On a daily basis, I usually bike around 7km (5 mi) within Sóc Trăng, to and from coffee shops, meals and extracurriculars. Sometimes, when I go to explore a local pagoda or soccer field, it can be closer to 10km, or if I am very busy with teaching, I will stay at the school all day aside from meals. This weekend, I was able to leave school early on Friday and travel to Ho Chi Minh City, the economic capital of Vietnam and the largest city in the country. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly (and colloquially) known as Saigon, is about 212 km away (130 mi). I left midday on Friday when there was heavy traffic, which ended up being a 6-hour bus ride, but I returned to Sóc Trăng later in the evening on Sunday, so the drive was only 3.5 hours.
Short answer: very far. Just by flying to Vietnam from the U.S., I traveled 11 time zones away from where I began. From Washington, D.C., to Hanoi, Vietnam is 8,275 miles. The flight took about 25 hours total with a layover in Incheon, South Korea.
While in Hanoi, the rest of my cohort and I took some trips to different parts of Northern Vietnam such as Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay. These cities are 60 miles and 100 miles from Hanoi, respectively. Total distance traveled: 8,435 mi.
