Thoughts from Vietnam
Back but different
The beginning of 2026 started with a lot of new things for me. I am mainly a pilates instructor these days in my multifaceted existence and at the beginning of the year I started putting together my own studio, boutique style, for privates and duos.
Before its opening, I had planned to travel to Vietnam, which was a pre planned trip since 2025. The journey had many unexpected twists and turns among which was the sudden conflicts that started in the middle east a few days into my vacation, about which I could write a short novel. But in today’s newsletter I want to share with you about one of the many things Vietnam made me think about.
As this space becomes more of a place of sharing insights, stories woven with art and the source of it all for me, I encourage you to come along if this still resonates with you, join the discussions, ignite the mind, the soul and the creative spark.
During my first days in Vietnam I have scheduled a meeting with a local artist from Hanoi that I have been following on instagram for a while. I enjoy her artwork and her way of storytelling. You can check her work at @phichhhh on instagram.
We went at a caffe near the hotel I was staying at. That made it very convenient for me as I was spared the trouble of dealing with the traffic and craziness of Hanoi streets. Adjusting to the country’s rhythms took quite a few days, the streets are a full on theatrical display of everything: motorcycles, food vendors, cars, people on every sidewalk and street corners. A beautiful set full of lush greenery, fruits, high humidity, honking noises and many lives.
The discussions with her made me realize just how accessible making art was in Vietnam. How achievable is to create a Creative Club or how convenient is to rent a space for a Studio. It made me think about how curated is this aspect in Romania and many other places in Europe. To make any creative club of sorts in Cluj these days, you either need a business plan and tons of marketing or you fall on the other side of the spectrum of elitism and exclusivity. Is there any in between?
This makes the creative communities so hard to access or implement, rigid and unnatural. In Vietnam people simply can gather in places without having to spend a lot of money, to practice their art on their own or together; all while having a sense of community and support, without the pressure of money, huge rent or upholding appearances. I am sure some of the reasons why this is so in Vietnam are engrained in the nature of the Vietnamese people, yet it opened my eyes to the possibility of it.
What it would be like to easily gather for a shared interest, to easily commune, to feel the freedom of expressing oneself and receiving support and recognition from the people around you along the way. No judgement, just pure curiosity and a lot of awareness. How it would be like to share more easily our internal visions, inspire and help each other? What would that lead to?
People here can become artistically constipated because of all these hurdles. I love the idea of people gathering, being genuine, feeding each other’s creative drive. It reminded me of the Romanian word ‘clacă’, referring to a place where people gathered to create together, to achieve a goal, to weave, to cook; or a way of organising people for a shared goal such as to mow a hillside, to discuss, to take some decisions.
The thing is, none of these contexts are perfect, they all have their shadows. Vietnam has it’s own issues and very harsh conditions; Romania has others, some similar. However, it’s about how good this could all be, and keeping that vision alive in our minds, aiming for that, taking steps in the directions of making that happen, the thinks we wish to see in our world and in our society.
Traveling lets you experience other cultures, offers you the opportunity to cherry pick things you absolutely love from the places you visit. Of course that’s a subjective perspective, a tourist perspective is never the same as the one of the local, but subjective perspectives can see what the locals can’t anymore.
May those who have the privilege to travel and explore also find the resources and drive to create a better word that merges all these beautiful aspects together, learning from them and putting the missing pieces together.
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