Images of Western tourists carrying Vietnamese brooms back home have caused a stir.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - After a trip to Vietnam, a foreign tourist brought a broom with him, intending to take it on the plane back to his country. Ultimately, he left the broom at the check-in counter.

At 10 PM, Mr. Sinh (living in Ho Chi Minh City) carried his suitcase to Terminal 2 of Tan Son Nhat International Airport to complete the procedures before boarding his flight abroad.

While waiting, the young man happened to see a Western tourist carrying a straw broom. This type of broom is used by families in Vietnam for sweeping their houses daily.

The foreign visitor is carrying a broom made of reeds (Photo: dqsinh).

"The ground staff instructed him to wrap the broom so he could send it as checked baggage. Afterwards, I don't understand why the passenger decided to leave the gift at the counter," Mr. Sinh said.

Upon first seeing the interesting image, the young man took a picture and posted it online, attracting the attention of the community.

Some people argue that, with bulky items like brooms, passengers must carefully wrap them and check them in as checked baggage; they cannot be carried onto the plane as hand luggage.

The passenger left the broom at the check-in counter (Photo: dqsinh).

During their work, many tour guides have witnessed Western tourists buying reed brooms, bamboo chopsticks, and other handcrafted souvenirs from Vietnam.

Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Han (a tour guide in Ho Chi Minh City) said that a French tourist once bought a broom made from coconut leaf veins and took it back to France to sweep his house.

The broom was purchased by the tourist for 40,000 VND/piece during a 2-day, 1-night tour of the waterways of Southern Vietnam.

During the trip, visitors have the opportunity to learn how to make handmade brooms from the veins of old coconut leaves in the area of ​​the former Ben Tre province.

"The craft of making brooms by hand yields low profits, and only a few families still practice it, having inherited the trade from their ancestors. For many foreign tourists, the skillful hands involved in making brooms are a source of fascination," the female tour guide shared.

According to Ms. Han, this type of broom is not sold in Europe. If customers order online, the price is very expensive. On some major e-commerce platforms worldwide , the price of these brooms is listed at $30 USD per piece (over 800,000 VND).

Tourists buy brooms in Vietnam during a sightseeing trip (Photo: Provided by the subject).

Besides brooms, the brightly colored and eye-catching paper horses also attract the attention of foreign visitors.

A few years ago, Arnaud Zein El Din, a 44-year-old male tourist from Mexico, caused a stir on social media when he brought a paper horse figurine with him before boarding a plane at Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi).

"I bought that horse for 100,000 dong in a neighborhood in Hanoi. I just happened to come across it and thought it was beautiful. I guessed it had more significance, like to be used for a ceremony," he shared with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper at the time.

A golden paper horse figurine is hugged by a Western tourist at the airport (Photo: Provided by the subject).

Mr. Arnaud Zein El Din managed to get the paper horse past the check-in counter and security. However, airline staff firmly refused to allow him to board the plane.

"I had to leave the horse at the airport," he explained.

After leaving Vietnam, the visitor learned that the horse was a "paper effigy" used as an offering to deities to pray for good fortune.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/hinh-anh-khach-tay-om-choi-dot-viet-nam-ve-nuoc-gay-xon-xao-20251211081334565.htm