Having mastered a small two-wheeler for his body, Ivan Os (43 years old) has made many trips around the S-shaped country.
“In the past, I didn’t expect much, I thought Vietnam was not impressive and maybe similar to the stereotype about tourism like many other places. However, I completely changed my mind after the trip and I want to change my mind. tell the whole world about the interesting and attractiveness of Vietnam”, Ivan laughs as he remembers the trip.
Ivan came to Vietnam in 2015 and has lived and worked in Binh Thuan province until now. His first impression of the S-shaped land was the mystery, it was not easy to immediately adapt to the lifestyle, culture, cuisine, or even traffic. Although he had previously ridden large displacement bikes in other Asian countries, he said that learning to ride a motorbike in Vietnam also takes longer. The cars here are quite small for him, but they are very economical in materials and durable, which surprised him.
In the early years, he spent time exploring the sand dunes, beaches, and temples in Binh Thuan. Then there are neighboring cities and villages such as Da Lat, Nha Trang, and Phan Rang. His journeys are getting longer and longer, according to him, because the more he knows about the country and the people of Vietnam, the more attractive he becomes. This is also the premise for his trip across Vietnam.
In the summer of 2020, Mr. Ivan was traveling alone in a Wave car, from Mui Ne (Binh Thuan) to Da Lat, along with the coastal provinces of Vietnam such as Phan Thiet, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang… to the northern provinces. such as Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Cao Bang, Son La, Lao Cai… For 3 months, he drove to even the most remote northern mountains and filled Google maps with landmarks. mark, a total of about 7,000 km. However, he has yet to reach the southern part of the Mekong Delta.
He goes to the seas and mountains to see a natural beauty or to the villages to see the local people doing handmade weaving. The place he loves the most is Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai), with winding terraced fields, the culture imbued with the identity of the local people.
He said, during the trip, he also encountered incidents such as having a minor accident, causing damage to the camera and photo camera or the motorcycle. To him, those things are insignificant, on the contrary, they are memories to remember.
“It is difficult to say which memory is the most impressive because everywhere I have had experiences and met lovely people. Vietnam has diverse nature, especially a rich and rich culture. identity is still being preserved. Maybe that’s why I fell in love with this country – Vietnam is like my second home,” Ivan said.
Regarding food, according to Ivan, the North has occupied his mind when thinking of delicious dishes. Although these are simple street foods, each area is processed and seasoned differently. Pho, bread, seafood, Vietnamese beer are all his favorites. On the way, he was also invited to “specialties” such as pipe tobacco but had to skillfully refuse for fear of getting drunk.
Compared to the places he visited in Russia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam has a quite pleasant climate. At any time, you can find a cool place to remove all sorrow and stress such as sunny beaches, highlands with fog covered.
Currently, Ivan has an Instagram account and a Youtube account with more than 20,000 followers, to share photos and videos about the beautiful scenery of the S-shaped land. In addition, he also set up social networking groups to consulting, sharing Vietnam travel experiences with people in his hometown.
Ivan said that his trips are being suspended when Covid-19 is breaking out again. Therefore, he spends his time making documentaries about Vietnam through the videos he has recorded during his travels.
“Vietnam is a rapidly developing country, but I still hope that when industrialization expands, nature will not be invaded and the traditional craft skills of the ethnic people will not be lost. It’s not an easy task, but preserving traditions and developing the economy like Vietnam is doing will create attraction for tourists,” he said. Follow vnexpress