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Brasil Nguyen is the first Vietnamese tourist to travel to 100 countries in 2 years under the age of 30. |
Having been involved in music for 10 years as a composer and producer, Brasil Nguyen (real name Nguyen Nam Hieu, born in 1995, Da Nang) suddenly turned to the tourism industry.
In just over 2 years, he has set foot in 128 countries, and set 2 Guinness records: "Vietnamese person traveling to 100 countries in 2 years under 30 years old" and "Vietnamese person earning income by creating sports and tourism content abroad".
"Before that, I just filmed random videos about my trip and food, then posted them online for fun. It wasn't until 2023 that I officially focused on creating travel content," Brasil shared with Tri Thuc - Znews.
One day one country
The turning point came from videos on social networks. A transnational cruise line happened to see his content and sent him a cooperation invitation. The voyage on May 9, 2023 took him abroad for the first time, exploring 3 Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.
"At that time, I was unemployed for a few months, so I created a TikTok account for fun. When the brand booked me, I agreed immediately because I had nothing to lose," he said.
From that accidental starting point, Brasil Nguyen began watching a series of YouTube channels to learn how to tell travel stories, learn about the culture - cuisine - identity of countries before each trip. On his personal page, he shares experiences, places to visit, visa application tips, how to book cars - plane tickets, and common mistakes that Vietnamese tourists make.
To date, he has visited 128 countries, although he has only applied for Guinness certification for 118 countries. During his nearly 4-month journey in Europe alone, he visited 43 countries; some places only stayed for 1-1.5 days. "Places I particularly love, like Italy, I will stay longer," he said.
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From the voyage departing on May 9, 2023, Brazil has begun a journey to explore 128 countries in more than 2 years. |
To avoid missing plans and control costs, Brasil always plans at least a year in advance. For Tet 2024, he has outlined a plan until the end of 2025. This year alone, he plans to visit 28 countries in North and South America.
The male blogger prefers to wear sportswear because it is light, flexible, and easy to coordinate. In addition, he makes full use of black shirts because they can be easily combined into different outfits.
Of the more than 100 countries and continents he has visited, Europe left him with the most impression with its fairy tale-like landscapes and its architectural and cultural works bearing the mark of the Renaissance.
"Italy is friendly, Switzerland is beautiful like a fairy tale, Israel has unique religious beauty despite political instability. But the further I go, the more I realize the unique charm of Vietnam - a beauty that is unmatched anywhere," Brasil shared.
Challenges behind the frames
Behind the positive energy videos is a journey that is not without risks. Brasil was exhausted when exploring the vast desert in Africa alone, or witnessing political conflicts in Israel. Scams and pickpockets are "daily affairs", especially on the European subway. He sewed a small, multi-layered bag hidden inside his shirt to protect his passport.
"Once I came home late from a trip to Germany, around 11pm, a group of homeless people followed me and chased me with knives. Luckily I escaped," he recalled.
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His journey of creating travel content has taken him to hundreds of countries and set two Guinness World Records. |
As a budget traveler, Brasil Nguyen often rents shared rooms to reduce accommodation costs. He walks a lot, sometimes up to 30,000-40,000 steps a day.
Brasil mainly travels alone, about 90% of the time, filming and editing videos himself. Occasionally he hires international students or locals to help, but the cost is not cheap.
"This job is sometimes very tiring and miserable. But when I'm filming, I have to smile and be friendly. Exhaustion is a common thing, but thinking about having a video for everyone to see gives me more motivation and I don't feel tired anymore," he said.
Despite going fast and traveling a lot, his journey was not without unexpected encounters. At the subway station in Rome, he met a girl. In Belgium, they accidentally met again. She recognized him, asked for 2 weeks off work and drove him to the Netherlands to explore. "I'm happy that even though I'm Asian, I wasn't discriminated against, on the contrary, I was enthusiastically helped," he said.
The creative journey also opens up for him rare opportunities such as attending the 2024 and 2025 European Golden Ball awards ceremony, appearing at Milan Fashion Week, or working at the Euro Cup - his dream since childhood, where he got to go down to the field and meet many famous players.
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To minimize luggage and move flexibly, Brasil Nguyen prioritizes bringing sportswear. |
Because of the long trip, Brasil brought all the basic medicines from Vietnam since buying medicine abroad is quite difficult. Luckily, he rarely needed to use it.
"I only get sick near the end of the trip, maybe because I miss Vietnam so much and can't wait to go home," Brasil shared.
Whenever he travels, the things he misses most are his family, friends and Vietnamese food. "Vietnamese cuisine is amazing, both in terms of variety and flavor." After each long trip, he loses 5-7 kg, then regains it right after returning home.
Through his journey, Brasil wants to convey the message that Vietnamese people are not small. "Like many other nations, we can absolutely go far, learn and explore the world. I am always proud to say that I am Vietnamese," he said.
He hopes that one day the Vietnamese passport will be stronger, opening more doors for young people who love to travel and learn. Brazil currently aims to conquer 200 countries and territories.
Source: https://znews.vn/brasil-nguyen-di-128-quoc-gia-trong-hon-2-nam-post1604763.html
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