Little by little, Hanoi is waking up from his Covid lethargia. The town is still whispering and it feels very ackward to be walking out again. I can’t help but wonder what is real? was it just a dream? is this the new normal forever?
It feels as if our neighborhood doesn’t dare breathing yet. The threat is still over our heads, and we are litterally walking on eggs, taking a gentle step at a time, softly encouraged by the songs of the birds.
We are strolling around the lake and I am relieved to see that everybody is wearing a mask and keeping distance. The water has never been so clean, and the pollution is so incredibly low that we can see the other side of the lake. I can count on my fingers the times it happened over the last 3 years. If only this could last …
Hanoi is still on soft opening. Public gathering of more than 20 people are still forbidden, and I wonder if Starbucks is open. It’s my social landmark. I realised the shutdown of the town when it closed. How about now?
It’s weird. It’s officially open but it looks as it’s been seriously hit. It’s a sad, amputated place now. I know it will recover and the bandage will disappear at some stage. But this is how it looks for now:
I order my Cappucino and I realise I can’t take out my mask. The new normal doesn’t go with sipping a coffee wandering in the streets. Not yet.
We don’t know yet if schools will reopen anytime soon. Not that I care much at this stage.
We are still waking up to our new normal, keeping our covid reflexes strong and hoping for the best :
Estelea's Blog 
These are strange times, indeed
I keep thinking about how pollution has gone down so much across the world. It gives me hope that, even in the wake of a global tragedy, there is this glimmer of positivity. I hope it will last, too–that COVID will help people become more aware of how we interact with our world in general. ❤
You have no idea the impact you make on others with your realistic accounting of our “new normal”. Thank you! 🙏🏻💫🌸
So glad to see that Vietnam is slowly recovering. So much is still unknown about our new normal way of living… hopefully they will figure out a way for us to sip on our coffees with masks on haha! Glad to see you and the kids are safe and well. Much love, bisous xx
It’s getting better and better so far, just a few cases of Vietnameses returning from abroad but it’s all under control. Kids have been allowed not to wear their masks in the classroom anymore, and we even went to Pu Luong this week end. We go slow, wear our mask everywhere in town, but I feel we are getting there … XXX
This is wonderful news! So good to hear that things are recovering so well.. here in the UK we still have a long way to go. 😞
Best wishes Estelea. Wishing you and your family well during these challenging times.
Thanks a lot ! we are feeling safe here, where there is no debate whatsoever on wearing a mask or complying with the decisions of the governement when it comes to public health. We are adapting our European mindset to the Asian one 😉
Happy to hear all is well 😊
Prends bien soin de toi… 😷🙏🏻