Today started like usual I woke up around 4 AM and continued with my morning dhikr. But unlike the previous days, there was no halaqah because we had to get ready early in the morning for an outing and a sharing session with PPI Vietnam. Of course, before that, my friends and I went back to sleep for a bit
After waking up again, we had breakfast, and I took a quick shower. Long story short, we all got ready and headed to the location using GreenSM. We gathered at a flower garden in Hanoi.
When we arrived, we immediately met two Indonesian students who were studying in Vietnam. The first one was named Adit, while the second one honestly, I forgot his name because his voice was too soft during the introduction, so I couldn’t hear it clearly. They shared their experiences about living in Vietnam, working, and studying abroad.
After the sharing session ended, we took group photos together with them. Then, we were given free time until 11:40 AM to explore the area. So, Mumtaz, Dwi, and I walked around and bought some crepes. The seller was really kind she even gave us some noodle snacks for free. The taste wasn’t that great, but hey, it was free, so no complaints
Not long after, we gathered again and headed to Al-Noor Mosque in Hanoi, which was about 10 minutes away from our location. When we arrived, it was honestly an amazing moment for me it was the first time I saw Muslims in Vietnam outside of my own group. There were people from many different races, ethnicities, and countries Germany, India, Pakistan, and of course, Vietnam.
The khutbah was delivered in two languages: Vietnamese and Arabic. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand either of them
After the prayer, we met many Indonesians there, including people from the Indonesian Embassy. There was also a man from Algeria who had been living in Indonesia for about 17 years, and even someone from Bekasi what a small world!
After finishing, we were allowed to explore freely, as long as we returned to Al-Noor Mosque for Asr prayer. So, Dwi, Mumtaz, and I decided to explore the Old Quarter, the famous tourist area.
The first thing I did was go to an ATM because I was running low on cash. After withdrawing money, the three of us continued walking around. The longer we walked, the farther we got from the mosque and we were doing everything on foot
Dwi also wanted to exchange Indonesian rupiah, so we looked for a money changer. Luckily, we found one, and the staff was friendly. After that, we kept exploring until we suddenly found ourselves on a big main road with a roundabout. I remember saying, “Now this feels like Hanoi before this, we’ve only been in the quieter, neighborhood areas.”
Around that area, we spotted a KFC and immediately decided to go in. I ordered chicken with cola for 45,000 VND. Honestly, the taste was exactly the same as in Indonesia. After eating, we even took a selfie with the cashier
After that, we headed to a lake nearby. It was quite crowded, and we took some photos there. Then Dwi wanted to go to Miniso, so we followed him there. After that, we decided to head back. The walk was pretty far around 2 km.
When we finally arrived back at the mosque, we immediately performed the Asr prayer and gathered with the others. After regrouping, we headed back to our homestay.
Nothing much happened after that. At night, we had fried chicken for dinner, and then went through our usual evening routine though this time, we didn’t open our laptops. Finally, at around 10 PM, we went to sleep.
It was a pretty packed and memorable day from meeting Indonesian students, experiencing Friday prayer in Vietnam, to exploring the lively Old Quarter of Hanoi.