I started 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and I’ll be ending the year in Hanoi — and honestly, I could 100% get used to visiting Vietnam. The energy, the food, the landscapes, the coffee culture… it’s way too easy to fall in love with.
But first… I have to survive this 24-hour travel gauntlet:
9:30 AM
4-hour shuttle from Rocky Point, Mexico → Phoenix Airport
3:30 PM / 5:15 PM
1.5-hour Phoenix → Los Angeles flight
(Yes… I booked two refundable options because I don’t trust the universe. 
)
10:00 PM
15-hour long-haul from Los Angeles → Guangzhou, China
3 hours from Guangzhou, China to Hanoi, Vietnam
Bonus insanity:
Approximately 8 more hours of layovers, airport wandering, questionable terminal coffee, and whatever chaos China Southern or the universe continues to throw at me.
Mission accomplished!