Vietnam, Before the World Stopped

I ended 2019 on a high. Bhutan was done, momentum was on my side, and I did what any sensible person with momentum does: I decided to go somewhere else. Vietnam, February 2020. Let’s explore it and start organising backpacking trips there!

Little did I know that the world was about to come to a complete halt. Slight scheduling conflict.

Now, to be a bit more honest: I had been talking to the girl who would go on to share the next five years of my life, and I was mildly hoping she would join the trip so we could travel and explore each other a bit. Smooth, I know. She did not join. But an Instagram post somehow got two friends, Arul and Anu, to say yes. So the post did its job, just on the wrong audience.

Hanoi, and a bay full of rock

Vietnam is nice. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, kayaking, museums. Swipe through, I’m told this is more fun than scrolling.

Day 2 in Ha Long Bay: a tour boat cruising between the karsts — Day 2: off to kayak all day in the bay. Cruising through waters.

Hanoi’s train street at night, with cafés and tourists on the tracks — Hanoi’s iconic train street, tourists included.

A woven bamboo panel with a dark geometric pattern, in a museum — Any idea what purpose this is used for?

A pictographic manuscript on handmade paper, in a museum — Pictographic script. Can anyone translate it?

Stalactites lit in blue and gold inside a cave in Ha Long Bay — Inside a cave in Ha Long Bay. Photo: Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Caving and a mudbath, exactly as glamorous as it sounds.

Hanoi’s train street turned out to be famous mostly for its tourists, who stand on the tracks like trains are a rumour. In the museums I met a woven thing I still can’t explain and a book in pictures I still can’t read. Answers welcome.

The world hits pause (and so does my eye)

Then the news came in: airports were closing down. Anu cut the trip short and flew back to Canada, which was the sensible thing to do. I, on the other hand, woke up in Da Nang in the middle of all this chaos to find one eye completely red, and they wouldn’t let me board my flight without a medical clearance. Apparently a red eye in February 2020 looked a lot like a plot twist.

Since everyone was scared of Covid, I had to run to the nearest hospital for a test, only to find out it was bacterial, not viral. Great news for the world, less great for my eye, which got worse until I couldn’t open it at all. So I did what any pirate would do: I ate and slept my way through Nha Trang and Mui Ne.

Four days with the best host family

My last leg was the part I had been looking forward to most in the entire trip: staying with a host family in Ho Chi Minh City. A single mom and her 7-year-old, and my first time trying out couch surfing. I had found a Where’s Wally book for the kid, recommended by the girl I had been hoping would come on the trip, and packed lots of South Indian candies, because nothing says “nice to meet you” like a bit of sugar diplomacy.

Then my eyes turned into two tomatoes, Covid news was spreading everywhere, and there was a 7-year-old at home. I was hesitant and reluctant to go. So I called her and said, this has happened, and I don’t want to put you and the kid at risk. She checked my medical reports and said it was fine to come. She picked me up at the bus stop, took me to her house and cooked me good food. The next day, one look at my eyes and she took me to the hospital again. More antibiotics. Best host ever.

We talked a lot, and the kid adopted me. Once my eye started to recover, we played nonstop and talked even more. Oh, my love language. I made my favourite recipe, my mom’s pepper chicken and rice. It was a bit spicy, and the kid’s reaction was 🥵🥵, more, more, and she ate three small bowls. Undefeated.

Later that evening they took me out to a local traditional restaurant for hot pot, and we swapped stories about the culture and how they grew up running around the main shopping bazaar of Ho Chi Minh City. Then more running around, with the kid, blowing bubbles.

Oh, to be in a different country, in a stranger’s family, and to be shown this much love. Those four days are very close to my heart.

They eventually moved to Canada. We have spoken on call a couple of times over the years. The kid has grown up to be a big girl now. I hope she remembers me. (I definitely remember the three bowls.)

Kind people, wherever I go

In a way, I’m blessed to find kind people wherever I go. No matter what kind of mess I’m in, someone turns up with a helping hand. Over the years I have realised I’m not a very social person. Very introverted, actually. But I’m a sucker for these kinds of connections.

And the final twist: I somehow lost most of the pictures from that trip. Wish I could recover a few of them.

Cover photo of Ha Long Bay: Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The kayaking photo, the Hanoi and museum photos and the caving video are mine.