I didn’t go to Vietnam on my own in search of solitude or self-reflection. It was something I’d been warming to for a long time but hadn’t acted on yet—partly out of insecurity and partly because it never seemed necessary. I’ve always traveled with Tristan, so the thought of going solo never really crossed my mind. 

But a couple of years ago, the spark ignited when he participated in the Silk Road Mountain Race, and I had no other plans. A small solo bike trip suddenly made sense. Kyrgyzstan isn’t an easy country for beginner bikepackers, and even though I’d pedaled many places many times, I had never done so alone. The thought of being fully self-reliant haunted me. I didn’t fully trust myself to handle whatever might go wrong.

So I decided to play it safe. I’d start with a solo overnighter: not too far, not too remote, just enough to test the waters. That’s when the spark became a flame.

I returned home feeling confident and excited. For the first time, I started fantasizing about a longer trip on my own. Over the following months, I added more solo overnighters nearby—one each season—slowly preparing for my eventual debut. And with just a couple of months to go, I booked a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. A country I’d long been curious about, and that seemed like an extremely safe place to travel, especially as a solo female.

Like any bikepacking journey, the trip was an explosion of small, unexpected happenings that shaped the experience in a special way. Two months in Vietnam brought countless experiences, encounters, and lessons learned. I learned so much about the country (and myself) while steadily growing into a deeper sense of confidence and trust. But this is a longer story—one I’ll have to tell in parts.

I invite you to visually join me in northern Vietnam as I dip my feet into solo travel for the first time while trying to navigate a place so different from what I knew.

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