#fansipan — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #fansipan, aggregated by home.social.
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2026 Q1: What is happening?
I’ve been singing a lot to the song “Bittersweet” by Ariana Grande. I’ve been thinking to myself, “Ah, gusto ko nga boses ni Ariana” whenever I hear it play on Monster Radio. Then one time, it queued on my Spotify and I discovered it’s actually sung by Madison Beer. And since that revelation, I still have to think of an Ariana song that I like.
👆 Tap this text line to listen to this non-Ariana song | Tap again to hideThey sound the saaame. Don’t blame me.
I think we misidentify a lot of things in our lives. I think life is contradictory, surprising, even random, or just confusing. And I’m not saying that as a negative. In the past, I’d say life is a tender unfolding, but now, I’ll add it’s a massive learning curve.
You ease it through the effort you put in, openness, self-belief, and a willingness to FAFO (fuck around and find out) to experience and understand things in your POV. And I’m actually enjoying this curve—even if life lately has been overwhelming… not because of work, but because of the state of the world.
I navigate this horseshit of anxiety by being informed. It’s kinda self-sabotage, but it’s better to understand, which led me to late-night rabbit hole readings and resuming a book that’s been sitting on my desk since December.
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need To Know About Global Politics
Author: Tim Marshall
I pace myself at only one chapter per sitting. Four chapters in, it feels like a piece that fills the missing context from college history classes.
It’s amazing how environment shapes people, their priorities, fears, what they will covet, and be paranoid about. You get a gist of why country leaders make the choices they do, and why they can’t just behave and mind their own.
This is the train of thought so far while I haven’t finished the book.
1. Warmongering is a fight for resources a country lacks.
Russia is a powerhouse but lacks a warm port and a barrier to the west. Its ports freeze for half the year, trapping its navy. To the west, they have no mountains so there’s an open flat plain leading straight to Moscow. When Ukraine (in its west) moved to join NATO (which exists specifically to contain them), Russia did not sit idly by. They seized Crimea (part of Ukraine) to secure a year-round warm-water port and invaded the rest of the country, preventing NATO from parking weapons in that entry point to Moscow.
China has a massive population but lacks enough food and energy for a billion people. They need to trade so they negotiate with countries through massive loans (Belt and Road Initiative) to get port access & trade routes, as well as take management of infrastructures they built, or ask low-cash countries to pay in raw materials.
USA, has everything but lacks full control over the global flow of fuel that keeps the USD strong (thru the Petrodollar system). This is why history-aware people know that the attack on Iran had been in the plan all along. Iran is a mountainous fortress that sits right on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s biggest oil choke point. US couldn’t risk a fortress country having the power to shut off the world’s energy.
2. Mountains and forests are a country’s natural defense.
Take the US-waged war in Vietnam. The Viet took the battle into jungles that were impossible for the G.I. to study without being ambushed or felled in traps. Mountains and forests aren’t just sceneries and resource providers. They are a country’s natural barrier. So if we destroy them, we are also weakening our own defenses not just from storms, but even against invasion. In fact, the Great Wall of China was an attempt to simulate a mountain’s advantage and make it hard for Mongol invaders.
3. If you don’t own the sea path, you have to own the country that does.
Seas are important in trade and logistics. US signed up allies in navigable waters far from home (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines), surrounding and trapping China. Since US got to them first, China tries to recover by whatever claims they can stake (like the Nine-Dash Line) and get sea access through the Belt and Road Initiative.
4. In massive complex territories, frequent leadership changes won’t work.
We see long-term authoritarian rule negatively because they hold onto power for so long. Yet it can take decades to understand the nuances of a vast land, its multiple territories, their differences that must be united, the common good they will rally to, and see patterns in the global landscape so they can protect themselves because countries surrounded by land are more vulnerable. And throughout history, invasions led to destruction of cities, looting, slaughter of combatants, massacre of civilians, torture, and rape. It can sound paranoid, but it will take a veteran to “spend peacetime preparing for the day war breaks out.”
5. America’s liberator image is propaganda
US, had in fact, bought the colonies from their respective invaders and staged liberation struggles to position themselves as white saviors. And it’s sad they were painted as liberators in the Filipino history books my generation was taught during grade school.
I’m only halfway through the book, but I’m connecting how we usually view Communism through a Western lens, focusing on the Cold War and absence of democracy.
But originally, for the peasants in China Vietnam, Russia, and even the Huk in Philippines, it was about ending feudalism and the primary appeal was land distribution. It offered the common folk the right to own the dirt they worked on when the hacienderos owned almost everything.
The thing is, the government cannot give land to the poor without taking it from the rich. This creates an immediate class struggle where you take from the oligarchs to run the program. For a country like China, providing for a billion needed total control and long-term rule because they cannot allow vested interests to fuel a rebellion and take the resources back for a few elite families.
In this system, small businesses flourish more than massive corporations. Because the government prioritizes local labor and products over imports so you see a different kind of survival. It’s a trade-off: you lose the big boom of a capitalist economy, but you gain a community that can support itself.
Vietnam Trip (January 2026)
Paolo and I went to Vietnam in January. I’ll let the photos and videos do most of the talking from this point.
Hanoi
We clocked over 20,000 steps in a single day, wandering without a strict itinerary. But I did note what I wanted to try and a few accessible Michelin spots. I was looking forward to the egg coffee, but I ended up falling in love with the salted drinks.
Muối means salt in Vietnamese. The cà phê muối ☕ (salted coffee) and chanh muối 🍋🧊 (salted lemonade) enraptured me. And yes, enraptured is the accurate term. But I had a falling out with phở the moment I tried bún chả. I meannn… whaaat is thaaat cleeean, brrrothyy, smmokky taste!!! It was a total game-changer that my new noodles hierarchy is bún chả > phở > tom yum noodle soup.
Guuuulaaay!Sapa Town Center
Temperature in Sapa was at 14-19°C during the day and slid down to 5-9°C at night. It waaas freezing, but I think my November Sagada birthday hike prepared my skin for the cold. Sapa is such a walkable town that we only booked a Grab once. That was right after finishing Fansipan Peak, walking to Swing Sapa, and then trekking through Cat Cat Village in a single day—AFTER our 5-hour Lào Cai hike the day prior. By that point, after Cat Cat, my shins were shaking. There was just no way I could walk back to the inn.
Sapa is the ideal town for me. I hope I get to retire in a place like this.
Lào Cai Hike
This was the hike I mentioned. It’s a village-to-village trek led by one of the women from the Mường tribe. Our guide was Nini. She picked us up first at the inn around 8:45 a.m., and then we walked to the next hotel to pick up the other joiners. I enjoyed trailing through the rice paddies and the soil, seeing the villages, and interacting with the tribespeople along the way. You’ll notice that what the tribespeople are selling is at a higher price, but buy it anyway to help if you can.
The main livelihood for the women in the Mường tribe is either tour guiding or craft-making. The Mường people live in small villages along the rice paddies. I learned from Nini that Mường women cannot own or inherit land. Land is always inherited by sons. If a father has no son, his land doesn’t go to his wife or daughter when he dies. It goes to his next male relative (a brother, for example). So, the only way a woman can benefit from land is by marrying a man who has inherited it and bearing him a son so they can keep it if the husband passes. This builds a need for mothers to continue having kids until they have a son, because it’s a way to ensure they get to keep a roof over their heads.
Fansipan Peak, Sun Plaza
I wanted to experience a frosty peak, but on the day we were set to climb… thank God the sun was up! Because once you’re actually climbing Fansipan, you realize how easy it is to die slipping off those 600 steps—and that is not how I want to go. I think people with big feet would find the descent more challenging since the steps are quite narrow.
The air up here is so clean and crisp. It smells like the mountain, and I felt like I could smell the clouds too. It’s a mist-like scent, if that makes sense.
I bought this bag made out of lotus leavesCat Cat Village, Swing Sapa
The place was picturesque and colorful. Tourists go here for traditional photoshoots, and the ladies in costumes all looked like ethnic princesses. At this point, my battery was dying—and I mean both my energy and my phone, which had already fully consumed my power bank.
There were a lot of motorcycle drivers around, but when I checked, Grab was actually much cheaper. After finishing Cat Cat Village, we finally folded and booked a Grab back to the inn.
I love Vietnam. But it’s also sad to see another place that is so affordable for foreigners, but not necessarily for its people. That parallel reminds me too much of Manila. But at least Vietnam feels like it has better living conditions for the average citizen.
I’ve only been to four countries, and when I think of my own, I can’t help but wonder: why are we even prioritizing giant malls over public spaces? We sometimes think that maybe we Filipinos have been the problem all along when we see how disorganized people act. But the root is that the government designed systems and environments with such a poor user experience… because the officials are adorned law-degree holders who are highly educated but amoral (even immoral). I hope they put the right people in the right functions where they actually have things to contribute. Hindi yung kung saan nila trip magnakaw.
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❄️ Đỉnh Fansipan ghi nhận lớp băng dày nhất mùa đông năm nay, nhiệt độ giảm 1‑3°C, phủ trắng khắp các khu vực. #Fansipan #Vietnam #Winter #Ice #Weather #ĐỉnhFansipan #ThờiTiết #BăngDày
https://vtcnews.vn/dinh-fansipan-xuat-hien-lop-bang-day-nhat-tu-dau-mua-dong-ar994951.html
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❄️ Đỉnh Fansipan ghi nhận lớp băng dày nhất mùa đông năm nay, nhiệt độ giảm 1‑3°C, phủ trắng khắp các khu vực. #Fansipan #Vietnam #Winter #Ice #Weather #ĐỉnhFansipan #ThờiTiết #BăngDày
https://vtcnews.vn/dinh-fansipan-xuat-hien-lop-bang-day-nhat-tu-dau-mua-dong-ar994951.html
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Nhiệt độ tại đỉnh Fansipan (Lào Cai) giảm xuống 0°C vào sáng 20/12, khiến băng giá phủ trắng nhiều khu vực, tạo nên cảnh tượng ngoạn mục và hiếm có trên "nóc nhà Đông Dương". Hiện tượng này thu hút sự chú ý của du khách và giới nhiếp ảnh.
#Fansipan #Sapa #LàoCai #ThờiTiết #BăngGiá #DuLịch #Vietnam #Snow #Weather #Travel #MienBac #NorthernVietnam
https://vtcnews.vn/nhiet-do-giam-xuong-0-c-bang-trang-xuat-hien-tren-dinh-fansipan-ar994084.html
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Nhiệt độ tại đỉnh Fansipan (Lào Cai) giảm xuống 0°C vào sáng 20/12, khiến băng giá phủ trắng nhiều khu vực, tạo nên cảnh tượng ngoạn mục và hiếm có trên "nóc nhà Đông Dương". Hiện tượng này thu hút sự chú ý của du khách và giới nhiếp ảnh.
#Fansipan #Sapa #LàoCai #ThờiTiết #BăngGiá #DuLịch #Vietnam #Snow #Weather #Travel #MienBac #NorthernVietnam
https://vtcnews.vn/nhiet-do-giam-xuong-0-c-bang-trang-xuat-hien-tren-dinh-fansipan-ar994084.html
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Fansipan đỉnh núi cao nhất Việt Nam bất ngờ xuất hiện băng giá vào sáng nay (23/11) do nhiệt độ giảm xuống 2°C. Hiện tượng này thu hút sự chú ý của nhiều người.
#Fansipan #BăngGiá #Sapa #LàoCai #ThờiTiết #Vietnam #Snow #Ice #Mountain #Travel #DuLich
https://vtcnews.vn/dinh-fansipan-xuat-hien-bang-gia-ar988976.html
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Fansipan đỉnh núi cao nhất Việt Nam bất ngờ xuất hiện băng giá vào sáng nay (23/11) do nhiệt độ giảm xuống 2°C. Hiện tượng này thu hút sự chú ý của nhiều người.
#Fansipan #BăngGiá #Sapa #LàoCai #ThờiTiết #Vietnam #Snow #Ice #Mountain #Travel #DuLich
https://vtcnews.vn/dinh-fansipan-xuat-hien-bang-gia-ar988976.html
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Khu du lịch Sun World Fansipan Legend triển khai chương trình ưu đãi đặc biệt: vé cáp treo đồng giá chỉ 250.000 đồng dành riêng cho toàn bộ công dân tỉnh Lào Cai. Chương trình áp dụng từ ngày 18 đến 23/11/2025, tạo cơ hội để người dân địa phương dễ dàng chinh phục "nóc nhà Đông Dương" với chi phí tiết kiệm.
#Fansipan #LaoCai #CápTreoFansipan #UuDai #DuLichLaoCai #SunWorld #FansipanLegend #TravelVietnam #LaoCaiTourism #CableCar #TravelDeals
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Kì nghỉ lễ 2/9, Fansipan thu hút đông đảo du khách với cảnh đẹp hùng vĩ, lễ hội Mùa Vàng Bản Mây, diễu hành mừng Độc lập và lễ thượng cờ trên đỉnh thiêng! 🇻🇳
#Fansipan #Lễ2Tháng9 #KỳNghỉLễ #DuLịch #Vietnam #VietNamNet #Fansipan #IndependenceDay #Holiday #Travel
https://vietnamnet.vn/du-khach-tham-du-le-thuong-co-tren-dinh-thieng-fansipan-dip-2-9-2438908.html
