The journey of a Vietnamese-American couple 'leaving the city for the forest'

Five years ago, tired of the fast-paced life, Hanna Larsen left Chicago (USA) for Vietnam and decided to "change the direction" of her life after meeting Thanh Duc.

The 29-year-old female nutrition coach is a vegetarian and chose Vietnam as her destination because she thought this land had many delicious fresh fruits that were not available elsewhere.

Thanh Duc first met Hanna in 2018 when she auditioned for a film in which he was a production assistant. The Nghe An boy was immediately impressed with the American girl because she "didn't wear heavy makeup like many other girls" and had a special interest in Vietnamese fruits. At that time, they only talked about work, became Facebook friends, and after the film ended, they lost contact with each other.

Thanh Duc and Hanna Larsen's family and their 1.5-year-old daughter currently live in Loja Valley, Ecuador. Photo: Character provided

Three years later, Duc broke up with his girlfriend and went to Mui Ne (Binh Thuan) to relieve his sadness. At the same time, Hanna was in Mui Ne and had just broken up with her boyfriend. She expressed her sadness on her personal page so Duc read it. He contacted her to make more friends in a strange city.

Hanna helped Duc rent a room in the homestay where she was staying. Every day they met and talked, they discovered many things in common. Hana always talked about her dream of having a simple life, in harmony with nature. Duc smiled after listening, because his wish was the same.

At the end of 2020, floods occurred in the Central region, Hanna invited Duc to do charity work together. After nearly ten days together distributing food and helping people, the American girl realized the warm kindness from the Vietnamese guy, and their feelings blossomed. After the trip, they officially became a couple.

A few months later, Hanna became pregnant. At that time, the Covid-19 epidemic broke out in the southern provinces. Witnessing many families separated by the epidemic, life became unpredictable, she was afraid and the desire to live close to nature, far from modern life arose again. Hanna expressed her wish to Duc, hoping to go to the Loja region of Ecuador, famous as the valley of long-lived people.

"The air here is fresh, the people are friendly, the jungle winds along small rivers. The scenery is very different from urban life, which attracted me," Hanna said. She met a group of friends here, and they shared their life experiences. But before that, the girl wanted to visit her family in the US.

Understanding the anxiety of pregnant women, Duc agreed with his girlfriend's plan. However, because of the complicated visa requirements for the US, the couple arranged to meet in Ecuador.

There are many kinds of fruit around the couple's rented house in Loja Valley, Ecuador. On weekends, Hanna will bring the fruit from the garden to the market to exchange for vegetables to change the meal. Photo: Character provided

In August 2021, Hanna bought a ticket back to the US but had to go to Hanoi because the airport in Ho Chi Minh City was closed. To get to the capital when all means of transportation had stopped, Duc decided to ride a motorbike from Mui Ne to his hometown Nghe An and then borrow a car to go to Hanoi.

The couple's journey began when Hanna entered her fifth month of pregnancy.

During the journey, there were times when they had to sleep on the roadside because no motels were open. On lucky days, they were able to buy food from local people, otherwise they had to ask for supplies from volunteer teams along the way. After 5 days, the two arrived in Nghe An and quickly went to Hanoi, just in time for their flight to the US.

The Vietnamese man's plan to go to Ecuador was carried out immediately after that, but because of the pandemic, he could not apply for a visa. Duc changed direction and bought a ticket to Panama because this country exempted visas for Vietnamese people. Duc's hope was to go from a third country to Ecuador, where his lover was waiting for him.

But when he boarded the flight to Panama, Duc's hopes of reuniting with his girlfriend were still dashed. While transiting at the airport in Türkiye, he was detained due to paperwork problems. After waiting two days to continue his flight, as soon as he got off the plane, he was escorted back to Türkiye.

"The staff there didn't speak English, so I still don't understand why I was sent back," Duc recalled. He was stuck at the airport for another seven days before being allowed to return to Vietnam.

In early 2022, when the domestic epidemic eased, Duc was able to apply for a visa to Peru and from there enter Ecuador.

In addition to teaching dance, Thanh Duc also regularly participates in mountain climbing with people in the community in Loja Valley, Ecuador. Photo: Provided by the character.

In a rented house nestled among lush fruit orchards in Loja, Ecuador, Duc and Hanna now live the life they have always dreamed of. When the sun rises, the whole family wakes up, and when the sun sets, work ends and it’s time to rest.

Hanna said that this land is only 50% local, the rest are from different countries. The culture is diverse but everyone has one thing in common: they almost completely forget the existence of technology devices. "If friends or relatives send messages or call, sometimes I have to wait all day for them to reply or call back," she said.

With no previous experience of rural life, not even cooking, gardening or sewing, the American girl had to learn everything from scratch, but was enthusiastically helped by her neighbors. In this community, some people are retired, some do handicrafts, farming or work remotely. But the relationship between them is still good.

The couple shared that here people often meet, play music, and dance together. The concept of time therefore becomes weak. Hanna used to have a lot of clothes, shoes, and cosmetics, but now she lives a minimalist life, reducing her material needs. The couple often uses second-hand items, saving on living expenses by exchanging a lot with people around them, and only buying things that cannot be exchanged.

Duc still manages his business in Vietnam from afar. In his free time, he teaches dancing to people or conquers the mountains around where he lives. His 1.5-year-old daughter is taught by her parents, and the rest of the time she experiences the natural environment with flowers and trees.

When his son first came to a foreign country, Mr. Le Van Chien (Duc's father) often asked him, "Is it hard to live like that?", because he was worried. But he replied that life was still happy and he was always proud of his decision. "For me, everything is alive and changes every day," Duc told his father.

Recently, the couple has also learned how to make organic soap and shampoo in parallel with their existing work. They also have many other plans for the future.

"We want to live in different places to explore the world and develop our abilities," Hanna said. The couple is planning to visit new lands in South America before returning to visit Vietnam, where she has always had special feelings.

"Not only is it the hometown of the person I love, but this place also has many delicious fruits and friendly people," Hanna shared.

Vexperss.net