Between Village and Disaster
Two perspectives on our start into the Traveling Village in Vietnam
This article was originally written in German and translated into English with the help of AI.
It has begun.
Today is day 4 of the Traveling Village (out of a total of 4.5 months). We’re in Hoi An. And here comes a (not entirely serious) reflection on our first days — seen through two somewhat extreme lenses.
😵💫 A: What are we actually doing here?
We fly halfway around the world just to hang out in this noisy, dirty city?
Scooters are rattling and honking everywhere, and every corner smells like something different. Visiting the old town of Hoi A turns out to be a complete disaster. Tourist crowds and annoying vendors at every turn. How am I supposed to make photos that look like we’re the only visitors at this “magical” place? And our daughter is completely overstimulated.
And then there’s our accommodation.
The rooms smell musty, the curtains aren’t dark enough, the toilet paper is only two-ply — and let’s not even talk about how cold the pool is. On top of that: constantly running and screaming children.
Nowhere to find peace, and basically zero privacy (except in that musty room).
There’s no real kitchen, so everything has to be ordered or eaten out.
You wait almost 20 (sometimes even 30 !!!) minutes for food deliveries, only to realize our kid doesn’t like any of it. And what that means for the environment! Not just every single coffee delivered by scooter, but all the packaging waste we create.
Not to mention the CO₂ footprint 20 families produce when jetting to Vietnam (… Taiwan, South Korea) and back again.
Then there’s the stress of getting to know all these new people.
It’s not like we don’t already have enough friends at home. Here, we have to start from scratch with most of them and do that whole getting-to-know-you dance again. My god, how exhausting. And the calendar is already way too full. You get nothing done.
🌱 B: Life as it should be
Not only are we reunited with the six wonderful families we already know from Traveling Village 2.
The other twelve families are just incredible too — super friendly, open, interesting, and helpful. The best foundation for a well-functioning “village” over the next few months. Everyone is engaged and helps create amazing experiences for the community.
The welcome party in a magical garden by the river was fantastic: good food, interesting conversations, and lots of space for the kids to run around.
And it’s just amazing to be back in the warmth.
A pleasant 25 °C, no rain so far, a refreshing pool, and a long sandy beach just 15 minutes away by bike.
Our accommodation is a perfect coliving setup.
Six great families with their own rooms, a playroom for kids, a room for yoga / workouts, and a room for coworking. And a super friendly host who seems to make everything possible. She even provides us with a great à-la-carte breakfast every morning — together with the other families.
The food in Vietnam is absolutely amazing anyway.
With delivery services like Grab, virtually any dish you can imagine arrives in about 20 minutes at unbeatable prices. Plus countless dreamlike cafés & restaurants in the rice fields, just a stone’s throw away.
The week ahead is already packed with great activities.
At the Nest (the kids’ space four mornings a week), they’ll paint with local artists. For adults, there’s yoga, badminton, spikeball, fitness studio meetups, bodyweight workouts on the beach, Chinese lessons (for Taiwan), and a cacao ceremony on the schedule. And last night we played pool billiard.
It’s a dream to be able to experience this adventure together with this community of special people. So many opportunities for great experiences and personal growth.
Both perspectives are valid.
The first is, of course, very exaggerated. I hope you could see the wink in it.
