On her third trip to Vietnam, Japanese tourist Furuya Wakana became the country’s 3 millionth visitor. When asked why she keeps returning to Vietnam, Ms. Wakana responded, “Because Vietnamese food is delicious, nutritious and won’t make a woman get fat. Vietnamese fine art handicrafts are very nice and cheap. Vietnamese clothing is diverse, colourful and very reasonably priced.”
“On every trip to Vietnam, I buy many gifts for my friends and family in Japan. My favourite thing to do is to wander the streets and shop. I always feel safe and at peace in HCM City, and I always take advantage of the city’s wonderful spa services. I go almost everyday while I am here, because the prices are reasonable and the workers are very professional.”
Elizabett, the daughter of a Russian scientist at HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport came to Vietnam originally for her father’s birthday and fell in love with the country.
“I really love it. It’s so different from my homeland. The last time, I only visited Hanoi and Ha Long, but this time, I’m going to see Sa Pa, Hue and Hoi An. I sent some photos home to my friends, and many have told me that I look very beautiful in a Vietnamese ao dai. I want to become a Vietnamese girl, and now, I’m studying to turn this dream into reality,” explained Elizabett.
In Hoi An, an American couple, named Johnson and Julia, were spotted trying to communicate with a very old man. It turns out, the couple had just finished teaching an IT class attended by two of the man’s sons, both of whom are disabled. The Americans just wanted to say goodbye
“I love Vietnam because of friends like Tran and An, Mr My’s sons. They’re both disabled, but they both work so hard and are so eager to learn. Spending time with them really brings a smile to my face. Mr. My sometimes brings us special dry pancakes that he makes for us with lots of sesame because he knows how much we like it. For us, living in Vietnam is like living in the middle of one big family.”
Karin Muller is tour guide and a special friend of Vietnam’s. Since 1990, he has flown back and forth from Germany many times.
Mr Muller commented, “German people work very hard, but I think Vietnamese people work harder. I love the way my friends here go out of their way to offer me help anytime I might need it. I tell German tourists that the Vietnamese people are the friendliest in the world. I feel compassion for poor farmers, and I hope that soon, they’ll be able to import agricultural machines to reduce their exhausting work.”
Constaintine P. Kokkoris, a lawyer, said, “I love the way people in Vietnam can instantly befriend someone, even if it’s just a random meeting on the street. I love the food here and the music. I also love Water Puppetry, and I devote a special part of my admiration for Vietnam to Hanoi and Saigon beers.”
Mr. Kokkoris has traveled the length of the country many times collecting evidence on behalf of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange for their lawsuit against American chemical companies. The only thing he doesn’t like is the traffic. He explains, “I never feel luckier than when I successfully cross the road, here. By far, the worst thing I’m forced to face in Vietnam is the chaotic sea of vehicles that fill the streets.”
Zig Merder, 71, an American lawyer who has visited Vietnam three times, had this to say, “Three years ago, I came to Vietnam simply out of curiosity. I wanted to know about this country that we had gone to war with. I knew it was love as soon as I got my first glimpse of the ancient narrow streets of Hanoi and the city’s mild and smiling people. That night, around Lake Hoan Kiem, I saw a family with a mother and a father and a child walking freely and happily. They were eating ice cream and laughing. It warmed my heart.”
“Then, I went to the South and the feeling of love and closeness grew more intense. I have returned to Vietnam every year since, and this time, I will stay in Nha Trang for at least one year. I was born in a coastal area, and I want to spend the last days of my life near the sea.”
“You don’t have to ask me if I love Vietnam. I’ve lived in Saigon for eleven years,” said Michael Abadie, Director of the Vietnam branch of the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokerage Group, in a very good Northern Vietnamese accent.
Michael went on, “In 1989, my wife and I hired a car to go to Da Lat. Unfortunately, the car broke down in the middle of the Bao Loc mountain pass. Of course, we didn’t have a mobile phone, and there also weren’t any fixed line phones in the area. Michael went to a nearby family to ask for help. “They didn’t have electricity or running water, but they were ready to let us sleep in their house. The next day, the driver had the car fixed, but we decided to stay with our new friends for a week more,” he said.
