My husband had a chance encounter in a Vietnam hotel. Some people have an ease with their bodies

April 10, 2026 — 11:00am

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My husband came back to our Hanoi hotel room a couple of weeks ago wearing a look I’ve only seen on him a handful of times. Profound bewilderment.

Chris had taken a few things for our flight home down to the guest ironing room. The room was tiny. Hot. Doubled as a storage space for luggage. He’d just set up the 500-year-old ironing board when a female staff member walked in before her shift.

She was in her 60s, swapped a good morning with Chris, squeezed past him to the corner of the room where a hand shower was rigged up. Then stripped off her pants and top and had a bird bath in her bra and undies.

An arm’s length away, Chris figured the best thing was to play it cool and keep ironing. She dried off, got dressed, gave a wave and left.

He came upstairs and told me the story.

We had a “what the?”........

© Brisbane Times