«One Wish» – Vietnam
Han from Hanoi
Age: 26
Job: student, vendor fruit bar
What makes you happy?
to play ice hockey – I love LA Kings
What makes you sad?
not to have enough money to do things
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I would like to open a hotel in Sapa
Encounter: Han was selling smoothies in a fruit bar close to our hostal in Hanoi. We went there a few times and always had a cool chat with him and Phan. Google Translate helped us to communicate with them as their English was very basic.
Phan from Hanoi
Age: 20
Job: student, vendor fruit bar
What makes you happy?
I like to play martial arts
What makes you sad?
when I loose playing it
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to open a martial art school
Encounter: Phan was selling smoothies together with Han in the juice bar mentioned above.
Hô from Hanoi
Age: 67
Job: film director
What makes you happy?
spirituality
What makes you sad?
nothing (spirituality is the key to everything)
If you had one wish, what would it be?
since I pursue spirituality, I do not have wishes anymore
Encounter: we met Hô on a local bus to get to our hostal in Hanoi. He helped us to find the way. Later on, we runned into him in the streets and were invited to have a green tea with him and his friend who is a camera man. He told us that he studied in Lausanne and Sweden and that he has a house in Switzerland. And yes, this guy speaks fluently German. He first studied physics and later on changed to the film business as this was his real passion. A very interesting and wise man and a great encounter.
Minh from Halong Bay
Age: 22
Job: crew member
What makes you happy?
my family
What makes you sad?
if a family member gets sick or dies
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I would like to travel around Vietnam one day with my family and when I have enough money, I would like to visit other countries in the world
Encounter: Minh is renting the bar on a cruise boat in Halong Bay and earns his money by selling drinks to tourists. He seems to be a very nice and clever guy and I hope that he can fulfill his dream one day.
Viet from Ninh Binh
Age: 24
Job: hotel manager (Chez Beo Homestay)
What makes you happy?
I like to make other people happy
What makes you sad?
I don’t like when I am stressed
If you had one wish, what would it be?
my wish is to stay healthy in order to be able to look after my family and to make others happy
Encounter: Viet and his family are such nice and warm-hearted people. The guesthouse only opened 3 weeks ago when we arrived there and it is a very peaceful place in the middle of rice paddies close to Ninh Binh.
Ha from Hanoi
Age: 30
Job: political officer
What makes you happy?
travelling
What makes you sad?
funerals
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I wish that Vietnam will be a safer and better place one day
Encounter: I met Ha and her sister Tu on the local bus and had an interesting conversation with them. Ha speaks fluently English as she got a scholarship for NZ when she was a student. Thanks to her work in an Embassy, she is able to travel and to see the world. For most people in Vietnam this is very difficult as lots of formalities and savings on your bank account are needed.
Moon from Hanoi
Age: 35
Job: receptionist
What makes you happy?
when my guests are happy
What makes you sad?
when my guests are complaining about things I can not change or influence
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to earn more money to be able to give my family a better life
Encounter: Moon is working in both hostals we were staying at in Hanoi. She and another receptionist called Sunny are so kind women and were always smiling and very helpful.
Khoe from Hanoi
Age: 28
Job: law student, sales agent
What makes you happy?
I like to help and I am happy when I am with my family
What makes you sad?
I am sometimes sad not having enough experience and money to help
If you had one wish, what would it be?
first, I want to become a good lawyer (intellectual property law), second to get married and to found a family. Third, I would like to help my hometown and my country as we are still developping and lots of problems have to be solved
Encounter: We met Khoe in the travel agency where we booked the Halong Bay and Sapa Trip. At first, he seemed quite distanced, but when we confirmed the booking, he completely changed and we had many good laughs and interesting conversations with him.
Nhu from Sapa
Age: 31
Job: host, farmer and mother
What makes you happy?
I like to meet people coming to our house and I would like to have more tourists coming to stay at our place
What makes you sad?
sometimes there is not much to do and then I am bored
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I would like to have a bigger and more beautiful house and I wish that everybody of my family stays healthy
Encounter: Nhu is a mother of 4 lovely children and manages the homestay together with her husband. Their house is in a little remote village and we stayed there for a night during our trek and were the only tourists and could see and experience how the family is living. Our guide Shom helped us to translate, as they did not speak English.
Shom from Sapa
Age: 23
Job: tour guide
What makes you happy?
it makes me happy when the tourists are happy with the trekking I do
What makes you sad?
if the tourists are complaining about something I can not change. For instance, the weather or slippery paths. I once had to cry when a tourist got angry because he fell
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to leave in harmony with my family and that my family stays healthy
Encounter: Shom is such an amazing guide and has a great personality. She is a warm-hearted, funny, clever and a beautiful young mother of a babyboy. I had the impression having known her already for a very long time. Shom belongs to the tribe H’Mhon, minority people of Northern Vietnam and explained us lots of intereestng things about their culture and life. As most of them, she follows the customs and traditions of the tribe.
Tho from Saigon
Age: 68
Job: retired (former teacher)
What makes you happy?
If people around me are happy, I’m happy too
What makes you sad?
as my husband does not hear good anymore, communication is much more difficult
If you had one wish, what would it be?
that all people have food. If you have food in your belly, only then you can be happy
Encounter: I met this lovely lady on a group tour to the Mekong Delta where I was the only non Vietnamese tourist. She lives in Perth, but comes to visit her country once in a while.
Hung from Saigon
Age: 56
Job: design engineer
What makes you happy?
when I achieve my goals
What makes you sad?
when I fail
If you had one wish, what would it be?
travelling around the world with my family and share happiness
Encounter: I met Hung and his wife Le on a group tour in the Mekong Delta. They live in Adelaide and were visiting their home country.
Le from Saigon
Age: 56
Job: caretaker of elderly people
What makes you happy?
if my kids are happy – I am happy too
What makes you sad?
when I had no work
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I wish to return to Vietnam in order to live here again
Encounter: Le is Tho’s sister and Hung’s wife whom I also met on the Mekong Delta Tour. They are all lovely people and I had such a great time with them.
Matthew from Hanoi
Age: 22
Job: student (Canada)
What makes you happy?
to be myself
What makes you sad?
not to be independant
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to travel and discover the world
Encounter: I met Vu Anh alias Matthew as well on the Mekong Delta Tour. He studies in Canada and visited the Mekong Delta during his semester break. He was the first person who asked me the same questions I asked him.
Michelle from Hoi An
Age: 22
Job: spa coordinator
What makes you happy?
to spend time on my own
What makes you sad?
to get a complaint from a customer
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to get married soon
Encounter: I had a wonderful treatment at this spa and Michelle is engaged to the owner. I think her wish will come true soon.
Hoanh from Hoi An
Age: 25
Job: receptionist
What makes you happy?
travelling with my boyfriend, meet friends, visit my parents
What makes you sad?
stress at work
If you had one wish, what would it be?
a longer vacation to be able to travel and to see the world
Encounter: Hoanh is a receptionist at a hotel where we stayed in Hoi An and very efficient and professional host.
Bin from Dalat
Age: 25
Job: Easy Rider (Motorbike Tours)
What makes you happy?
to do what I want and to do it with passion
What makes you sad?
betrayal
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to be able to do what makes me happy. I love my job and I am enjoying it very much
Encounter: Bin was one guy of the Easy Riders who makes bike tours with tourists. A great entertainer and you can really see that he does his work with lots of passion.
Hoan from Dalat
Age: 35
Job: Easy Rider (Motorbike Tours)
What makes you happy?
to be with my family
What makes you sad?
not to be with my motorbike
If you had one wish, what would it be?
to be happy for the rest of my life and be able to drive my motorbike forever
Encounter: Hoan was my motorbike guide in Hoi An. The tour was incredible and Hoan a great driver and entertainer.