Japanese guy falls in love with Vietnam

HCMC - In 5 years, Inoue Keiichi has been to Vietnam 30 times. Once, as soon as he returned to Japan, he booked a flight and decided to study abroad in this country because he "loved it so much".

Inoue Keiichi's love for Vietnam began in March 2018 when the 25-year-old Japanese man traveled abroad for the first time.

When he landed at Tan Son Nhat airport, his Vietnamese aunt was already waiting for him. Keiichi immediately felt a sense of familiarity because she was very friendly and thoughtful, taking care of him from transportation, arranging accommodation, and suggesting places to eat.

On his first day in Ho Chi Minh City, Keiichi was captivated by the banh mi. The sweet and sour chili sauce, grilled meat sandwich, pate spread and pickles made him able to eat three sandwiches a day without getting bored.

"The following days I got to try more types of bread from Hoi An, bread dipped in milk, and bread with pillows. All of them were delicious, although the sweet and salty flavors were different," he said.

Keiichi regretted not having the chance to try more food on that trip because of the lack of time. However, when he boarded the plane back home, he still tried to bring a few loaves of bread.

Back home, he went looking for places that sold Vietnamese bread to eat. But even though he tried more than 20 stores, Keiichi still found that the taste of bread sold in Vietnam was not as good as the one sold in Vietnam. Three months later, he bought a ticket back to this country.

Keiichii traveled to Ninh Binh , June 2022. Photo: Character provided

This time, he decided to travel alone from the South to the North for a month to fulfill his wish of "eating authentic Vietnamese food", focusing on regional specialties such as hu tieu go, banh trang tron, banh canh cua or pho, bun oc, bia hoi. "Some days I have to eat 6-7 meals, one day I eat banh cuon and drink more than 6 cans of Hanoi beer, and I can eat three or four cups of chè at once and still not get bored," he said.

Keiichi said he loves Vietnamese food so much that even dishes with smells like vermicelli with shrimp paste and durian almost made him vomit the first time he ate them, but now he's addicted. "I have to eat one durian a month now, I can't stand not eating it," he said.

But Keiichi says food is just a guide to his love of culture, especially the Vietnamese way of life. He was surprised by the traffic jams caused by people commuting to work by motorbike, the piles of goods on tiny motorbikes, and even the Vietnamese habit of taking a nap - all things he had never experienced in Japan. "In Vietnam, there is a culture of matchmaking, and I feel embarrassed every time an adult introduces his daughter to me," he says.

On his last day in Vietnam, he spent a few hours sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, then reluctantly brought the ao dai he had just bought back home. "I miss Vietnam every time I have to leave this place. There were times when I had only been back to Japan for a few days, then I bought a ticket to go again. I love the way Vietnamese people are close and take care of each other," Keiichi said.

Keiichi walks around Hoan Kiem Lake walking street, Hanoi by cyclo, December 2022. Photo: Character provided

Just like that, Keiichi's love for Vietnam grew stronger and stronger. The number of times he visited Vietnam also increased. Since the beginning of 2023, he has visited once or twice a month because he likes to interact and chat with Vietnamese people.

Although he has been to many places, the thing that makes the Japanese guy dissatisfied with himself is that his Vietnamese is still too poor. Whenever he wants to talk or compose and sing songs in Vietnamese, he feels helpless because he is not fluent in the language. Finally, in September 2023, Keiichi decided to stay in Ho Chi Minh City to study and understand more about the culture here.

After more than 5 years of "falling in love" with Vietnam, he is known by many people as Vietnam Kun through videos that have received millions of views with content enjoying Vietnamese food, admiring beautiful scenery here as well as singing famous Vietnamese songs in Japanese. "Kun is the Japanese name used to refer to a boy's name, instead of Keiichi Kun, I want to use VietNam Kun so that everyone will remember me as a boy who loves Vietnam," he explained.

Keiichi said he had just celebrated New Year's Day in Vietnam instead of returning home to reunite with his family. The sight of people gathering in the city center to watch music events and fireworks together made him feel like family, warm and happy.

"I have been in Vietnam for four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter, but I have never celebrated the traditional Tet holiday. This year, I will stay here to celebrate Tet," he said. Previously, on Valentine's Day (February 14) or Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20), he often gave roses to Vietnamese people he met on the streets of Japan. He also wore Grab clothes and challenged himself to give away Vietnamese instant noodles and Japanese candies to hundreds of Vietnamese people.

Keiichi organized a flower giving event on Vietnamese Women's Day for Vietnamese people in Japan, October 20, 2023. Photo: Provided by the character

The young man admitted that he was a little worried when he heard that the Lunar New Year was a time for everyone to rest, shops would close, and people would return to their hometowns to be with their families. However, thinking about the experience of wrapping banh chung, eating jellied meat, pickled onions, or watching traditional festivals, things that only happen on Tet, made him happy again.

"Maybe I will ask to celebrate Tet at the homes of some close Vietnamese friends. Seeing the bustling streets on the eve of Tet, people buying peach blossoms and decorations makes me excited and expectant," Keiichi said. "This culture is completely absent in Japan, making me appreciate my time studying abroad in Vietnam even more."

"I am happy to be loved by many Vietnamese people. From my clips and experiences in Vietnam, I hope to be a bridge to connect Vietnamese-Japanese culture now and in the future," Keiichi confided.

Thanh Nga - Vnexpress.net

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