Southeast Asia · Vietnam

Vietnam guides and stories

I spent five weeks travelling through Vietnam and became slightly obsessed with the north. Expect motorbike loops, hostel lessons, practical Type 1 advice and the story of how a can of Fanta defeated five months of insulin.

Ollie with a local guide beside limestone cliffs and water in Cao Bang, Vietnam

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Northern Vietnam

Ollie and a local guide in front of the Cao Bang limestone landscape

Cao Bang · Solo motorbike guide

How I did the Cao Bang Loop solo

Smooth roads, local food, Ban Gioc and the loop I preferred to Ha Giang.

8 min read

Ollie and another traveller at a viewpoint on the Ha Giang Loop

Ha Giang · Travel story

The day my insulin froze on the Ha Giang Loop

The hostel fridge mistake that sent me back to Hanoi for replacements.

3 min read

Type 1 diabetes in Vietnam

Type 1 diabetes travel guides

Ollie looking over the mountains of northern Vietnam

Insulin storage

How I kept insulin cool while backpacking

FRIO wallets, hostel fridges and why I split my supply now.

Accommodation

Staying in hostels with Type 1 diabetes

The exact questions I ask before trusting a fridge.

Stories from Vietnam

Ha Giang

Five months of insulin versus one fizzy orange drink

Fanta won. Here is what happened next.

A shared meal during Ollie's Southeast Asia trip

Food allergies

The fear before the first meal abroad

Allergy cards, kitchen questions and knowing when to walk away.

Continue exploring Southeast Asia

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