When Your Biggest Fear Becomes Your Greatest Adventure: A Love Letter to Vietnam.
Today we have a guest post from Katrina McGhee. I first “met” Katrina (online) in 2018 when I was looking for other women who solo travel to feature in the Unpacking Solo Travel series. I was so blown away by Katrina and her experiences that I ended up turning her interview into two separate blog posts, Unpacking Solo Travel Safety and How To Make Friends While Traveling Solo. We’ve kept in touch over the years and even had the chance to finally meet up in person for an evening in 2019 when we realized we would both be in Rome for a night.
Today she has volunteered to share with us about a transformative solo travel experience in Vietnam. I hope you enjoy it.
After burning out in my corporate job, I turned my life upside down. Travel was my deepest desire, so after saving for 18 months, I quit my job to take a 20-month career break and see the world. When I began planning the itinerary, Southeast Asia was high on my list. The food, the culture, the history, and the chance to see a completely new part of the world made this a no-brainer for me.
But in this heavily-touristed region, there was one country that gave me pause - Vietnam. Vietnam is a polarizing place for tourists. Many travel bloggers share harrowing tales of scams, schemes, abuses, and a general disdain for their presence. Thoughts of Vietnam left me, a new solo traveler and Westerner, with a sinking sense of dread.
I waffled between going and skipping Vietnam until just two weeks before my Southeast Asia trip started. With great hesitation, I booked a one-way ticket from Bali to Hanoi. It turns out I was more intrigued by the food than I feared the scams. Plus, with no departure pre-planned, I had an easy “eject button” if I ever felt unsafe.
One-month visa in hand, I arrived in Hanoi with a plan to slow-travel down to Ho Chi Minh. I was taking it day by day, so I hadn’t planned any stops in advance.
My time in Vietnam began with a check-in gone sideways. The hotel I’d booked claimed they were “full” because the couple staying in my room had food poisoning and was thus allowed to extend their stay. The hotel owner then walked me over to another hotel where I would spend my first night.
I’d read about many “bait and switch” hotel scams where the room or hotel you’ve booked is suddenly unavailable for a reason beyond their control. So, you are then moved to a lesser accommodation while paying the original price or asked to pay additional money for the “new and better” option that is available. I was disappointed to experience this on my very first day, but because my new hotel wasn’t much different than the original, I kept an open mind. I went out to eat and explore the new city. My first two days ended up being a fun introduction to the Vietnamese way of life, but soon it was time to pack up my things and head to Halong Bay for a two-night cruise.
Up to this point in my life, I’d never experienced the travel cliché of meeting complete strangers who become your travel besties. And having just turned 35, I figured I’d aged out of this coveted travel experience. But there, on a junk boat somewhere in Halong Bay, I met two guys from the Czech Republic who became dear friends. I’d even convinced them to change their itinerary, so we could explore my next stop, Hue, together.
Returning to my hotel from Halong Bay, I was given a moto taxi to the train station. I’d read about scams where they take your luggage onboard for you and then demand a fee, so I was really concerned when my driver insisted on walking me through the station and onto my train while carrying my luggage for me. As he set down my backpack, I braced myself for what came next. But he only waved a simple goodbye and wished me well as he turned to leave. Vietnam was winning me over.
In Hue I experienced the best food tour of my life. I had come to Vietnam for the food, and I was not disappointed. After several days of tours, interesting food, and lots of laughs, it was time to plan our trek to Hoi An. The coastal drive via motorbike from Hue to Hoi An was legendary; however, my fear of all things dangerous and death-inducing, had me thinking a bus would be the better option.
My travel companions, however, were not dissuaded. So, my FOMO had me driving a motorbike to Hoi An the following day, while anxiously fearing for my safety. Traffic in Vietnam can be lethal and as it was my first time driving a motorbike, I didn’t like my chances. But, alas, we managed to arrive in Hoi An safe and sound, minus the part where I veered into a steep ditch and broke off my left handlebar while leaking gasoline. Luckily, my new friends came to my rescue and had me upright and back on the road before the tour guide realized what happened.
Our time in Hoi An was amazing. From the sea of lanterns floating down the river at night to the nightly soup dinners, we ate on the street and made the most of our time there. We tried new foods like half-hatched duck eggs and explored nearby villages where locals demonstrated their trades. We even made friends with the owner of a small restaurant, who always chatted with us and gave my friends free beers with a big smile.
Eventually we moved on to the small mountain town of Dalat, where I ended up in a hostel with a very outgoing owner. During my stay, I opted to join two other Americans for a village day trip led by the owner. It was during this trip that he lamented to me his decision to send a dick pic to his ex-girlfriend while married to his newly pregnant wife. Dalat was a random experience, but one that provided a lot of entertainment.
Leaving Dalat meant parting with my new friends as I headed onward to Ho Chi Minh. This was easily the most stressful moment of my Vietnam adventure. I’d been lucky to move through Vietnam with travel partners. But now I was gearing up for a 6-hour bus ride all alone and as the only Westerner on the entire bus. All announcements and stops along the way would only be spoken in Vietnamese. Suddenly on my own again, I took a deep breath and boarded the bus.
I did my best to smile and look friendly - a tactic that works well for me when traveling solo. An older gentleman on the bus took pity on me and mimed the necessary info at each of our stops. When I urgently mimed that I needed the restroom, he walked to the front of the bus during our next stop and made sure the driver knew to wait for me. It felt so nice to have someone looking out for me as a stranger in a strange land. But what came next blew that experience away.
As the bus pulled in for our lunch stop, several riders mimed to me as they passed by to let me know it was lunchtime. Among these friendly faces were two young women in their early 20s. I found them waiting for me at the bus door where they asked, in English, if I wanted to join them for lunch. I was ecstatic to be in the company of English speakers and enthusiastically said yes. They were equally excited when I asked them to order for me and told them I’d try whatever they recommended.
We managed an entire lunch conversation in broken English, leaving me grateful for the company, the entertainment, and their effort to speak my language. When the bill came, I was prepared to pay when one of them suddenly snatched the receipt away. “We will pay for you,” she said. And against my protesting, they did. These two young women who made far less than I, asked nothing in return for their unexpected kindness and generosity. I was undone.
My 21 days in this incredible country provided amazing scenery, some of the best food I’ve ever eaten and, most memorably, an overwhelming sense of gratitude. During my 20-month break, it was here that I watched my greatest fear become my greatest adventure. Vietnam taught me a valuable lesson about what waits for us on the other side of fear… everything.
Do you want to read more travel stories like this one?
Let us know in the comments below!
