A list in progress of things I’ve learn in Vietnam:
Beer with ice in it is better than warm beer.
It’s easier to accept profusely sweat instead of fighting it.
When you think pants are dirty and wait too long to wash them, you forget how dirty they are and end up re-wearing them.
Being warm and friendly breaks through language barriers.
Getting on a motorbike when it’s raining and the driver is wearing glasses is not the best idea.
Vietnam is the best place to eat solo because eating pho with chop sticks is not cute.
Happiness is overrated: it’s abstract and maybe not real. There are better emotions to recognize and hold on to. (Thanks Oprah and Stephen Colbert https://youtu.be/gqkOHxydOFc)
There’s little I can do to console a crying Vietnamese 4 year-old.
I will never again underestimate the importance of a comforter or a bathroom mat.
If I’m ever in a situation again where I’m spending the holidays away from family and friends, I’m booking a trip somewhere.