I took a long vacation in Vietnam over Korea's Liberation Day holiday in 2022. I went with three broad goals: to reset, to relax, and to read. This is a record of the trip in keywords and short notes, with a little technology along the way.
Intro
I took a long vacation in Vietnam over Korea's Liberation Day holiday in 2022. I had three broad goals for the trip, and this post records them through keywords and short notes. There is a little technology in the mix too.
1. Reset
Most of my days are usually filled with design work and personal projects. To properly reset during this vacation, I tried to avoid as much of my normal routine as possible. I stayed away from work messengers and design tools and focused on experiences I could only have in Vietnam.
- Massage
- I visited four massage places over the course of the trip. I had never really had a proper massage before, so the whole experience was both fascinating and enjoyable. There were many styles and areas of focus, including hot stone, oil, Thai, and foot massage. I finally understood why people recommend getting one massage a day when traveling in Southeast Asia.
- Cooking class
- The cooking class was probably my favorite part of the trip. I cooked alongside a local chef in Phu Quoc and then ate the Vietnamese dishes I had made. Preparing the food was fun in itself, but the chef's stories throughout the class made it especially memorable. He wove his philosophy about food into the dishes we were cooking and told the stories with real flavor. When I booked it, I wondered why a cooking class needed four hours. Once we began, I understood how long it takes to prepare four dishes from scratch and finish the meal. Fortunately, I enjoyed the whole process.
