Saying goodbye to a coworking space in Hoi An

I think staying two weeks in Hoi An was more than enough. Hoi An is a small, hot city, and after two weeks, a change feels appreciated :)

Yesterday was our last day at the coworking space, and I had a strange feeling about it. For two weeks, we kept seeing the same people every day, and sometimes in between work, we would end up chatting outside the office area. Conversations about everything: work, life, mindfulness, AI, science, art, sleep problems, anxiety, and random thoughts. Somehow, all those small talks created a kind of connection between us.

Some strangers feel strangely familiar to me!

Last night, two others and I chatted until 2 AM. Drew, from the UK, had travelled to Japan before and gave me some good recommendations. Tiziano, from Italy, had also been to Ha Noi and shared his own recommendations too. Although… I would probably be a bit more careful with his suggestions. He was happily eating worms, hehe. Even thinking about that turns my stomach.

Anyway, after all those conversations and shared thoughts, saying goodbye triggered this weird feeling that I had known these people for much longer than only two weeks. I do not know if it is only me who experiences this.

I have never really talked about it with anyone before. But sometimes, after meeting someone, even after only a few hours, I get this strange feeling that I already knew this person somewhere in the past, and simply forgot it. Have you ever had that feeling?

The idea of say goodbye without holding on

Saying goodbye to these people, while knowing you will probably never see them again, was not an everyday experience.

I have always loved the idea of not becoming too attached to anything, including people! So when the time comes to say goodbye, I can calmly say, “It was nice to meet you,” with a smile on my lips, and peacefully let them continue on their path.

The same idea applies to objects too. I like the idea of reaching a state where I can let things go when the time comes and simply say, “Thank you for your service, but I do not need you anymore.”

Well, of course, it becomes much more complicated when it comes to humans. We build real bonds with people. But still, there is something beautiful about this light feeling of letting people go without trying to hold onto them forever. There is a kind of divine maturity in it.

May 19th, 2026

Hoi An air port

Leaving Hoi An and the people I met there

Right now, as I am writing this, I am at the airport in Hoi An, Vietnam. We are heading to Ha Noi, and I am looking forward to it.