{"id":45705,"date":"2017-04-04T20:10:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T03:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=45705"},"modified":"2017-04-04T22:39:41","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T05:39:41","slug":"hanoi-diary-10-3-life-lessons-ive-learned-living-in-hanoi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/04\/hanoi-diary-10-3-life-lessons-ive-learned-living-in-hanoi\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Life Lessons I&#8217;ve Learned Living in Hanoi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vlog: 3 Life Lessons I&#039;ve Learned Living in Hanoi\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jo0lTzpXdHo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dear friend,<\/p>\n<p>I want to write you a letter giving you a life update from Hanoi:<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Time flies<\/h2>\n<p>First of all, we only have 1 month left in Hanoi. Damn, the last 8 months have passed by fast. I appreciate you for following me, for supporting me and Cindy, and making this journey so personally-meaningful.<\/p>\n<p>Here are my life lessons living in Hanoi for the last 8 months:<\/p>\n<h2>1. You don&#8217;t need much money to be happy for your basic needs<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hanoi Vlog #22: My 10 Minute Morning Routine \/ GoPro POV\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I1zLbcYMoOw?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The apartment Cindy and I currently live in only costs $380 USD a month.<\/p>\n<p>It is a small, comfortable, studio apartment. Everything is brand new.<\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;t need much to be happy in life. I wake up, my bathroom is right next to my bed. After I shower, I walk two steps to the kitchen, and make a coffee.<\/p>\n<p>My laptop is perched on top of a counter on the left of the kitchen. Another two steps.<\/p>\n<p>All my worldly possessions that I need (laptop, headphones, Ricoh GR II) fit inside my backpack.<\/p>\n<p>I wear the same outfit everyday.<\/p>\n<p>My daily expenses:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hanoi Vlog #23: Our Daily Morning Walk (v2)\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VXO-d9DFJQQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$1 for taxi ride in the morning<\/li>\n<li>$1 for coffee at the coffee shop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hanoi Vlog 25: Tour of My New Workplace \/ Coffee Shop (Woodpecker) \/ GoPro POV\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zISTr8GaV8I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The wifi at the coffee shop is free.<\/p>\n<p>Then another $1 for (another) espresso.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe another $2 for another taxi ride to (another) coffee shop:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hanoi Vlog: Tranquil Coffee Shop Tour \/ GoPro POV\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E7DgVdc5N5g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Maybe another $1 for (another, another) espresso.<\/p>\n<p>Then walk to dinner, meet some friends, and spend $3-5 for dinner.<\/p>\n<p>My daily expenses are only around $11-15. $330 to $450 a month (this is living lavishly, by my privileged Western standards).<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve decided that living here in Hanoi, I have been having a personal creative Renaissance. I have to factor this to three things:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Super-fast wifi: the wifi in Hanoi is ridiculously fast.<\/li>\n<li>Good coffee: strong coffee=more caffeine=more productivity<\/li>\n<li>Less stress about expenses: when I realize that living is so simple, I feel less stress about making money, and more focus on <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/art\/\">making art<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Life is simple. Why do we make it so complicated?<\/p>\n<p>I think the purpose of life is to create art, and to share that art with others, to empower, uplift, inspire, or connect with them.<\/p>\n<p>If we have enough to feed ourselves, to pay rent, and money for transportation, what else do we need money for?<\/p>\n<h2>2. Appreciate your loved ones back home<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why You Should Photograph Your Loved Ones\" width=\"1180\" height=\"885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zwZXbCICfRo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The only thing I miss about America is my friends, family, and loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m starting to realize that photography is just a meditation on life and death:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Life and Death\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M4L-87Q1LRM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>To remember to photograph our loved ones. To <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/08\/how-to-photograph-death\/\">photograph death<\/a>; realizing that we should photograph our loved ones while they&#8217;re (still) alive.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t really care to live in a hipster place anymore. I just want to be close to friends, family, and loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>The only two priorities in my life now include:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>My creative work<\/li>\n<li>My loved ones<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That is pretty much it.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Never stop hustling<\/h2>\n<p>If we&#8217;re not growing; we are dying. We need to grow, advance, to <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/02\/evolve\/\">evolve<\/a>, and to become the best versions of ourselves.<\/p>\n<p>In order to uplift the souls of others.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>That is how I could distill my life lessons living here in Hanoi: the importance of focusing on your creative work, the importance of being close to loved ones, and to never stop learning.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for always being with me on my journey.<\/p>\n<p>This is our next steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After 1 month (left here in Hanoi), move down to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in the south of Vietnam.<\/li>\n<li>Spend a few months in Saigon<\/li>\n<li>Move to France<\/li>\n<li>Live in Paris\/Marseille for several months<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/cindyanguyen.com\">Cindy<\/a> is done with her research &#8212; then time for her to start writing her dissertation<\/li>\n<li>Spend 1-2 years writing dissertation somewhere abroad (maybe Paris)<\/li>\n<li>Move back home to California (probably Cindy&#8217;s family&#8217;s house in Garden Grove)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;ll keep you in the loop with everything.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you thank you thank you, for supporting me and Cindy in this journey of life together.<\/p>\n<p>Oh yeah, and if you missed out, <a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/03\/interview-cindy-a-nguyen-on-art-and-making-stuff\/\">check out this interview I did with Cindy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Interview: Cindy A. Nguyen on Art and Making Stuff\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UECecWBla40?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Be strong,<br \/>\nEric<\/p>\n<h2>Past Hanoi Diaries<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45374\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/04\/hanoi-diary-10-3-life-lessons-ive-learned-living-in-hanoi\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?fit=4272%2C2856&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4272,2856\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.7&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DMC-LX100&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1491128912&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;10.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"eric kim cindy project portra 400-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?fit=800%2C535&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-45374\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400--800x535.jpg?resize=800%2C535\" alt=\"eric kim cindy project portra 400-\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?resize=800%2C535&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?w=2360&amp;ssl=1 2360w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?w=3540&amp;ssl=1 3540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Life in Hanoi:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/20\/hanoi-diary-9-happy-birthday-cindy\/\">Hanoi Diary #9: Happy Birthday Cindy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/09\/hanoi-diary-8-going-to-japan-for-2-weeks\/\">Hanoi Diary #8: Going to Japan for 2 Weeks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/19\/hanoi-diary-7-moving-into-a-serviced-apartment\/\">Hanoi Diary #7: Moving into a Serviced Apartment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/24\/hanoi-diary-6-living-in-airplane-mode\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hanoi Diary #6: Living in Airplane Mode<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/13\/hanoi-diary-5-night-street-photography-and-life-updates\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hanoi Diary #5: Night Street Photography<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/07\/hanoi-diary-4-learning-how-to-speak-vietnamese\/\">Hanoi Diary #4: Learning How to Speak Vietnamese<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/05\/hanoi-diary-3-the-privileged-life-of-an-expat\/\">Hanoi Diary #3: The Privileged Life of an Expat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/02\/hanoi-diary-2-daily-life-coffee-wifi-and-my-personal-goals\/\">Hanoi Diary #2: Daily Life, Coffee, Wifi, and My Personal Goals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/29\/hanoi-diary-1-leaving-to-vietnamfrance-for-2-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hanoi Diary #1: Leaving to Vietnam\/France for 2 Years<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear friend, I want to write you a letter giving you a life update from Hanoi:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/eric-kim-cindy-project-portra-400-.jpg?fit=4272%2C2856&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}