21 Days in Vietnam ❤
Travel Dates: 10–30 Mar 2023
Month 5
Note: This is part of my Long-Term Travel Series where I have visited 19 countries in a span of 381 Days as a Solo Filipino Female Traveller. I wanted to immortalise this little diary for myself but I figured: Why not make it informational as well for the public readers who are interested. :)
Jump to: How I Travelled | Nepal | Thailand | Laos | India | Cambodia | Vietnam | Hong Kong | Macau | Taiwan | Mongolia | Kazakhstan | Uzbekistan | Tajikistan | Kyrgyzstan | United Arab Emirates | Armenia | Georgia
Watch the Journey #Unfiltered and look through the photos
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My 6th stop in this Long-Term travel of mine is the Land of the “Ascending Dragon”~
OH VIETNAM — I HAD huge plans and places of interest in Vietnam that I was so looking forward to go when planning. From the sunflowers in Dalat, the beaches in Da Nang then to the Fansipan moutains in Sapa.
Oh but look at how life played out!
I ended up volunteering for almost the whole duration of my stay. And I stayed in one place — Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. No, I’m not upset. No, it’s all good. I know it just has to happen. I chose this.
4 Reasons Why
(1) So I can process Visa for my intended upcoming South Korea trip.
Spoiler Alert: NO, my visa application has not been processed BECAUSE it was not allowed to be processed in the first place. #SadLife
(2) I had bought my flight ticket to Kaoh Siung, Taiwan flying from Hanoi. So, why not just go straight and stay at Hanoi, since I am going there anyway, right? However, because of the lack of transportation from Cambodia side, I ultimately had to start from the southern point in Vietnam which is from Saigon / Ho Chi Minh.
(3) I actually really miss being a part of community.
I have been extensively travelling so much, for almost everyday outdoors since the start of the year — and the crave for seeing and bonding with the same people kicks in hard.
(4) Yeah, don’t forget the overexpenditure in India.
Still, my time in Hanoi was splendid. This was by far the most challenging Volunteer venture for me, but it was also extremely rewarding. I actually cried tears of joy multiple times and God’s goodness and favour was super felt here.
Some of Auntie Kim’s Unforgettable Moments:
- 34 hours train ride from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi.
- Experiencing such overwhelming goodness and hospitality
- Ticking off my TOP 1&2 activities in my Bucket List at the same day XD (1). Eat spring roll (2). Drink egg coffee. Ticking my Top 3 on my next visit #GodWilling.
- Getting fed A WHOLE LOT. Like, a whole whole lot. My heart and stomach is REALLY full.
- Getting vomitted on by a student
- First pottery experience, yay!! It is not as easy as it looks.
- Managed to donate blood successfully!! Hallelujah. All the coffee restrictions and self-control was worth it. They even gave me a gift set + a 50,000 VND. What a pleasant surprise.
Route / Places Covered:
Bus from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh →
34 Hour Train Ride to the wholeeeeee Vietnam →
Hanoi [Volunteer Venture] →
Flight to Hong Kong
Expenses
Flight: 0
Visa: 0
Total: S$199 [US$145 | PHP8.2K)
Average cost/day: S$9.48 (w/o flight)
Vietnam, I’ll be back for you ❤
Happy are the people with such blessings. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. — Psalm 144:15 CSB
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Auntie Kim’s Note:
I am in no way being paid to write these articles. I’m currently unemployed, (frantically) looking for work and times are tough especially when you’re a 3rd world country citizen. So, if in any way, you’d like to HELP me stress less on my finances in the upcoming days, please refer below.
Thank you for the support! May God bless you all the more!