One solo female traveler said she came close to being forced to leave one hugely popular destination after falling in love with its landscapes, food, and unforgettable experiences.
Jamelia Brown, 25, decided to see the world once she finished university, after having a difficult student experience during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her travels began with Camp America, a program that gives young adults the chance to spend the summer working at camps across the US.
From there, she started exploring America by herself, a move that helped build her confidence and showed her that traveling alone did not have to mean missing out.
Since then, the content creator has also backpacked around southeast Asia solo and spent time in Spain teaching English to children.
Although she has visited a number of memorable places, she says Vietnam is the destination that stands above the rest.
She said: “Vietnam stands out because I feel like the country strikes such a good balance between being very easy for tourists to navigate whilst also keeping its authenticity.
“Some countries, where there’s quite a lot of tourists, they cater to tourists so much that they lose their authenticity.”
Her backpacking trip also gave her a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War, something she knew little about before traveling through the region.
She was also captivated by the country’s “beautiful” and “amazing” scenery, so much so that she stayed until the very end of her visa because she did not want to go home.
During her visit, Jamelia spent a week in Hanoi, where she embraced the energy of the capital and enjoyed what she called the “best meal of my life”.
She ate at Bun Cha Huong Lien, the restaurant where Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama famously dined together in 2016.
She said: “You can actually see where they sat as it’s encased in glass. I got the meal they had, called the Obama meal for under $4, which came with bun cha, a smoky pork soup, a seafood spring roll, drink and some memorabilia.”
“[It’s] definitely not a tourist trap as it was the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life,” she added.
Another standout stop for her was Hoi An, which she described as a “charming city with a beautiful old town”.
“One of my highlights of the trip was going on a boat down the river at night and releasing a lantern into the water — it was so beautiful to watch the river light up with hundreds of lanterns. I felt like I was in a film!” she added.
Vietnam drew an impressive 21.2 million tourists in 2025, setting a new national record. With continued strong growth in early 2026, Vietnam is on track to meet or exceed its target of 25 million international visitors for the year.
Many backpackers begin in Hanoi before traveling south to Ho Chi Minh City, usually stopping in places like Da Nang and Ninh Binh along the route.
Another major attraction is the Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam, a scenic motorbike route stretching approximately 220 miles through the mountainous Ha Giang Province. Known for its winding mountain roads, dramatic canyons, and towering limestone peaks, the loop typically takes three to four days to complete and passes through villages of ethnic minority groups.
Jamelia believes countries in southeast Asia, including Vietnam, are a great choice for first-time solo travelers because they are among the easiest to get around.
She also says hostels are one of the best ways to meet people on the road.
She said: “Definitely speak to people in hostels, I know its super nerve-wracking going on your own but everyone on their own is as nervous as you are and wants to make friends. Be the person in the hostel to go up to someone.”
That can be as simple as starting a conversation with someone in your room and asking where they are from or what plans they have for their trip.
For anyone considering their first solo adventure, her advice is clear: take the leap and book it.