Where are our journeys begun?

Any city — including my hometown, Hanoi — can be a starting point for stepping out of one’s comfort zone and exploring the world at large. The French word Ailleurs (”elsewhere” in English) is a homophone /ajœʀ/ of the Vietnamese ai ở — ”who stays”. The pair brings to mind the dueling impulses many of us have towards the places we live: To stay, or to go elsewhere?

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Hanoi Ailleurs was not born of a sudden 'eureka' moment; it was conceived over a range of temporal and geographic locales, accreted from chunks of stories and impressions of people met along the way. Like a cozy tearoom, it’s meant to connect us through sharing creative ideas and a passion for arts, culture, and real-life stories wherever we go.

We hope you feel at home here. Let's enrich our connections and set ourselves free with no rule but joy!