9-13^th June 2016

It’s been a while since I’ve had those proper nerves about arriving in a new destination. I didn’t know what to expect in Vietnam though and this is the first time I’m really travelling overland. Somehow I need to get from the North to the South, through Cambodia to Thailand, Malaysia and then to Singapore. All without a plane. I’ve read stories about chicken buses and all sorts so who knows what might happen.

After I get off the plane, a kind local helps me find my “number 7” bus which the guy I’m staying with recommended me getting. I get on what is a very basic bus, pay my ridiculously cheap fare and prepare for the bumpy ride. I’m impressed when every single person has offered their seat to someone who has come on who’s more needing. When I do the same to an older chap he refuses to take the seat and says “no, no, you”. After ten minutes of us both standing ignoring the empty seat he taps me on the shoulder and says “please, you sit”. I swallow my pride and take the seat to which he smiles. “Cum oon” I say. My attempt at thank you in Vietnamese which went down a treat with everyone.

Eventually I get into town and meet up with Quan who is a small, friendly, Vietnamese chap. We hop on his motorcycle and head to his home. His family have kindly cooked up some Vietnamese food and Quan explains he’s up early for yoga. When I ask if I can join he is pleasantly surprised.

4.30am quickly comes and we’re heading over for our morning yoga.

Having only done it a few times it’s good to do it again and remind myself how much more flexible I could be. What’s really nice is that we start the yoga in the dark and then the sun rises, brightening the room, throughout the lesson.

We head back for a shower, a nap and then some local street food breakfast. Quan heads to work and kindly drops me off at the Temple of Literature. As with many of these countries I’ve visited, it doesn’t take long before I become the local tourist attraction.

Of course, I am loving the attention, the kind words and the line of selfies. It never gets old.

A few hours of this I take a stroll through one of the local parks.

B. E. A. Utiful. The short walk reminds me on a basic level how much all these countries and all the people I’ve met have so much in common. Regardless of the language, the culture and everything else, we are all human at the end of the day. We share the same basic aspirations, fears, insecurities and pleasures the world over. With an increasingly connected world, the basic infrastructures are similar and there’s a strange familiarity in the main cities of every country.

Next up is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

It’s an odd, but interesting, place, where you can see Ho Chi Minh’s body but also some abstract pieces of supersized fruit to illustrate some metaphor.

On the second day, after our yoga routine, we hit the prison museum. This is where such people as John McCain (an American pilot, now a politician) were kept during the Vietnam War. From here we head to the women’s museum. It’s interesting to read about the differences between the provinces. Some of which treat the man as the most dominant, influencing figure, whilst others treat the woman in the same way and the man is the lesser fashion. This is apparent when it comes to wedding rituals and who has to buy who the umpteen (costly) presents before getting permission from the parents to be wed.

Tonight we eat out at a fantastically retro fitted open restaurant. It’s a Korean barbeque, my first one and it is delicious. One of the best meals I’ve had on my travels.

Tonight we head to a Couchsurfing meet up. I get far too excited and start acting as if I was drunk before having drunk a thing. The yoga is obviously doing something for me! Although we leave after about an hour I have somehow got myself a date with a Vietnamese girl. The street party is really getting lively but with only a few days here, Quan suggests I should see the night market. He’s a good, honest man and I trust his judgement so we go shopping.

The next morning we’re allowed a lay in as yoga is not performed on Sundays. So up at 7am, which is late by Vietnamese standards, we head on over to the cinema to watch Now You See Me 2. It’s cheap, in English and the cinema’s really comfy and has Mountain Dew on tap.

Almost time to say good bye. We head into town to meet the girl from last night. We share some iced coffee and chat for a while. She’s really sweet and I feel fortunate that local people are coming to say goodbye to me.

I miss this place already.

Time for a 2-night train journey. This should be fun!