. We went through limestone caves!
We went through caves on bamboo boats!
We chilled out on deck!
We biked to a little village on Cat Ba Island!
We went kayaking!
We saw some wild langur monkeys!
We enjoyed the views from our room!
And lastly, we visited a floating house!
It was all so, so great. We were sad to leave the boat, but happy to be back on solid ground. We took the four hour shuttle back to Hanoi and spent another night in that fantastic city.
HOI AN
Then, we hopped on a plane and flew to Hoi An, this gorgeous little town most known for its traditional yellow paint and the clothing tailors found on every corner. A daisy-patterened suit, anyone?
Although Hoi An was pretty packed with tourists, the visual elements were out of control. The greenery, lanterns, and view of the river were totally gorgeous. We biked/walked everywhere and checked out a bunch of historical spots.
The beach was on the busy side for a Nova Scotian such as myself, but I am a mermaid so I was pumped to swim.
SEW ZEN RITE NOW.
Vietnam also has INSANELY good coffee and I happily fuelled my raging caffeine addiction with two cups a day.
We loved banh mi, a traditional dish of DELICIOUSLY spicy meat/veggies on a crunchy bun.
We were evidently very sad that our travels were coming to an end. We flew back to Hanoi for our last night in Vietnam. It was the best vacation I've had in so, so long.
Corey and I said our goodbyes and I hopped on a plane to Seoul. Poor Corey had a 30ish hour trek back to Halifax, so he won many gold stars for making the journey.
I spent a night in Seoul with my pal Maria, and we had a fun night celebrating my last night of spring break. Thanks for hosting Maria! We had Sunday brunch and then it was time for me to head back to Jeju.
I am back to work but with only two months remaining on my contract. It feels great to see my girls again. TIME IS FLYING!
I hope to find myself in Hanoi again because that place is magic.
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