I was crashing and burning at the end of 2024. Burnt out from work, running a food stand, buying houses, car troubles, and a natural disaster to top it off.
We had a plan to go to Vietnam in December. Finally.
All I wanted to do in Vietnam was rest. I just wanted to live and simply exist somewhere without pressure.
I resolved to take care of myself, relax, and for the first time, allow someone else to take the wheel. This is the story of my six-week journey from burned-out coordinator to grateful passenger..
I let people work around me, to do what they want to do, without feeling the need be in the midst of it.
At first, I felt a tinge of missing out. I was not in the middle of everyone’s communications. I was not the person coordinating. People no longer went tome to see what the plan was. I said “no” or “I don’t know” to a lot of things, and pointed them the right direction. It was a strange feeling to handoff the baton to someone else.
I suddenly felt unimportant.
Knowing that this is probably my anxiety and low self esteem kicking in, I forced myself to take a step back and sit with this.
While I did miss out on the attention and spotlight, I eventually learned to enjoy the ride from the backseat. For once, someone else was figuring out the logistics of talking to everyone and coordinating availability. I pushed for different people to do more, delegating and trusting them to deliver.
It was the best feeling ever.
Vietnam trips have been a defining part of my life. I’m grateful to my parents for opening this door for us. This trip home has felt more like home than any other trip. Everything felt comfortable. We knew the drill. What we liked, what we didn’t. What we do on certain days. Who we talked to. We settled into the little pocket of nostalgia.
Everyone else was falling into their Vietnam six week routine. I was more than happy to take things slow for myself. 2025 was a successful year of no commitments.
I savored the food vendors on the street sides. The hustle and bustle of family going in and out starting from 6am. I’m waking up and working. Going back and forth between houses. Riding a motorbike through familiar streets.
I admired the backdrop of the beautiful mountains outside my bedroom that I didn’t see before. Where did the mountains come from?
Simple routine. Refreshing.
Working Remotely while in Vietnam
I was lucky to have my manager agree to a flexible work schedule with me. We agreed on a 2 synchronous hour work schedule. With this schedule, I shared two working hours with the US team, working 9-11pm local time. The rest of my hours were flexible. I was able to work other hours, earlier in the day.
This was a huge step up for me. Last time I was in Vietnam, I had 4 synchronous hours (staying up from 9pm-11pm Vietnam time). I had so much FOMO from working throughout the evening.
Despite having 2 synchronous hours, I am thankful my team and my client for giving me a lot of grace. They knew I was working from abroad so they are generally more forgiving towards my delay in responses. I am incredible fortunate to be working alongside kind professionals.
Things worked out perfectly. I hope to have an even better remote working experience next trip!
With my work schedule finally settled, the next priority was reconnecting with family and celebrating the heart of our trip: Tết.
Visiting Family and Tet
During a coordinate trip to visit my husband’s family, we decided to stay in Da Lat.
This was the first time we enjoyed staying somewhere in Vietnam, not with family. I also learned to let loose with feeling the need to plan my husband’s side travel and communications.
Tet Traditions
We time every Vietnam trip with Vietnamese New Year Tet. It is the best time of the year.
There are three main days of Tet.
Even before Tet, we do many things to prepare! The streets would be full vendors selling flowers. We would fill the house with flowers for prosperity, good luck, and happiness. Not to mention, it makes the mood so much more vibrant.
Grandma would making giant banh tets (rice cake wrapped in banana leaves). They are a lot bigger than ones you could find in the US. My uncle starts the fire and places a giant pot of water to fit 20+ banh tet. This year, my mom is helped with the banh tet making.
It takes 8 hours to cook the banh tet. Our entire family would sit with the banh tet pot all night, drinking, singing and dancing until 2 in the morning. We fill the water when it is low and make sure the fire is tended to.
Once the banh tet is done, each family is gifted 1-2 for the new year. People can also buy banh tet from the market, but I think it is a beautiful tradition. I might need to try it this year.
After Tet, people generally have two weeks of holiday to enjoy with their families. The entire family just shuts down. This is the time my Vietnamese family can take off to go on trips!
Tet Family Trip 2025
This year, we went on a 10 day road trip around central Vietnam.
I remembered how stressful it was to travel and work during our last Vietnam trip. I also missed out on a lot, and did not find it worth it. Learning from my last trip, I took PTO for this trip.
Ba Na Hills
I was skeptical to visit Ba Na Hills. My experience with theme parks are that it tends to be too busy, with long lines, and not very rewarding.
I was surprised.
Stepping into Ba Na Hills felt like a mini-Europe. It was a beautiful theme park. Very classy and not yet too touristy.
The sights were beautiful. I wish I knew how beautiful it was; we were all completely underdressed for this excursion, arriving in shorts and flip flops. We will do better next time.
It was cold and windy up here, but we did what we could to enjoy the sights and take all the pictures.
We visited Hue and listened to traditional music (song ca Huế) being played while floating down the Hue River. I was so impressed by the performers (I too can now able to play a traditional Vietnamese instrument).
Next, we went to Hoi An to enjoy the lanterns and the old streets of Hoi An. It was some of our family’s first time visiting this city.
Sparking Creativity
I was especially inspired my trip to Da Lat. It was a beautiful experience to disconnect, look at views, and feel cold stream water.
We stayed at a glamping place, sharing the camp with a group of college kids in a music club. I was inspired to learn more music (Since I’m writing this post in November, I can give you spoilers: I did start learning music. I picked up the Vietnamese zither and piano during the summer of 2025).
I felt so full of optimism and the ability to start from the beginning. I want to connect with people with the same interests.
This trip to Vietnam, more than any other, felt like a reset—a powerful lesson that my worth isn’t tied to my control. I came seeking rest and found a deeper connection to my family, my culture, and myself.
If you’ve ever felt the pressure of doing it all, I encourage you to find your own ‘backseat.’ Have you ever found peace in letting go of control while traveling? Share your story in the comments!
Until next time!
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