Checkout, 35,000 dong Pho
I was supposed to wake up at 10:30 today, but I naturally woke up around nine. Lately I wake up naturally. Japan is +2 hours, so maybe I still have some jet lag.
Today was checkout day, so I took a shower, did my skincare, and hurried to get ready. Packed everything. I had a lot of luggage this time, but not as much as when I was in Thailand, so it fit into my backpack normally. I had a Colombia bag, so I was carrying a backpack in front of me, but it was very comfortable.
I checked out at noon and walked out. I had planned to go to Lotteria, but I thought I shouldn't be eating fast food all the time. While walking I found a nice pho stall. Street stalls are definitely tastier than restaurants.
After putting down two backpacks weighing nearly 20 kg, an older man said something in Vietnamese, gave me a thumbs up and said “Good.” The staff didn’t want to come near me and were talking among themselves. I think they were wondering where I was from or something like that. I asked if there was an English menu but there was no response, so I said, “Pho Ga, one.”
The chicken pho was really delicious. It was an incredible 35,000 dong (about ¥200). The restaurant I went to with Samu yesterday was 100,000 dong, more than twice as much. I really prefer the local places.
Working at Phe la, and a new place to stay
I headed to Phe la, worked, issued invoices, and wrote in my diary. I spent time there until nearly 6 PM.
Nga has the day off tomorrow, so we planned together. We decided to make perfume and do a craft as a memento. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. But at the same time I have work to do, and my schedule is packed right now. That's why I want to value my time.
I checked into a new place. This time it was right in the center, and there was a smell of fish and raw meat. The room was nice, but the shower couldn't be used so I had to squat to wash myself. Still, I didn't complain about every little thing. That's what travel is like. The inconveniences are what make it interesting. If everything were convenient it would be boring.
Samu and the Hanoi train street
Samu reached out saying he was returning to Australia tomorrow, so we decided to go to a spot where you can see Hanoi's train up close. After checking into the hostel I got ready and walked there.
Samu and his girlfriend were already drinking beer and looked really tired. Samu seemed like a different, much calmer person compared to when I met him in Indonesia; he looked very tired. Maybe being with his girlfriend makes him feel secure. I think that's a good thing. We talked about differences in rent between Japan and Australia and future plans.
When the train is about to come the atmosphere changes completely. The staff hurriedly set up chairs and tried to attract customers. I ordered a Hanoi beer and drank it, but I didn't get drunk at all. Why is that? Maybe because I was on edge?
I thought about things like that. I had a great time with Samu and hope we can meet again in some other country. After the train left I returned to the hostel. I was really excited because I had a date with Nga.
Smell of a drain? Bún đậu mắm tôm
Nga came to pick me up and we went to a restaurant together. Today we ordered Hanoi's local dish "Bún đậu mắm tôm," which some Vietnamese people can't eat.
She comes here often and was chatting with the staff. While we were heading there I hugged her from behind and pressed my cheek to hers. Those kinds of actions felt very comfortable and gave me a sense of security.
I tried the Love Language test and, as I thought, I'm not the type who feels loved by receiving gifts or nice words. I feel love more from actions, from physical touch.
I think that's the real proof of love. Anyone can say kind words. Receiving a letter is nice because the other person used their precious time, not because of the content. That's what I think.
The sauce came out first and the smell was so strong I wondered if people dipped it in drain water to eat. Nga laughed at my reaction. A basket with rice noodles, meat, vegetables, something like spring rolls, and various other things came out, and you dip them in this sauce to eat. It smelled strongly of shrimp paste.
When I actually tried it, it wasn't that bad, but the flavor was very intense. I started to get tired of it halfway through and asked to switch to fish sauce, and surprisingly it went down smoothly.
Nga loves local cuisine and prefers eating at local stalls over Western restaurants. I think there's her own kind of love in that.
Dinner while watching Conan
While we were eating we talked a little and watched Conan. She likes Conan and often watches it while eating. On a date I thought we'd normally talk, but she suddenly took out her phone and watched Conan in Vietnamese. It was so funny.
She doesn't put on airs or try to look good; she just is herself. I like that. Knowing she isn't trying means I don't have to try either. A relationship like that is the best.
She paid for dinner. Even though she knows I have money, she paid for this. It's not the mindset of "you have money, so always pay." She's independent in her own way. That part of her is really lovely and made me happy.
To Hoan Kiem Lake, the place of our first date
We went to Hoan Kiem Lake. We remembered our first date there: "We sat here," "We kissed here," and talked about those things a lot.
She talked more than usual. She bent her index and middle fingers into a crab-like motion, which was funny (it wasn't actually a crab though).
We sat on benches many times, kissed, kissed on the cheek, and had lots of skinship. I thought Vietnam would be conservative about these things, but it wasn't the case at all.
I think it's much freer than Japan. Nga was a little conscious of people's looks, but I didn't care. I was focused on her and didn't care what others thought of us.
It started to rain, so I lent her my raincoat. While walking we saw people wearing raincoats dancing—maybe a concert rehearsal—and fans singing loudly.
I thought it was nice. Everyone was young and energetic; it's a wonderful country. Wherever you look most people are in their early twenties. I thought that was great.
She wanted ice cream and acted cute, so we went to MIXUE and ordered a soft serve. It was 10,000 dong (¥55). Super cheap. I couldn't say it tasted great, but it was fun so it was fine.
We also took purikura together. This time the background was pink and we took ten shots, but it was so fast there was no time to think of poses. So we just hugged and kissed. She was clumsy and not used to it, so she didn't look great in the photos, but that was cute in its own way.
She walked me back to the hostel and we said goodbye. It was a very fun day. She talked more and opened up more than I expected, which was proof of that. I was really happy.
