Tạm biệt, Việt Nam
It feels weird to write this.
The centuries-old parade of “lost” young men of European descent making their way to “exotic” lands to “find themselves” by exploiting the contradictory power dynamics that make them immensely privileged in the Global South, no matter which rung on the social ladder they climbed down from in their homeland, makes writing this feel uncomfortable and self-aggrandizing, at best.
But it would feel infinitely worse to leave without saying goodbye to the place to which I owe nearly everything.
Almost six years ago to the day, I hopped on a plane with a one-way ticket across the world to Việt Nam, a place that, in retrospect, I knew nothing about, despite the many months of research I’d done beforehand. I planned to stay for about a year, before hopping off to the next destination, wherever that may be.
Of course, life has a funny way of changing even the best-laid plans, and mine were certainly nothing of the sort to begin with.
I’ve sat here for a couple hours now, reflecting on everything that’s happened in my life over the past six years. It’s certainly been a lot, particularly over the past few years, with the COVID pandemic providing the backdrop for the period of my life that’s seen the highest highs, like meeting and marrying the love of my life, as well as the lowest lows.
But, this isn’t about me or the experiences that I’ve had, nor should it be. This is a love letter to the place that graciously took me in when I felt I had nowhere to go, educated me about the world better than any course, book, or documentary ever could have, and is sending me home a far better human being than when I first arrived.
This is a love letter to the people of Việt Nam, who have had so much taken from them physically and spiritually by an unjust world that continues to try to reduce their thousands of years of history and culture to a tragic footnote in the stories of empires past and present, yet continue to give so much, both to each other and to anyone else that they may meet.
This is a love letter to Việt Nam, my second home, a place that I’d never be quite ready to say goodbye to, even if I were to spend a thousand lifetimes within its borders.
To all the wonderful people I’ve had the privilege of knowing over these past six years, thank you for being an integral part of this chapter of my journey. I look forward to our lives crossing paths again in the future.
From the impressive and beautiful chaos of Sài Gòn and Hà Nội, to the unmatched beauty of all the lands beyond and between from Cà Mau to Cao Bằng, I will always cherish Việt Nam in my heart, and I’ll be counting down the days until I can return, forever dreaming of the smell of sườn nướng wafting towards my balcony from the roadside cơm tấm stand, or the first blast of wind refreshing my body and mind as I sweatily ride my motorbike away from the quán phở that just blessed my soul with a recipe humbly crafted over several decades by the love and tenderness of multiple generations.
Tạm biệt Việt Nam, và hẹn gặp lại.
