I recently turned 35, and I decided to celebrate it by taking a solo trip to Vietnam.
It was not my first time in Vietnam, but it was my first time travelling there alone. And honestly, it was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
I have been working my ass off for a while, and life has been stressful because of a few personal things. I wanted to start this new year of my life with something fresh, something exciting, and hopefully, some positive energy.
So I spent 10 days in Vietnam.
I stayed in a hostel in Hanoi Old Quarter, walked around for hours, shopped way too much, met people from different parts of the world and made some good friends.
From Hanoi, I went to Ha Long Bay, then Da Nang, Hoi An and Sun World. I got some clothes custom stitched, bought a ridiculous amount of stuff for my family, and just spent a lot of time walking around and taking everything in.
Of course, travelling solo also meant seeing a lot of couples everywhere. At restaurants, on cruises, walking around Hoi An, watching sunsets. There were quite a few moments where I thought, "I wish I had someone here with me."
I did feel the FOMO.
But that is probably a bigger problem to solve, and not one that a 10-day trip can fix.
For now, I am just happy I went.
Looking back, these were probably the best 10 days I have had in the last couple of years.
Maybe turning 35 is not so bad after all.
Pics description
Incense village
Hanoi lake
3, 4, 5. Ha Long Bay
Landing in Da Nang
Sun world cable car
Sun world castle
Golden Bridge
Lamps in Hoi An