If you know me, you know I'm a bit of a walking contradiction when it comes to heritage. I was born in French Canada, raised in Texas, and have spent years chasing new places all over the world. I've road-tripped across most of the US, explored both coasts of Canada, stood on the icy glaciers of Iceland, ran with the bulls in Spain, walked the decks of battleships in the UK, traced ancestral pilgrimage routes in Japan, gotten way too drunk on spiced wine at a German Christmas market, and rowed the canals of Amsterdam.

But Vietnam is where I actually come from — and I’ve never been.

Vietnamese was actually my first language, before French even entered the picture. My great-grandmother spoke only Vietnamese, and she made sure my sister and I learned it growing up — a gift that's kept our roots close.

Every generation before me was born there, until my family fled in the 1980s in the aftermath of the war, rebuilding a life somewhere new. Vietnam has always been present in our home — in the language, the food, the stories — but it's never been a place I could point to and share any experiences.

Coming back to my roots has been a lifelong dream, something I've carried with me through every country I've visited and every place I've called home along the way. And I was lucky enough to meet Rachel, who shares my curiosity for the world and its culture — and who's made it possible for that dream to finally come true, here, with all of you. Getting to stand on that ground, surrounded by the people I love most, makes this more than just a bucket list trip. It's a homecoming, and I can't imagine sharing it with anyone but you.

Thank you for being part of it.

Love, Alex