Vietnamese guy loves adventurous travel to more than 100 countries

Walking on a crowded street in Colombia, Nguyen Noah was attacked by a group of robbers with knives, who took his camera.

Nguyen Noah (Itchy Feet Again) still has a few small scars on his legs - traces of a robbery in Colombia in 2019. Noah's trips are often dangerous. However, his passion for exploring new and unique lands makes his legs unable to stop.

Noah at a coffee shop in Hanoi in early July. Photo: *Tu Nguyen*

About 10 years ago, Noah started dreaming of traveling to every country in the world . In April 2021, he posted a video summarizing the 107 countries he had visited. Since then, he has posted more videos about his journey to conquer nearly 40 other countries and said he has set foot in 165 countries.

According to Noah, after traveling to about 70 or 80 countries, he realized that the goal of traveling to every country in the world was "not unrealistic" and "definitely achievable". Therefore, the purpose of the trips began to change. Instead of traveling to all 195 countries, Noah wanted to spend time understanding more deeply the lesser-known aspects of each place.

"Maybe I'm a bit contrary to the majority when I like to go to slow-developing, less-traveled places," he said.

In Noah's eyes, countries like Afghanistan and Iraq are not very dangerous. In fact, he finds the people there friendly and hospitable. The real challenge for Noah lies in Africa, where tourist information is relatively limited.

The first "difficult" country Noah set foot in was Mauritania - a place famous for women who "eat a lot to be beautiful". But the most adventurous experience was sleeping on the Train du Desert - one of the longest trains in the world, running along the Sahara desert for 20 hours with a total distance of 704 km. The train has more than 200 cars and only two carry passengers, the rest are used to transport iron ore.

Noah on an iron ore car of the ship. — Noah on an iron ore car of the Train du Desert in Mauritania.

Not only is the train famous for its 704 km journey, it also challenges adventurers because of the toxicity of the iron ore. To add drama to the trip, Noah decided to start the journey on the ore car. Until the train stopped, Noah had to constantly hold the face mask with his hands to minimize inhaling the ore while lying down.

Noah said that this train, like countless other “difficult” destinations in Africa, has little public information. Visitors here mostly have to “do it themselves.”

Once he met his criteria for countries he had visited, Noah joined a social media group of people with similar goals of traveling the world. Here, he was able to find valuable information that was not available online, such as information about some local guides to access difficult areas.

In Haiti, Noah contacted a local guide to show him around. Noah commented that Haiti was "chaotic" with gangs fighting and killing each other. He also saw a gang that lost and was burned right on the street. On his personal page, he also posted a video of the gangs fighting and admitted that during his days in Haiti, he lived in fear because "he could be killed at any time".

The Central African Republic is also a politically unstable country. When he arrived last year, Noah was advised not to leave the capital because staying there was “dangerous enough.” If he left the capital, he ran a high risk of being captured and killed by rebels. Still, he was determined to go out and explore, and luckily nothing bad happened.

Noah is being cared for by his landlady in Colombia after being attacked by robbers.

Despite his good fortune in his travels in Africa, Noah had a "life-changing" experience when he arrived in Colombia. On a crowded street, Noah saw a woman who looked like she was addicted to drugs sitting in front of the door, staring at him. A moment later, she appeared with two young men holding knives and rushed in to rob him. Despite fierce resistance, his camera was still stolen, his body was bruised all over, and he had a few scars that still remain to this day.

"People on the street just looked but no one came to help me," he said.

Despite constantly traveling to "difficult" countries and often falling into dangerous situations, Noah insists that he does not "jump headlong into a flame like a moth trying to become a hero." For example, in Haiti, when he heard his guide tell him to seek shelter immediately because "something bad" was about to happen, he immediately did so. A gunfight ensued.

For him, dangerous experiences bring many valuable experiences and lessons for the upcoming journey. However, rushing to his death just to make a video is something he would never do.

"The feeling of anxiety and fear always lingers around the trips, but the knowledge gained is a priceless reward," he said.

Noah takes about 6-7 trips a year, each lasting from 5 to 10 weeks. Because he works freelance, Noah is not bound by many time constraints. He often combines 2 or 3 countries in the same itinerary.

Noah said he also visited popular cities and tourist spots but "wasn't really interested". He's not the type of person who can lie on the beach to sunbathe because his feet always feel "itchy". Noah's most expensive trip was to some island nations in the Pacific region such as Samoa and Tonga, costing several thousand dollars but he summed it up in one word: boring.

He is interested in tribes around the world. During his journey to explore Africa, Noah visited many tribes such as Dupa (a tribe wearing leaves in Cameroon), Dupa (a tribe with facial tattoos in Cameroon), Mwila (a tribe with hair braided from cow dung in Angola) or San Bushmen - the oldest tribe in the world in Namibia. During his visit to Indonesia last year, Noah also talked to members of a tribe that used to eat human flesh.

"Learning about the tribes is always interesting. Visiting them is also quite difficult because of language differences and lack of transportation," he said.

Noah is disappointed that some tribes are becoming more commercialized and losing their natural essence. He likes to learn about their real lives, but what he gets is usually "giving them money and watching them perform" like the Mursi tribe (Ethiopia) famous for their lip ring custom.

Noah said he is on his way to conquer the remaining 30 countries to complete his journey around the world. His biggest goal is North Korea, a country that has remained closed since the pandemic. To get to this country, visitors are required to follow a tour program.

For Vietnamese people who also love adventure travel, Noah has only one piece of advice: Live your passion but also find safe ways to do it.

Tu Nguyen

Photo: NVCC

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