Postcards from Hanoi
I wasn’t prepared to fall in love or feel so at home in this city — many people I met on my journey to Vietnam warned me about the chaotic nature of Hanoi, but I absolutely loved everything about the city.
Hanoi felt like a good balance of East and West, the perfect blend for a modern city located in Asia. It’s a balance I’ve been seeking — and am still seeking — so it was fascinating to wander, explore, and examine Hanoi. There was the familiar sight of people who looked like me, familiar flavours that tasted like home, familiar characters written on buildings and streets, all which echoed my ancestral homeland. Then there was the comforting sounds of traffic beeping in the streets and comforting chaos of the people navigating the busy roads, reminding me of my home in New York.
I ate bowls of pho for breakfast in street stalls and sipped on delicious coffee in cozy cafes. I spoke to store vendors in English and chatted with locals in Chinese. I rode a motorbike like a local and took photos like a tourist. I was both at home and abroad.
