By the time the fifth morning rolled around, our daily schedule had transformed from a strict itinerary into a natural, comfortable rhythm. We woke up early without groaning, performed our Fajr prayers together, and attended our morning halaqah with a sense of peace. We then had our breakfast, prepared by whoever was on duty, and seamlessly transitioned into our KBM sessions. The makeshift projector classroom didn't feel so strange anymore; sitting cross-legged on the beds while absorbing the lessons had just become part of our daily life in Vietnam.
However, after a focused morning of studying and a quick lunch break, the afternoon took a completely unexpected and highly energetic turn. Instead of burying our heads in more materials or continuing our vlog edits, our instructors gathered us for a completely different outdoor activity. We were going to play a city-wide game called Color Hunt.
Seeing Hanoi Through an Orange Lens The rules of the Color Hunt were brilliantly simple but incredibly engaging. Each backpacking group was assigned a specific color, and our mission was to roam the city and find, document, or take pictures of as many objects as possible that matched our assigned hue. My group was given the color orange.
Suddenly, walking through the streets of Hanoi felt like a completely different experience. Usually, I would just take in the general chaos of the city—the traffic, the tall narrow buildings, and the crowds. But now, my teammates and I were highly focused, our eyes constantly scanning the environment like detectives on a mission. We energetically pointed at everything orange we could spot: bright orange shop signs, vibrant floral decorations hanging from balconies, passing motorcycles, workers' helmets, distinct food packaging at local kiosks, and random street objects. We were enthusiastically running around, dodging foot traffic, and laughing every time we found something obscure. This simple game completely changed how I observed my surroundings. It made us pay close attention to the small, colorful details of Hanoi's vibrant street life that we would have otherwise completely ignored.
The Halal Quest and the Perfect Sandwich After spending a couple of hours hyper-focused on finding orange objects, the physical toll of walking around the city under the sun finally hit us. Our energy levels dropped, and our stomachs began to aggressively demand food. We decided to hit pause on the game and stopped by a traditional Vietnamese street food stall that caught our eye.
Ordering street food in a non-Muslim majority country always required an extra layer of caution. Before deciding what to eat, we carefully approached the vendor to ask about the ingredients. Using a mix of basic English, hand gestures, and double-checking, we made absolutely sure that the food was halal, specifically confirming that they didn't use pork, lard, or any other non-halal components. Once we felt completely confident and safe about the preparation, we eagerly placed our order.
I decided to order a warm sandwich filled with generously shredded chicken and cheese. Watching the vendor prepare it made my mouth water. When it was finally handed to me, it was still piping hot. The bread was an absolute masterpiece—it was freshly baked, perfectly and satisfyingly crispy on the outside, yet incredibly soft and fluffy on the inside. I took my first bite right there on the street. The loud crunch of the bread, combined with the deeply savory, well-seasoned shredded chicken and the rich, gooey melted cheese, created an explosion of flavor. It was such a simple meal, but after exhausting ourselves with the Color Hunt, it tasted like a luxury. Every bite was incredibly satisfying, and it instantly earned a spot as one of my absolute favorite foods I had eaten in Vietnam so far.
The Millionaire Experience: An ATM Run With our stomachs full and our energy restored, Kenzie and I suddenly realized a pressing logistical issue: our wallets were getting dangerously light. We had been using our pocket money for snacks, drinks, and random expenses, and our cash reserves were running low. Knowing that we still had about a week left of our adventure in Vietnam, we agreed that we couldn't risk walking around completely broke.
We took a small detour and navigated our way to the nearest ATM to withdraw some emergency funds. Staring at the screen, dealing with the massive denominations of the Vietnamese Dong always felt a bit surreal. I ended up withdrawing approximately 350,000 VND—which, despite sounding like a massive fortune, was actually roughly equal to 240,000 Indonesian Rupiah at the time. Carefully folding the thick stack of bills into my wallet gave me a massive wave of relief. Having enough cash secured in my pocket made me feel infinitely more prepared and confident to tackle the remaining days of our trip.
Circle K, Comfort Food, and Meaningful Endings As we began our walk back to the accommodation, the evening sky started to set in, bringing a slightly cooler breeze. Despite the hearty chicken sandwich earlier, all the walking had triggered our appetites once again. We spotted a brightly lit Circle K convenience store on our route and couldn't resist stepping inside. We wandered down the aisles, looking at all the foreign snacks, before eventually settling on a universal favorite: instant noodles.
As soon as we arrived back at our room, we dropped our bags and headed straight for the small kitchen. We boiled water, cooked up the noodles, and gathered around to eat them together while they were still steaming hot. There is something truly magical about instant noodles—even though they are the simplest, cheapest meal you can buy, they tasted incredibly delicious and comforting after such a long, active day of walking. We slurped our noodles until we were completely stuffed, letting out satisfied sighs. It was the ultimate comfort food.
Once the bowls were empty, we diligently washed our utensils and cleaned the kitchen. The evening then folded into our familiar, comforting routine. We took refreshing showers, performed our Maghrib and Isha prayers in congregation, and sat down for our nightly halaqah.
As I sat there reflecting on the day's events—from the silly Color Hunt and the crispy chicken sandwich to the simple joy of eating instant noodles with my friends—I realized how much this trip was changing me. These daily routines had truly become a part of our lives. Although every single day brought entirely different adventures and random challenges, ending the night with prayer, deep reflection, and quality time grounded us. Day 5 was a vivid reminder of the core lessons of this backpacking journey: the importance of teamwork during games, the responsibility of managing our own money, the independence of finding halal food, and above all, the gratitude for the small, simple moments that made this trip so deeply unforgettable.