I’m in Vietnam for the next week. And less than 24 hours in, all the reasons why I love this place have come flooding back.
Back in 2014, I spent 4 months here working on a BCG project based out of Hạ Long Bay. The natural beauty was unlike anything I’d seen in New Zealand. Hundreds of limestone islands greeted me each morning when I looked out my window; like a dragon they dipped in and out of the clear waters and stretched across the horizon.
It was also a professional coming-of-age moment. It was my first time working without the safety net of friends, family, and traditional western culture. Even little things, like needing to complete documents 1 week early to allow time for translation, helped me understand the challenges of working in a multi-lingual environment with a different worldview.
Above all else, my Vietnamese colleagues were warm and generous. We became friends following many hours working in the hotel restaurant, as there were no other rooms available to work. They welcomed me into their homes to celebrate the birthdays of their children, took me to their treasured hole-in-the-wall Hanoian pho shops, and have since invited me to celebrate with them at their weddings.
They made me feel at home.
My posts over the next week will, no doubt, be influenced by Vietnam; it’s impossible to spend time here without being inspired by the warmth of its people, and the richness of its culture.