On a July afternoon, the rain outside the window wouldn’t stop, Ngoc Nhu closed the book to prepare her luggage to continue her journey through Vietnam. The hammock that Nhu had threaded the night before, she folded a few more clothes, facial cleanser, jacket, hat… and put them in her backpack. Total luggage weight is 9kg.
After a few days visiting home in Binh Duong, Ngoc Nhu left to continue her walking journey towards the Central Highlands. Walk to help me rediscover many forgotten values in life ” As confided.
Happiness when walking
Huynh Thi Ngoc Nhu Originally a student majoring in Psychology at Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, she left her studies to work at a company near her home in Binh Duong province.
As mentioned, she loved her job. Every time she leisurely walks on the sidewalk, looking at the traffic, she feels happy and comfortable. That’s also the reason Nhu takes 30-40 minutes every day to walk to the company, which is far from home 4km instead of using a motorbike.
The 25-year-old girl rekindled her intention to walk across Vietnam in February 2023. It took many months to convince her parents to receive consent from her family .
Nhu sets out many messages for her trip . Walk for peace and happiness to see that human emotions are more important than material things,” she said. Ngoc Nhu tried not to use money during the trip. She chose to ask to stay at a local house to help with the housework in exchange for food and drink.
The morning of May 18 started the journey at Ca Mau cape. Every day Nhu travels about 20-30km across fields and village roads to the dusty highway from the truck. At first, Nhu’s legs were sore and blistered, forcing her to rest for 2 days to recuperate.
She said people in the West are very friendly and kind. When they saw Nhu exhausted, they prepared a portion for her and did not ask for anything. Many times he was so hungry that he was forced to pick up fallen bananas on the side of the road and eat them greedily. Occasionally she was given cakes, bread, cold ginseng water… from passersby.
However, asking to sleep over does not always go smoothly. Seeing the girl’s face covered in dust and haggard after a long day of walking, they still shook their heads and refused. At times like that, Nhu often chooses to sleep at the hospital, temple, church or hammock cafe.
One day Nhu walked until 1am and was almost exhausted. She was forced to rent a motel to shower and rest. Nhu said she always tries to save costs as much as possible. “If I use money, everything will be simpler, like “laying out the carpet” for this journey,” she explained.
That way, Nhu went through the provinces of Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Long An, Tien Giang, Can Tho, Dong Thap… to Ho Chi Minh City. Here she temporarily stopped her journey and took a part-time job to help her feel less “sluggish”. Nhu then brought the money she earned back to her hometown of Binh Duong to reunite with her family.
In the next leg, Nhu will also start at the place she “marked” as stop of the previous journey on Ma Lo street, Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City. From here, she will continue walking to the Central Highlands and to the North.
Do what you want
Ngoc Nhu has created a TikTok channel to share about my journey of walking through Vietnam. Besides words of encouragement, she also received many “criticisms” from the online community. Most of them thought that Nhu’s trip was a “mortification” that took a lot of time and effort and brought no benefit to themselves.
Besides, some people also advised Nhu to return to her family and find a stable job instead of wandering on the streets. Nhu admitted that she was saddened by negative comments. She spent a few days thinking about what she did.
“I want to keep going to prove to everyone that there is a lot of kindness out there. They are willing to help strangers and money is not the deciding factor” Like Tam the.
She told how some people misjudged things for her. that she travel please piercing. Nhu said that he did not ask but wanted to exchange food and rest for labor. She offered to help people wash dishes, clean grass, or do gardening. However, they often help Nhu and do not ask her in return. “I’m not a lazy person” she emphasized.
Regarding family issues, some people commented and blamed her for “not spending time taking care of her parents” and doing rash things.
She shared: “They are not me, so they don’t understand what I went through. I spent 2 to 5 years living near my parents working at a company near my home. When I left, I was leave the money I earn for my family. I know it’s not much, but that’s what I want to give to my loved ones.”
During this journey, Nhu received the support of her parents. Both of them have seen their daughter walk many places. There is anxiety and longing, but in the end they want Nhu to return healthier and more mature.
“Do what you like while you can” Ngoc Nhu affirmed.
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