Unexpected emotional depth in Vietnam

I thought I was going to Vietnam for beaches, food, and Hoan Kiem Lake. I got all of those things. What I didn't expect was how emotionally affecting the trip would be. The history — particularly around Hội An — hit in ways that good travel sometimes does.

warm and entrepreneurial people was the moment that crystallised it. Standing there, eating cao lầu I'd bought from a street vendor, something clicked about why travel matters. 18 days and I came home genuinely changed. Some places do that to you.