Last Day in Vietnam (December 14, 2025)
This is my last full day in Vietnam. It’s almost surreal. I have spent the last week digging into so much of what Saigon has to offer, it’s hard to believe that this is my last day here … for now.
Tomorrow I get up at 5am, make my way to the airport and enjoy a 25 hour and 25 minute return flight home (this includes one stop with a 2 hour and 45 minute layover). I’ll be back in New York for the better part of 3 weeks until I do the same flight all over again, but this time I will end up in the Philippines on January 7th, 2026 (to resume my travels).
Great Start to the Day
I started with one last trip to Gym Bros (see related post) and met with my friend Hoang Viet so that he could see my (slow) progress on the exercises he most recently gave me to practice. I wasn’t in a rush so I got a longer than usual workout in at 90 minutes.
Then I made my way over to my final AA meeting with a group of friends who I’ve enjoyed spending time with this past week. This group meets in various coffee shops, so there’s the added bonus of enjoying another Vietnamese beverage. I opted for a fresh coconut which they have down to a science here — including a “pop top” by pre-cutting the shell and screwing on a pull tab.
Ready to drink coconuts pre-cut and simple pull tab to get started!
And this is just one (of many) examples of why it’s wonderful to travel. You see unbelievable things and the “blinding glimpse of the obvious.” Like “duh!” why haven’t I seen this before? So much easier to consume fresh coconut water when it’s pre-cut and as easy to open as a Coke.
Pack Up & Ready to Ship Out
I’m proud that I’ve traveled these past six months with just this backpack:
Shoe added to help see how small this backpack really is (44 liters)
The thing is, Vietnam has some of the best tailors in the world and I’ve gone a bit overboard on buying stuff here. Really, I barely bought anything until this last part of my journey. Now I’ve had two full business suits made for me exactly to my measurements, and a ton of Christmas gifts for everyone else. So I went ahead and purchased a large (hardcase) suitcase so that I could stuff my 24 kilos of crap into a checked bag tomorrow:
Large hardcase suitcase to cram my 24 kilos of crap to bring home
I blame the holidays (see related post) combined with the extremely low prices (Walmart ain’t nothing) for quality merchandise. And given the Trump Tariffs, the shop owners are excited to sell these goods for tourists like me to bring home (thereby skirting said 20% tariffs). By the way, I’m not saying a flight to Vietnam is “worth” all the shopping I’m doing here, but the combined savings between direct purchasing (read “no middleman mark-ups”) and no tariffs means that I can bring home a $30 shirt for $4 or $2,500 suit for $250 or a $700 dress for $125 (just for example). Do enough of that kind of shopping and a trip out here to Vietnam starts to make sense (even just for shopping).
So you can see why I’m lugging home a giant suitcase that I didn’t have or bring with me when I started my trip back on June 30th. Even the cost of a $300 hardcase suitcase was less than $50. Let’s just say I felt amazed at the prices and quality shopping here in Vietnam.
Epic End to an Epic Trip
The best part of my day is yet to come. Soon I’m going to be meeting up with Tran Tue Tri (see related post) and we’re going to enjoy a live music concert together based on the music of one of the most famous composer in Vietnam, Trịnh Công Sơn.
Enjoying a live music concert based on composer, Trịnh Công Sơn
I can’t think of a better way to wrap up this epic adventure — not just the last few weeks in Vietnam, but also my last 6 months traveling the world. I’m considering this “Half Time” as I’m planning on resuming my trip flying back to the Philippines on January 7th, 2026.
Why I’m Going Home to New York
My original plan was NOT to fly back to New York for the holidays. My original plan was to spend them with Violet and my son Will in the Philippines together. Granted, Will was already “on the fence” with this idea when it was first presented to him, but then:
Violet went back with Elena after the completion of Thailand
The entire Robson family (Nancy, Jack, Drew & Laura) declared their intentions to come to New York
I didn’t want to be by myself for the holidays
So, rather than “prove” I can be out traveling the world for a full year without returning to New York, I opted to return for 3 weeks during the holidays. This way, I can be with many of the family members I love (many, but not all) while I figure out the last 6 months of my trip.
I’m not going to plan as tightly as I did for the first 6 months, but rather decide if I need to make any adjustments to our original plans. If so, what (and when) are they and proceed from there. Violet says she wants to resume her travel with me in January, so we’ll figure that one out together as well.
For now, I’m excited to be heading back to New York and regroup with my friends, family and various communities that I’ve missed these past six months.
