Sophie Mendel, an author of Travel + Leisure Magazine, shared that six days after her fiancé and her broke up, she backpacked a solo trip through Vietnam. According to Sophie, while those days were the hardest of my life, traveling to Vietnam was the best thing I could have done for myself.

She first headed to Hanoi. “Although I had been to Southeast Asia before, this was completely different from anything I had ever experienced. The lingering French colonial influence was evident in the city’s architectural style, but the buildings and sidewalks covered in vines and lush, tropical greenery felt distinctly Vietnamese,” she said.

Hanoi, Vietnam

According to Mendel, walking around Hoan Kiem Lake was an enjoyable memory, with the shoreline bustling with groups of women attending dancing classes, families with children enjoying a late afternoon stroll, and teens giggling and snapping pictures on their phones. It appeared to her to be a great representation of ordinary life in Hanoi.

Ninh Binh was the next stop on her journey through northern Vietnam. Everything there was spectacular in her opinion, including biking through the lush countryside with views of glistening rice paddies and soaring green mountains, as well as taking a traditional boat ride through a peaceful river valley boasting Jurassic Park-like landscapes.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Her last destination was Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World. She cruised to secluded beaches, walked and biked around Cat Ba Island, kayaked around the water, and partied on a boat with people from all over the world over the next few days.

“My trip to Vietnam was the perfect transition from my old life to the new one. Vietnam made me realize that no matter how much time passes, travel always welcomes you back like an old friend. This trip opened me up to self-love, self-rediscovery, and personal growth, and served as a reminder that sometimes it’s OK to take a leap of faith into the unknown”, shared Mendel.

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