Itchy Feet Again - the man who traveled to 178 countries

Lai Ngu Chan is currently the first Vietnamese person to set foot in 178 countries in the world (as of February 2024). In early March 2024, Lai Ngu Chan will continue his journey with the goal of visiting as many countries as possible.

Dancing with a tribe in South Sudan - Photo: NVCC

In a conversation with Tuoi Tre before leaving, Lai Ngu Chan said that the first destination of the year of the Dragon will be South American countries and he wants to complete the task of becoming the first Vietnamese person to travel to all 195/195 countries and territories recognized by the United Nations and more. Lai Ngu Chan said: "After completing the milestone of 195 countries, I will return to the countries I love, the lands and places that I feel need to continue to explore the uniqueness...".

War is the worst thing that can happen to any country and the people who suffer the most from every war are the innocent civilians. I wish that people in every country in the world can live in peace and tranquility forever.

Itchy Feet shares after visiting war zones from Ukraine to the Middle East and Africa

Travel helps us improve ourselves.

Real name Noah Nguyen, born in Hai Phong, Lai Nguu Chan is a familiar YouTuber to those who love to travel and explore with his own channel currently having 670,000 followers, nearly 400 video clips posted. Of which, the video to the Democratic Republic of Congo (a country in Central Africa) has 9.5 million views; the video visiting the primitive nomadic Mursi tribe in Ethiopia has nearly 5.6 million views... Revealing to Tuoi Tre why he chose the nickname Lai Nguu Chan, the young man who spent time in Germany studying languages ​​and philosophy, happily said: "Nguy Chan comes from the phrase itchy feet in English, referring to people who often travel. And "Lai" comes from the fact that I travel a lot, so when I tell my friends and family, everyone's first reaction is "Going again". That's why I chose the name Lai Nguu Chan". Although he has traveled to 178 countries and territories, Lai Ngu Chan said that when he was a child, he had no interest in traveling far. "After my first trip abroad to China in 2006 with a few friends, I had no intention of traveling around the world. Since I went to Europe to study, I realized that if I worked hard and saved money, traveling around the world was completely possible. And so I set off." After nearly 20 years of traveling here and there to gain experience, Lai Ngu Chan jokingly said that he is now "addicted" to traveling. He admitted: "Traveling is like an addictive drug, the more you use it, the more addicted you become. Because trips not only help me broaden my horizons, life experiences, knowledge... but also change my perception, help me improve myself. I like the saying of Danish writer Christian Hans Andersen: "At rejse er at leve" - ​​meaning traveling is the reason for living, you travel is you live".

Lai Nguu Chan loves to learn about the culture of each country - Photo: NVCC

"Daredevil" blood and adaptation to circumstances

Having studied in Germany, Lai Ngu Chan has the opportunity to easily visit most of the ancient European countries. After that, he started traveling to many different areas, including dangerous and politically unstable places, security, even riots and wars. Lai Ngu Chan has set foot in Haiti, Somalia, Yemen... Lai Ngu Chan's experience is that "when going to these places, you should always go with a local guide, learn about news and experiences of those who have gone before and finally... listen to your intuition to adapt and deal with all different situations and living environments. So if I could praise myself, my biggest advantage is probably... being daring", Lai Ngu Chan confided. In 2023, Lai Ngu Chan will set foot in 32 new countries and territories. He said: "I was most moved by witnessing the lives of the Cuban people, most impressed by witnessing the lives with unique customs of the almost primitive tribes in South Sudan, Angola and most fearful and saddening was going to the war zone in Ukraine". Traveling is an expensive game. Everyone likes to travel but not everyone has the financial means to go. Lai Ngu Chan said that since he was still in school, he worked part-time to earn money for travel. After graduating, he was lucky to have a job with a good income, so Lai Ngu Chan had the finances to boldly set out. When he opened a YouTube channel and posted clips about travel since 2021, the income from the channel has now covered about 50% of the costs of his trips. "My greatest joy is to bring images of distant, strange lands for Vietnamese viewers to enjoy. I am not a professional filmmaker, so I always try to film the most realistic scenes. That is what the audience will feel and appreciate you," Lai Ngu Chan shared.

Itchy Feet Again with the Children in Angola - Photo: NVCC

Always look at life positively

Lai Nguu Chan said that the most memorable lesson after traveling to 178 countries and territories around the world is: "I learned to be patient, to endure and always look at life positively. Each trip is a journey filled with experiences. Perhaps I am an introvert and like to save memories as a diary for myself so that when I am old, I can recall my wandering youth. That is the motivation for me to get itchy feet again and hit the road!"./.

Tuoitre.vn

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