When this post started to take shape, it had been precisely half a year since I boarded the flight that would inaugurate the trip to Southeast Asia. I had purchased a one-way ticket to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and planned only the first month of what would turn out to be a 275-day adventure.

The memories of when it all began continue to echo in the nostalgic corners of my mind: the poorly slept night preceded a quick-paced, gloomy morning in Warsaw, trying to giveaway some belongings accumulated over a year and a half living in this vibrant city, a last stop at the post office was also needed to ship to Portugal the winter clothes I wouldn’t bring on my backpack; and just before checking in, I realised I forgot to return the apartment key to the landlord, mailing it from a Poczta Polska counter at the airport in a rush. Fortunately, I would have several hours on an airplane to recover from this eventful morning!

The contours of the first days in HCMC remain equally as vivid: waking up jetlagged around 4 AM to an ever-noisy, bustling soundscape as if the city had never fallen into slumber; following the “little by little” adaptation approach, starting with the basics (where is the nearest ATM / SIM card provider / supermarket / decent restaurant?), and finding ways to safely cross the streets amidst the chaotic traffic. I even recall accepting peaceful coexistence with a cockroach that very shyly hid in the back of a broken bathtub tile whenever I turned on the lights…

I wondered how I would feel when I reached the capital of Vietnam and how the experience would compare after months on the road shaping and living up to the identity of a globetrotter, someone who endures constant change with resourcefulness, adaptability, and vigour.

Five months later, I found myself in Hanoi, embodying a more confident Self about the decision to come to Southeast Asia, completely adapted to the backpacking rhythm and the ways of this part of the world. One thing hadn’t entirely changed: big cities remained challenging to adjust to in the first few days, and they rarely became pleasant enough to hang around for longer than the adaptation period; Hanoi was no exception.

With its greener, wider and airier avenues, often punctuated by examples of colonial architecture, one almost forgets about the street fuss, which matched HCMC levels in crowds and scooters. A curious aspect that differentiates these two hubs of development is that Hanoi’s downtown streets seem to be organised according to a particular type of trade –fans, toys for kids, reading & sunglass wear, fake sports brands, clothing… each street has its business focus. Shopping made easier: there is no need to bargain as a better deal can be found literally next door!

It rained a lot during my stay, so I turned to indoor activities and got to do a few undoubtedly touristy things: go to the Thang Long Water Puppet show, a centuries-old entertaining delight that transcends any language barrier; visit the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, which pays tribute to the women of the country in the several roles they’ve been called to perform, from Mothers to political revolutionaries; and, on my last morning, have a quick look at the Ho Chi Minh Museum, a space that is the very definition of personality cult. All the while, I made sure to eat many bánh mì!