With special love for Vietnam, two Korean men are making a trans-Vietnam journey to explore culture, tradition, customs and the beauty of all regions to promote good images of Vietnamese people to international friends.
The trans-Vietnam journey is taken by Chang Sung-taek and Ahn Joung-Ho. The trip started on June 30, 2013, and is scheduled to last about two months, from the northernmost point in Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district of Ha Giang province to the southernmost point in Rach Tau Cape, Ngoc Hien district of Ca Mau Province.
With more than 10 years living and working in Vietnam, Chang Sung-taek, a student of the Law Faculty of the Hanoi National University, who is currently working for Good People International – a non-governmental organization - considers Vietnam as his second home.
"In my heart, the love for the country and people of Vietnam is always effusive and deep. I always wish that one day I can introduce the beauty of Vietnam to Korean friends as well as people in the whole world. I've been to a number of provinces in the North, the Central and Southern regions but I did not have the opportunity to travel through Vietnam,” he said.
“My Korean friends only know about Halong Bay and Nha Trang beach. But in fact, Vietnam has many beautiful tourist destinations such as Sapa. So I want to take a trip to introduce Vietnam to my friends," Chang Sung-taek added.
Joining Taek in the journey is Joung-Ho Ahn, a doctor of business administration, lecturer at the University of Namseoul.
"I’ve been in Vietnam for nearly three years. At first I planned to stay in Vietnam for 6 -12 months to work but after seeing the life and the love of Vietnamese people, I want to stay longer to explore Vietnam,” he said.
“Before coming to Vietnam, I only knew about Uncle Ho, Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang beach like other Koreans. But after coming to Vietnam, I’ve learned a lot of tourist attractions. On this occasion I will have to decide whether I will stay in Vietnam longer or return home to get married since I am 40 years old," Joung-Ho Ahn said.
The two Korean men use a car in this journey. From Ha Giang Province, Chang Sung Taek said: "We had trouble finding our way to Ha Giang. Due to the vehicle's navigation equipment was malfunctions, we had to go on a bad road and then arrived at the city of Tuyen Quang to turn off onto Highway 2 and go to Ha Giang.”
“On the way from the home of H’mong King to the Lung Cu flagpole, our car was punctured because of sharp stones falling down from the mountains, so we had to replace it by the spare tire. There were many ethnic minority people passed by and talked to us but they could not speak Kinh language so we used sign language.”
On the way, the two Korean men was immersed themselves in the wind and the sand of the central region to feel the harshness of nature and the will, the strength of the diligently working people. Many areas in particular made strong impression to Chang Sung-taek and Joung-Ho Ahn such as Hue, the Central Highlands...
They took a lot of pictures and noted down the emotions during the journey as materials for a future book about Vietnam tourism.
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