How many international business trips does it take before one can truthfully describe himself as an international businessman? I hope just one! It's more exciting than "English teacher", isn't it?
Last year, a former online student and friend and I started a small English social education startup together. Over the past few months, it's been growing, and we've finally put together a great small team.
Last week, we all met up in person for the very first time for a series of in-person meetings and a strategy and planning workshop. We planned the workshop to coincide with my latest visa run, and one evening last week, I was at Don Mueang Airport with a round-trip ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam (a city I'm extremely fond of).
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| leaving Bangkok |
I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Even though the team had been working together for several months, we had never met in person. But I also knew that I could trust and count on each and every one of them, and that this workshop would not only bring us all closer together and make us a better team, but would also make what we are doing feel more real.
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| AisAsia |
The flight was in the evening, and I landed in Hanoi after dark.
In the past, it took a few days to secure a visa to Vietnam, but the country has now started a really convenient e-visa program. All you have to do is apply online, pay $25, and print out the visa approval letter. Then, just show your printed out visa at immigration. Now, borders in Vietnam are totally open to fully-vaccinated visitors, and the entire immigration process took just a few minutes.
My business partner and co-founder of the company had already arrived in Hanoi from his home in South Korea. I texted him that I had landed, and took a taxi from the airport to where our hotel was supposed to be.
But the roads in Hanoi are not as easy to follow as you might hope, especially in the Old Quarter. After the taxi dropped me off near my hotel, I realized that the international package I had purchased for my phone's data plan had not been fully activated, and that I didn't have access to the Internet. I had no way of using the map app, texting my friend, or even calling for help!
I wandered through "Beer Street", the chaotic party center of Hanoi's old town. After about 30 minutes, I realized that I was totally lost. It never felt scary or dangerous, because there were lots of people around, but it was hot, my backpack was very heavy, and I was getting frustrated.
Finally, a guy on a motorbike pulled up, asking if I needed any help. I told him that I was looking for my hotel, and gave him the name. He searched it on his phone, then told me that it was just 150 meters away. I was so close! He gave me a ride to the doorstep, and I tipped him 100 Thai baht (I hadn't converted any of my cash to dong yet, either).
Finally, I knocked on the door of the cheap little hotel room that my partner and I would be sharing for the night. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see a familiar face (even if it was the first time we had ever met in real life).
We were going to be renting a full shared apartment for the whole team, but for the first night it was just us, the executives. Since we are still in the pre-startup phase and don't have a ton of money, we were bunking cheaply in an old town hotel. Still, it was clean enough, comfortable enough, and in a fantastic location.
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| off on a new type of adventure |
We were going to be renting a full shared apartment for the whole team, but for the first night it was just us, the executives. Since we are still in the pre-startup phase and don't have a ton of money, we were bunking cheaply in an old town hotel. Still, it was clean enough, comfortable enough, and in a fantastic location.
Even though I was a little tired from the chaos of the night before, I was up early. I wanted to drop my passport and visa application off at the Thai embassy on the first day in Vietnam so that I didn't have to think about or worry about the visa run portion of my trip for the rest of the week.
Walking through the Old Quarter to the embassy was a surreal experience. After having lived right off of Hoan Kiem Lake for over a month, everything felt so comfortable and familiar. Even though it's been a few years since I've been back (thanks, COVID), I still remembered how to get around the Old Quarter. Gosh, I missed Hanoi!
The Royal Thai Embassy is located in the Old Quarter just near the old Ambassador's Pagoda. I could have taken a taxi, but since it was my first day back in Vietnam (and my first time traveling since I was in Cambodia for my last visa run - one which had been too stressful to really enjoy), I decided to walk and take in the sights and feel of the amazing old city.
It didn't take long. I dropped off my passport and all of the required documents, then headed back to the hotel to meet up with my friend.
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| a morning in Hanoi |
The Royal Thai Embassy is located in the Old Quarter just near the old Ambassador's Pagoda. I could have taken a taxi, but since it was my first day back in Vietnam (and my first time traveling since I was in Cambodia for my last visa run - one which had been too stressful to really enjoy), I decided to walk and take in the sights and feel of the amazing old city.
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| Hoan Kiem Lake |
It didn't take long. I dropped off my passport and all of the required documents, then headed back to the hotel to meet up with my friend.
We wanted to go to a famous noodle shop before heading over to our rented apartment, but unfortunately it was closed. Instead, we went to the restaurant next door searching for some bun cha, a favorite Vietnamese dish of mine.
We had misread the sign, though. It wasn't bun cha. It was bun ca. That little letter made a huge difference! Instead of the delicious bbq pork noodle soup, we got bowl of sour fish soup. It was ok, but it's not one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes, and neither of us really enjoyed it as much as we had hoped.
The local pho that we had the next day was much tastier!
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| Bun Ca (fish soup) |
The local pho that we had the next day was much tastier!
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| a bowl of chicken pho |
We had rented an apartment in the trendy West Lake neighborhood, a part of Hanoi that I actually wasn't really familiar with. Back in 2018, Pinky and I were backpacking on such a tight budget (approximately 100,000 dong or $5 per day for the both of us), that we couldn't really afford the trendy bars, upscale restaurants, or expat cafes that you can find around West Lake. We had mostly stuck to the Old Quarter with the cheaper backpacker crowd.
I do have to admit, this area is much nicer! The roads are winder and more modern than the crazy narrow streets of the Old Quarter. It's much less chaotic and far quieter. No wonder so many expats like to live around the beautiful banks of Hanoi's largest lake.
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| our home for the next week |
It was nice to be sharing an apartment. We had a small kitchen, a living room and dining room area where we could work, and even a washing machine.
Our team was coming from all over. I was flying in from Bangkok, of course, and my partner, the CEO, was coming in from South Korea. Two of our members were from Vietnam (one of the reasons we decided to meet up in Hanoi), but while one was already living in the capital, the other had to fly in from down south near Nha Trang.
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| looking out the window from the 10th floor |
The first arrived around noon, and the second came in at 11pm. Our final member, flying in from India, arrived at 4 the next morning. By dawn, even though we were all exhausted, we were finally in one place and ready for a productive week together.
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| the team |
While most of the week was spent working, we still managed to get out and about and see some of the sights in Hanoi. I'll be writing about that over the following few days.
While there are definitely advantages to freelancing and working from home, I have to admit that it's nice to have colleagues to work with.
I really believe in our project, and I am excited to see where it goes!
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| the dream team |
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| group photo |
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