Having landed back in Melbourne from Vietnam on Tuesday 10 March 2020, I had no idea what we were about to experience, how our lives would change, our communities would shift and how the impact of politicians’ decisions would impact everyone across the world, including for Australia.

While I was in Vietnam, we’d heard about Aussies hoarding toilet paper – much to the amusement of my US friends! Fortunately, Liza and Ari, who live in NYC, took this to heart and asked a family member to get some for them – it was waiting for them when they arrived home.

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It was “wheels up” at 6am in the Lobby for a walk to the market. As we left the aircon in the hotel and hit the humidity, I knew that my lens would fog up, and so it did for most of us. While I waited for it to clear so that I could take photos along the river, the group kept walking, until all but one person was out of sight.

I knew approximately where we needed to be, so wasn’t worried. It was a beautiful morning with a haze that added mystery to this little UNESCO town. The only people around were locals going for a ride or a walk, and a others catching up over a morning Vietnamese coffee.

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On Wednesday 4 March, we were up early for our bus ride to Halong Bay. We’d had a fantastic tropical thunderstorm overnight – lightning, buckets of rain flowing over gutters, the works. Inevitably the bus was about 30 minutes late – not an issue for us, but Liza was very tense. We climbed on board, settled in and were soon winding through the streets of Hanoi, and eventually wider 4 lane roads – not exactly freeways, but certainly faster.

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What a power-packed and fascinating day. We were on our small bus at 8am, wending our way through the crazy Hanoi traffic to the KOTO Cooking school.

Motor scooters and bicycles are everywhere, horns sounding to warn those crazy enough to walk or drive in front of them. One way street signs are merely a “suggestion” to motor scooters, and they really do park anywhere on the footpaths –sometimes lined up in long rows, or wherever there is a space.

Arriving at KOTO Cooking Classes, we crossed the road, and manoeuvred carefully between parked motor scooters, bicycles and people trying to sell us odds and ends. And then we were inside.

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The flight from Singapore to Hanoi was not full – great, ‘cos I was able to move to a window seat, and enjoy watching the clouds between naps! The airport in Hanoi was empty – no lines at Immigration, and my bag arrived quite quickly. Then it was a 40 minute drive to my hotel, where I was able to settle in, enjoy a shower and later in the day, do some exploring with my camera.

A big, big thank you to whoever had told me: “when you’re crossing the street, just step out and keep going. Don’t stop – they’ll go around you.” And it’s true – a little unnerving at times, but true.

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