Vietnam — We Went Together

Hoi An · 17 January

Hoi An Old Town

Hoi An was easy to take slowly: Sophie could stop on the streets, eat when she wanted and sleep beneath the lanterns while we continued through the old town.

Sophie sitting on a stone street among Hoi An’s yellow walls and bicycles

Sophie asleep in her stroller beneath a dense display of colourful Hoi An lanterns

Ba Na Hills · 18 January

Ba Na Hills

The climb into the hills brought cooler weather and the Golden Bridge high above the coast.

Sophie standing among red tulips at Ba Na Hills

Central Vietnam · 20 January

Temple Gardens

A morning among courtyards began with traditional music. Later, Vanessa and Sophie wore áo dài in the gardens, where Sophie stopped at the pond to feed the koi.

Traditional musicians performing while Philip and Sophie watch from the courtyard steps

Vanessa and Sophie wearing áo dài together in a garden — Áo dài are Vietnam’s traditional long tunics.

Sophie reaching for food beside a pond filled with koi

Da Nang · 21 January

The Last Morning Before the Long Pause

The final morning stayed simple: a local cafe, then the airport and home.

Reports of a new virus—later known as Covid-19—had already made us cautious; getting home felt like a relief.

We did not yet know that the family travels we had just learned to enjoy would soon stop for more than a year, as the pandemic spread across the world.

Sophie sitting in a cyclo beside decorations for Tết — One last “cyclo ride”.

Singapore · 21 January

Home

6 days · 5 nights · approximately 3,500 kilometres travelled