I woke up at 8 AM. Flo and Pedro were leaving for another town and I wanted to say goodbye. They went to bed around 2 AM but were already up by 7, and I just kept wondering how that was possible. Their recovery speed is incredible. I couldn't fall asleep until around 3 AM and must have been thinking about all sorts of things. But I got up at 8 and took a shower.
While I was packing, Flo chatted with me in French, like 'Try counting from 1 to 10!' or something like that. I also promised Pedro, 'See you in Barcelona next time! Definitely!' His smile was really lovely. It had been a long time since I'd seen such a radiant smile. I felt a little bit of missing-someone sadness, but we said goodbye.
The hostel emptied out. Breakfast was free, so I went down to the first floor. I chose scrambled eggs and bread.
The portions weren't huge, but when I asked 'Could I have some butter?' they kindly gave me butter (probably margarine). Honestly it didn't taste great, but because of the kindness it tasted good.
To the Kai Dinh Tomb
I went back to bed and took a nap for about three hours. I was supposed to meet Lina this afternoon, so I needed to visit some sights before then. I had bought a set ticket yesterday, so I definitely wanted to go.
Before I knew it it was 3 PM, and Lina, who was supposed to meet me at 3:30, seemed to be having a hard time with the heat, so we changed plans and decided to meet at a pretty hill at 5 PM.
With some time available, I decided to visit the Kai Dinh Tomb. It's the tomb where an old emperor is buried.
I took a motorbike taxi, but there were hardly any bikes around and it felt like we were speeding through the countryside of Hue to get there. Hue is so rich in nature that it made me feel rich inside as well.
The Kai Dinh Tomb was a large gray building towering like a shrine. It had an almost dark atmosphere in places, with many stone statues lined up, giving it a grand presence. I asked the Grab bike driver, 'Can you take a photo for me?' I felt a bit embarrassed because it's hard to imagine Grab drivers taking pictures.
But he took a nice photo, so I gave him a 10,000 dong tip as thanks. It took a bit of courage, but I didn't want to have any regrets.
Inside it really felt like a palace. The tomb was enormous; outside stood a statue of the emperor, and the walls gleamed solemnly in gold.
There were dragon murals on the ceiling, each one painted with fine detail. I was amazed that people back then could create something like this. At a souvenir shop I bought a spoon made from shells and a bracelet made from cow horn. They were very beautiful.
Reunion with Lina
A little thunder was starting, so I hurriedly called a bike and headed up the hill. Lina had originally planned to take me to the hill, so when I messaged 'I'm on my way!' she replied, 'Seriously? I'm still in town,' so I waited about 20 minutes.
A nearby cafe was really stylish and had a calm atmosphere, so I ordered Vietnamese tea. I also ordered peach tea for her and waited. After about 20 minutes she arrived on a motorbike.
A third-year university business girl
We sat together and talked about many things. It rained briefly at one point, but it stopped nicely.
She runs her own fashion shop and already has an Instagram. She's a third-year university student from northern Vietnam who came to Hue to study marketing. She said she wants to seriously run her own business after graduating.
She apparently attends something like trade shows in Hanoi where she can buy clothing cheaply, shows up regularly, buys good products, brings them back to Hue, and sells them at a profit. In her room she even has mannequins for photo shoots — I was impressed at how seriously she took it.
It reminded me of when I was at university and bought a lot of ties, set up a studio in my apartment to shoot photos, and sold them on Mercari. It's amazing that someone in their third year of university is already taking action like that.
Her English level was also high — much higher than you'd expect for a third-year student. Vietnamese people apparently prioritize price, so the challenge is how to sell good clothes cheaply. I thought it'd be great if I could collaborate with her someday.
We talked about love and dating in Vietnam too. Lina said that when a woman has a baby, the government provides about 50,000 yen per month until the child turns one, and many people have children partly for that benefit.
She also said that if a boyfriend or girlfriend is bad at taking photos, it can be a reason for a breakup. There are stories of women treating men like accessories, and Vietnamese women really are strong. That's how I felt.
Why Hue's food is so delicious
By the time we were talking, it was completely dark. We were supposed to go up the hill, but we ended up staying in the cafe and continuing our conversation.
One interesting thing Lina told me was why Hue's cuisine is tastier than anywhere else. Because emperors used to live there and Hue was the capital until 1945, meals were prepared for the emperor. I understood that the variety of dishes and the practice of serving many small portions instead of noodle-heavy dishes probably come from that history.
Bánh Ép and touring local stalls
Since it was getting late, we decided to go eat dinner. Lina likes Hue's specialty Bánh Ép, so we rode together by bike. While riding she checked her phone and asked me to 'hold this' a few times.
Her bike was fully manual, with no hand brake on the left and a foot brake instead. I'd never seen that before and thought it looked incredibly cool.
We arrived at a local restaurant. Vietnamese local restaurants always have low tables and really small chairs. But that's what makes it fun — it amplifies the local vibe.
They were using a special iron plate to cook eggs, shrimp, and green onions together. It looked like an egg crepe and seemed delicious. Lina ate hers with a spicy sauce, but I can't handle spice, so I had mine with fish sauce instead. It was simply delicious.
I ate all the crepes thinking 'this is Hue's local food.' It only cost 20,000 dong. Ridiculously cheap.
When I tried to pay, Lina paid by QR code as if to say 'I won't let you.' I felt grateful and a little guilty, but I thought, as a business girl, she handled it like a pro.
We tried to go eat Bún Bò Huế, but no places were open anymore and we couldn't find one after checking several shops. Instead, we went to a stall with a crab-based soup. Even Lina didn't often go there.
When we ordered it, the soup was very sweet. She said it was too sweet, and the noodles weren't rice noodles but made from some tropical fruit — she didn't know the name. I couldn't finish it; the taste was so-so.
Hue's bridge, like the Seine
Then we went to a bridge. Near Hue's main bridge, there was a pretty bridge locals often go to. Walking there felt like strolling along the Seine in France. Many Vietnamese people were nearby taking photos or walking in couples.
We sat on the embankment and talked about many things. We discussed whether Vietnamese women are dominant and men submissive.
But Lina said that's mainly true in some urban areas like Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi; at least in Hue that's not the case.
She said people here are modest, kind, and considerate. That was definitely true — since arriving in Hue I've really felt that everyone has been so nice and helpful.
First Vietnamese karaoke experience
Lina drinks beer often and on her days off she and her friends usually have a few beers and then go to karaoke. So I asked, 'Want to go to karaoke with me now?' As expected she said yes, so we went for my first Vietnamese karaoke experience.
When we arrived it really looked like a normal house. There was a room on the second floor with a karaoke machine and huge speakers. When we played them it was insane — way too big. The noise level was extreme. But in Vietnam, three times the volume of Japan is to be expected. I asked the guy to adjust the volume but it didn't work out.
She sang Vietnamese songs and 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You.' We also sang the VietJet Air song together and laughed a lot. I thought I only had one Japanese song — 'Doraemon' — so I chose the Doraemon theme. Lina had watched Doraemon every day, so of course she knew it and sang along.
We toasted together with Huda beer, which is famous in Hue. The beer was genuinely tasty — not enough to make you drunk, just right.
The value of unexpected encounters
Lina wrote a message card for me and I gave her a card too. It was really fun. Such unplanned encounters are interesting, and if I hadn't had the courage to ask for her Instagram this story wouldn't have happened — I'm genuinely glad I asked.
She gave me a ride back to the hostel on her bike. The karaoke bill was about 160,000 dong, but she paid it all and said, 'You owe me next time.' This kind of generosity is part of the warmth of Vietnamese people, I thought.
We arrived at the hostel and said goodbye. She also said she might make me a matcha latte and bring it in the morning, but I thought that would be tough since I'd have to wake up super early, so I said 'Up to you!'.
That was a day with Lina. I never imagined I could spend such a fulfilling time with someone I met while traveling. It was an unexpected, perfect day.
