The Annual Company Trip
The day started at an ungodly 4:30 a.m., and by six I was outside one of our centres, clutching my first of many coffees for the day and wondering why team bonding had to start before sunrise. We had a three-hour bus ride ahead of us to Vũng Tàu, and despite everyone’s best efforts to chat, lots of people were asleep before we even hit the motorway (or highway).
When we finally rolled up to the resort, there was no time to breathe, we were ushered straight into a conference room for the Apollo talks. Three hours of motivational slides, applause breaks, and polite nodding later, half the room was fighting to stay awake. Just as we were about to collectively lose the will to live, the speakers cut, the bass dropped, and suddenly there were flags, strobe lights, and choreographed dancing. Nothing wakes you up quite like a surprise corporate rave at 11 a.m.
Free Time (Finally)
After the chaos of the morning, we were finally given free time. No one else seemed particularly keen on the beach, so I went solo. I went for a walk, wandered a bit too far, and somehow ended up in a quiet little section with no one around, my own private beach for the afternoon.
It felt so good to just be by the sea again. The smell of salt, the sound of the waves, the sun on my face, I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it. I went for a quick swim, got lightly stung by a jellyfish (more itchy than dramatic), and then just lay there for a while doing absolutely nothing. Bliss.
The Gala
That evening was the big event, the Apollo Gala. I got ready, took a few photos with my centre team, and tried to look awake and professional despite the lack of sleep and the bottle of wine my work mate and I shared beforehand....
The evening started with more speeches, but this time there was beer involved, which definitely helped. Dinner was delicious, although I did have to have my chicken cut up for me by one of my Vietnamese coworkers because I still haven’t mastered chopsticks for anything that isn’t noodles. Embarrassing, yes, but at least they found it funny.
Then came the talent show: wigs, Jessie J, and a level of enthusiasm that could only come from free-flowing drinks. It was genuinely brilliant, and by the end of it, everyone was on their feet, singing and dancing.
After the official event, the real party started. Somehow, I ended up sitting at a table with the CEO and COO, slightly terrifying, but less so when they kept buying my drinks. The rest of the night was a blur of bad dancing, karaoke, and questionable decisions.
A Night to Remember
At some point, my coworker and I decided the night wasn’t over until we’d gone for a swim, so we did. In full outfits. With Soju. We ran straight into the sea, laughing like idiots, and for a moment, everything felt weirdly perfect.
Sure, I probably ruined my dress, lost some jewellery, and woke up slightly regretting everything, but that moment, tipsy, happy, standing in the warm water under the stars, made it all worth it.
It hit me then how wild this all was. I live in Vietnam. My company literally paid for me to go to the beach. And now I’m drunk in the ocean with my coworkers, what a life. From the outside, my Instagram probably looks like I’m some girl travelling on her parents’ money, but this is the reality: I work here, and opportunities like this actually exist.
The Aftermath
The next morning was less magical. Silent breakfast. Sunglasses indoors. Mutual regret. The bus ride back to Saigon was quiet, everyone recovering and mentally preparing to teach again that evening.
Back to “real life,” I guess. Though technically, my real life’s supposed to be in England… but I think I like this version more.