Stranded

Bohdan Eduard at various destinations during his travels in Viet Nam. (Photo: Supplied)

In early 2020, I was a university student in China. During the holidays, my girlfriend and I decided to backpack around Viet Nam for a few weeks before returning to university. However, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out unexpectedly. Borders closed, flights were cancelled, and all our plans were thrown into disarray. I found myself “stranded” in a foreign country.

I had no choice but to find a way to start a new life in Viet Nam. I found a job teaching English to earn some money.

Bohdan Eduard in his English classroom. (Photo: Supplied)

Around the same time, I was fortunate to meet a Vietnamese friend. I got to know her through friends who worked at an English language centre. During the lockdown, she became like a second mother to me. Every morning, she would hang food outside my door, message me to check how I was doing, and help us register for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Her kindness did not stem from any obligation or social convention. Nobody had asked her to do these things. It was simply an act of kindness.

I had travelled to many countries, but nowhere else had I experienced such genuine warmth from people towards a foreigner they barely knew.

It was through these small gestures that I began to understand Viet Nam. That compassion “tied” me to the country, turning someone who had lost his way into someone who wanted to stay.

The beauty of everyday life

One very early morning, while staying at a hotel in District 1, I suddenly woke up to the sound of a street vendor calling out below.

“Bánh bao đây...” (Steamed buns here...)

I drew back the curtains and looked down. The city had not yet fully awakened, but roadside food stalls were already ablaze with activity. Vendors moved quickly as they prepared pots of broth and set out small tables. The clatter of bowls and chopsticks, the occasional passing vehicle and the yellow glow of streetlights illuminated the faces of people beginning another day of hard work.

Illustrative photo: Street vendors on the streets. (Photo: Ngoc Le)

These were the sounds of resilience. Vietnamese people do not sit around waiting for hope to arrive; they kindle their own flames and create their own livelihoods. It taught me that in this land, as long as you work hard and embrace life, you will never be left behind.

Later, when I began working alongside Vietnamese people, I saw this same spirit everywhere. My colleagues were hardworking, persistent and always looking for ways to overcome difficulties. Perhaps this is why the country has endured wars, natural disasters and a pandemic while continuing to develop.

Vietnamese cuisine has also become part of my life.

Over the past six years, I have learned to live and “eat” like a true Vietnamese. For me, the essence of Vietnamese culture is captured in a bowl of Hanoi-style bún chả. It is a wonderful balance of flavours: the delicate sweetness of the dipping sauce, the smoky aroma of charcoal-grilled pork, the tanginess of pickled vegetables, and, of course, the addition of crispy fried spring rolls to complete the meal.

But what truly made me feel that I belonged here was my first Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. A fellow student opened the doors of their four-storey home in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome two foreign guests: my girlfriend and me. We were given a room of our own, invited to share the family’s year-end reunion dinner, watch fireworks and receive bright red lucky-money envelopes.

The feeling of being welcomed by a family of strangers as though we were their own children, at the most sacred time of the Vietnamese year, erased every language barrier.

Some moments from Bohdan Eduard’s life in Viet Nam. (Photo: Supplied)

That was when I realised that the simple things in Viet Nam are also what make the country special. It is not the grand structures or famous landmarks, but the way strangers are willing to open their homes and extend their arms to welcome someone like me, a foreigner who can genuinely feel at home.

Today, I stay for Viet Nam

Today, I have fully integrated into life here. I have formed my own football team and join my Vietnamese colleagues in cheering on the pitch every weekend. I am involved in a motorbike business and spend my time making TikTok videos about the everyday things I encounter. I want the whole world to know that Viet Nam is not just a country of beautiful landscapes, but also a place with open-hearted people whose kindness can heal the wounds of anyone who comes seeking refuge.

Some videos about Viet Nam on the TikTok channel Eduard_in_Vietnam. (Screenshot)

Six years ago, staying in Viet Nam was never part of my plan. Now, standing in my 26th-floor apartment and looking down at the bustling streets, I feel that I am breathing in rhythm with Ho Chi Minh City. I no longer see Viet Nam through the lens of a tourist. Instead, I look towards the future and the small family that my girlfriend and I will build on this land of warmth and kindness.

Looking back, I find life truly miraculous. I went from being someone stranded in a foreign country to an uninvited guest. Yet, in the end, I found a treasure and arrived at a magical haven right here in this very place.

Placing People’s Happiness as Goal, Driving Force, and Measure of Development Vietnam is entering a new era of development marked by strong aspirations and vast potential. This era has earned a high degree of trust and consensus both domestically and internationally, anchored in a clear and firm message: the happiness of the people will serve as the goal, the driving force, and the measure for the quality of political and social development.

Happiness in Simple Things Living in Viet Nam, I have come to realise that happiness is sometimes not found in grand things. It can be found in a cup of coffee in the morning, a family meal shared together, or a conversation that no one is in a hurry to end…