In the years of youth, perhaps everyone has dreams in themselves, but not everyone is willing to trade and bravely overcome difficulties to reach that dream. The story of travel blogger Dao Minh Tien – with the nickname “De Men Du Ky” is the journey of a patriotic soldier who chooses to step out of his comfort zone to “fire” with passion, and at the same time makes a life statement. yourself in an intense and inspiring way.
As the owner of the Youtube channel, TikTok and the Podcast De Men Du Ky with hundreds of thousands of followers, travel blogger Dao Minh Tien, being able to travel around and explore scenic spots is both satisfying and satisfying. youth’s passion for travel, as well as an opportunity for him to spread more widely his love for his homeland and country.
The soldier stepped out of his comfort zone, pursuing his passion for travel
When did you start realizing your passion for travel?
When I was a soldier, I had the opportunity to visit history museums and study culture. Starting to work on tourism originates from the desire to set foot directly in that land to experience the culture and history, then, Cricket tried to learn to make an introductory video about tourism, both to satisfy their passion, while being able to spread the love of their homeland to young people.
To put it up for comparison, anyone can probably see these two jobs as very different. However, I see the two things have one thing in common: Both require discipline and they are two different forms of discipline. The job of creating travel content may seem more liberating than being in the military, but it actually requires a new kind of discipline that you have to get used to. If you don’t have a high sense of self-discipline and self-discipline, you can’t do it!
Choosing to be discharged from the army and switch to being a travel blogger, how did your family and relatives react?
First, Cricket himself decided to become a full-time travel blogger when he had a clear perception that he could make a living from this profession independently. But only when I received the consent from my family, I officially changed my job. Cricket understands that my parents can’t live for me, but that’s not why I put my family aside to pursue my passion, especially for a person who is heavy on family affection like Cricket. Therefore, I chose to convince my family to believe in this decision, I want the new journey to have support from my parents.
Creating content on social networks is still a very vague job for my family, so the first step Cricket took was to share more about the trips, stories and products that he did. Okay. Crickets also shared with their parents about their cooperation projects with brands, their source of income from this job, gradually until their parents understood this was a legitimate job, “making money”. , and have a future like any other job. I understand that my parents still have a certain regret with their old job and are a bit worried, but above all, up to this point, they have wholeheartedly respected and supported my decision.
Besides work, what did you have to trade for this decision?
One of the things that most people who work in tourism have to admit: The biggest trade-off for this job is health. There are times when I myself lost 3-4kg because of moving, or a friend of mine suffered from spondylosis at a very young age because he had to wear a backpack that was too heavy for a long time,… To In order to have memorable experiences, to have movies, to capture those “1-0-2” moments to share with everyone, we had to accept sacrifices.
Therefore, Cricket always tries every day to ensure a balance between maintaining health and fitness with the pursuit of trips. The job is a long way, not “skimming”, “passing” a few times.
Where is “De Men du Ky” in the middle of a “forest” travel blogger?
The character of the military environment is often a strict, disciplined way of upbringing. Meanwhile, blogging is often associated with creativity, generosity, and improvisation. The initial transition of Cricket made many people think that the first products you created were too hard, Before this unwelcome reception, what did you think?
Not only everyone, but even Cricket himself, when he looks back, he feels… pale (laughs). Crickets used to be in a very formal and serious environment, so when I first started YouTube, my vlog was “stiff” and somewhat dry, unable to escape the image of “soldier uncle”. My friends who watched the video at that time also commented that they were too serious, need to be more cheerful and playful. I also tried making jokes in the video, but instead of being funny and witty, I found myself a bit… silly (laughs).
When he understood that seriousness and calmness were part of his personality, instead of trying to be cheerful and lively, Cricket chose the sincerity and peace that were his forte, to convey. in each video. I also gradually got used to expressing myself in front of the camera, starting to use words and body language more fluently.
Content creators always need to find a “own” substance, especially when the existing travel content becomes “saturated”. What is the mark in the products of De Men Du Ky?
I used to have time to think and ponder a lot about my “personality”. At that time, Cricket thought that he started this job from zero, learning to rotate, learn to edit, just like learning to write letters, in order to write words, he must start from practicing painting. Therefore, Cricket has always learned from his seniors and seniors so that he can master his skills, plus discover and grasp his own strengths and try to promote it.
Once a soldier himself, the national pride in De Men Du was very deep, so he chose the image of the country’s flag to accompany him in his products, as a “identification point” in De Men Du’s channel. Sign. This image, after being spread to the community, has received very positive feedback. Even now, many friends and spectators tease me as “the guy holding the flag to go around the world”. Crickets think they have partly succeeded in creating “own substance”.
Creating your own mark in creativity is a necessity, but sometimes it becomes a kind of pressure for creatives – pressure is not always good for a profession that inherently needs a job. this “flying” and liberal. So I’ll just do it, when the experience is thick enough, and I’ve lived enough, I’ll realize what my own mark is.
Officially working as a travel blogger in early 2021 is also the time when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out and tourism activities were almost “frozen”. Obviously your work is affected, do you ever regret this choice?
The time of social distancing, despite being “bound”, but motivated me to explore making TikTok and Podcast – 2 channels that have opened up many job opportunities for me, especially Podcasts. The more I experiment, the more I realize that Podcasts are the place where I can freely “struggle”, while promoting the voice that is my strength, and exploiting the fertile content land – the stories around trips. Up to this point, I have been somewhat satisfied because although my content is not “viral”, it has reached the audience that needs to be touched.
Near goal: Conquer 63 provinces with the national flag
He once shared that he really wanted to carry out his plan to bring the Vietnamese flag to experience all 63 provinces and cities of the country. Has this goal been achieved?
Crickets have set foot in about 30 provinces and cities, but not all of them carry the flag, there are a few places that I think are not suitable to fly the national flag and need another trip to a suitable place. more suitable. Cricket considers conquering 63 provinces and cities with the Vietnamese flag as a wish and experience, but it is not because of that that he puts a lot of weight on the quantity and goes to get it. I want to let things happen naturally, one day when I have had enough experience and “mature”, giving a feeling about the places I’ve been to will also be more profound.
What message do you have for young people who love to experience, explore, enjoy life on the move and have the desire to become a travel blogger like you?
I always think that “the longest way is the way from the head to the hand”, first of all, don’t think too much and just do it. If you just think and cherish it, it will stay in your head, on paper, it is very difficult to know if you are suitable or not. So, we have no choice but to experiment to know if we are capable or not.
However, you should also consider carefully because the work of creating content on social networks has not received a comprehensive view, for many people this is just a temporary movement. Young people who want to pursue this path need to learn carefully to know that in addition to what people see, there are difficulties and pressures to go through and make the correct decision.
Thank you for sharing, wish you continue to travel to many great places and live your passion!