15-kg backpack, 43 minutes by motorbike taxi. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
I woke up at 9 this morning. Since breakfast was free, I set an alarm and forced myself out of bed. The breakfast buffet was amazing.
It wasn't very big and felt a bit quiet, but it was more than enough. Bananas and watermelon, fruit juice, pho, scrambled eggs, an omelette, two slices of bread, fried noodles, fried rice. It was an overly generous breakfast.
Then I took another nap for about an hour and a half. I felt like I had a powerful dream. I don't remember what it was, but it stirred up strong emotions. I finally woke up at 11:45, so I quickly packed and checked out.
Starbucks refugee, heading to the airport
After checking out of the hotel I walked to Starbucks. But maybe because it was around 1 pm, it was packed. So I called a bike to go to the nearby Starbucks Reserve. It was only 0.6 km, but walking felt tough. When I arrived at the Reserve, it was full again. I had wanted to work there, but couldn't.
So I decided to just head to Noi Bai International Airport and called a taxi. While filming a French diary video, I ordered a motorbike taxi this time. It was 24 km and would take 43 minutes, but I wanted to see what would happen if I rode a motorbike taxi carrying a 15 kg backpack. I wondered if I could actually make it.
15-kg backpack × motorbike taxi × 24 km
Surprisingly, I made it. Of course I got numb and my lower back hurt a lot. When I forced the backpack onto the bike it put awkward pressure on my lower back, so I decided to carry it myself. I endured it by distributing the weight between my chest and hips. Since I was listening to music, it was actually fun.
After arriving at Noi Bai Airport I checked in without problems and went to the lounge. I worked and wrote in my journal there. While filming with my Osmo Pocket 3 in the lounge, an Indian man nearby came up and asked, 'What kind of camera is that?' I told him about the camera. I think it's amazing how Indians just act without overthinking. This is precisely the difference between countries and cultures, and therefore different ways of thinking. It's really fascinating. I just wish I could, when I'm interested in someone's camera, go up and say 'Excuse me' and start a conversation like that.
A memory of the bubble tea from two years ago
I was excited again because it was Vietnam Airlines. I couldn't forget the bubble tea I drank on a Vietnam Airlines flight two years ago.
When I left the lounge and went to the area with lots of shops, I found something that looked like that bubble tea. I thought about buying it, but then the boarding announcement came, so I queued.
I thought I wanted a model of a Vietnam Airlines plane, but it would just be extra luggage... Still, if I can only buy it now, maybe I should. Well, something like that (laughs).
From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh
I boarded the Vietnam Airlines flight, which was delayed by about an hour. This time it was a large aircraft with a 3-3-3 layout. It was my first time in a while on a large AIRBUS. I realized there are indeed a lot of people going from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. Maybe I was tired, because I fell asleep during the flight even while watching the map on the screen. When I woke up, the inflight meal had been put down.
This time my seat was the aisle at the very back — the spot least likely to die in a plane accident. I always request seats when checking in; the only airline that has denied me was Cebu Pacific. So I generally always make requests.
It was my first time getting an inflight meal on Vietnam Airlines. When I opened it, it was chicken noodles. They probably offered 'beef' or 'chicken', and while I was asleep they must have given me the less demanded chicken.
It tasted pretty good. It's really something that you even get an inflight meal on the domestic flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. Even when I flew from Chubu Centrair Airport to New Chitose in Hokkaido in Japan, there was no inflight meal.
Arriving in Ho Chi Minh, and the feeling of adventure
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh after a 1 hour 30 minute flight. I picked up my luggage safely and went outside. For some reason I felt a bit homesick for Hanoi, but I also felt a great sense of accomplishment upon arriving in Ho Chi Minh, and I smiled a lot.
I took a selfie too. Carrying my backpack and feeling like I was on an adventure made me really realize, 'I'm really adventuring.' That made me very happy.
A message from Ann
When I opened Instagram, there was a message from Ann. It was a very long text. (Translated from Vietnamese)
I'm crying right now..
We only met by chance for a short time, and I never expected to feel such a deep connection with you. Everything was natural and flowed gently, yet something very deep remained inside me. After you left, I felt a hollow, like a hole had opened in me — it was the feeling of emptiness I hadn't felt in a long time. I don't know if you felt the same way... but honestly, I really miss you.
At first I was really happy. She's an ISFP, so she hardly ever writes such long messages, yet she opened up about her feelings. I was truly happy from the bottom of my heart. At the same time, I felt a kind of sadness, or rather a complicated feeling. I'm already in HCMC and won't be returning to Hanoi for a while. There was longing, complicated feelings, and happiness — many emotions.
(Actually the next day the message had been deleted, and I got: 'omg i was so drunk last night that I texted a bunch of nonsense. so embarrassing 🫣 please just ignore them 🙏 sorry 😂'. What the heck! (laughs))
But I was genuinely happy.
Night on Bui Vien Street
I called a bike with Grab to the hotel. This time it's near Bui Vien Street, so it's super noisy at night. But I thought, that's fine — it's lively, after all.
At the nearby 7-Eleven I bought purple sweet potato juice, two probiotic yogurts, a salad, and a karaage bento. As dinner, I ate because I was very hungry. After that I worked and wrote in my journal, and another day ended.
Lately I've been able to keep up my daily French diary, and I do the jaw-strengthening exercises every day while showering. I'm proud of myself for maintaining these daily habits. That's what I think.
