Vietnamese woman travels to 80 countries and gets "stuck" at West African border

(Dan Tri) - At the age of over 50, when many people withdraw into family life, Ms. Ngoc keeps her own space: packing her suitcase, hitting the road, driving herself across new lands.

"Retire early" to travel the world

In early October, while Hanoi was transitioning to autumn, Ms. Nguyen Bich Ngoc (Hanoi) packed her suitcase and hit the road again. This time, the destination was Turkey - the 80th country that Ms. Ngoc had set foot in.

During her twelve days in Türkiye, Ngoc traveled through lands that were as quiet and vibrant as the history of this country. She stopped in Cappadocia, where giant rock formations formed sharp towers in the middle of the valley and colorful hot air balloons flew up at dawn.

Ms. Ngoc watches hot air balloons in Türkiye (Photo: Facebook character).

She said that at that moment - the early morning sunlight spread gold over the rocky valley, when dozens of hot air balloons were floating in the sky at the same time - she could only exclaim: "This world is so vast and beautiful that it makes people feel extremely small."

She continued along the Bosphorus Strait, where the border between Asia and Europe meets, then to the ancient village of Cumalikizik with moss-covered stone houses that still retain their Ottoman appearance.

In Istanbul, she spent hours walking on the cobblestone streets, amidst the aroma of roasted coffee, the calls of vendors and the long ringing of church bells in the air. Ngoc calls her trips a journey back to herself.

“I love the feeling of being immersed in the rhythm of life in a strange city, to see myself as both small and free. As long as I have enough health and passion, I will travel to see how big the world is and let each trip be a time to reflect on myself,” she confided.

Most of Ms. Ngoc's travel itineraries are self-sufficient (Photo: Facebook character).

Ngoc's first trip abroad was 30 years ago - a month in Spain and a week in France.

“Every time I set foot in a new place, what moves me most is not only the difference but also the beauty in the culture, architecture, people and even the smallest things like the way they preserve their heritage or behave in public.

I also had some difficulties when I first went abroad. The shops in this country open at 10am and close at 3pm, which made me a bit nervous, but now I'm used to it," she recalled.

After that first trip, Ms. Ngoc’s passion for traveling did not come immediately. But then, during her work, she was sent on business trips to many countries, and had the opportunity to travel with her family.

Gradually, she realized that each trip was not just a trip but also an opportunity to learn and understand more about the world and herself. Fifteen years ago, Ms. Ngoc decided to "retire early", only doing freelance business so it was easy to arrange time for travel.

Thirty years of travel and seeing: The world is wide, people's hearts are open

To date, decades after her first trip abroad, Ms. Ngoc has traveled to 80 countries, from familiar destinations in Europe to remote lands that few people have set foot on such as Greenland, Iran, West Africa or Easter Island (Chile).

There are many places she has returned to more than once. She has been to China 7 times, Maldives 3 times, Pakistan 2 times. France, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic, she has visited 2-4 times. Chile and Morocco are also destinations she has returned to twice, and the countries around Vietnam, she has visited more than 3 times.

Thailand is a place Ms. Ngoc often visits (Photo: Facebook character).

The country she has visited most is Thailand, about 40 times, because it is easy to travel, has low costs, delicious food, beautiful scenery and many sacred temples. If she had to choose the 10 most impressive countries, Ngoc said she “gave up”. The more she travels, the smaller she feels, and the more… small her knowledge becomes.

She told of Iran, where she was warmly welcomed by the people. She went to West Africa, where poverty and instability made her appreciate the value of peace. She went to the Faroe Islands, where she saw one of the cleanest and most environmentally strict places in the world.

And when she came to Easter Island - where the giant Moai stone statues still made her confused and wonder: "How did humans bring them to the middle of the Pacific Ocean?"

For Ms. Ngoc, every journey requires careful preparation. She has a fixed luggage list, including clothes for all weather conditions, medicine, heat patches, spices, small pots, dried food...

“Many people think that when traveling, they have to eat at local restaurants, but in remote mountainous areas in Pakistan, it is difficult to find a place that sells food, even just bread. If tourists do not prepare food to bring along, they will have a hard time,” Ngoc said.

Ms. Ngoc immerses herself in the natural scenery in Pakistan (Photo: Facebook character).

About 90% of her trips are self-guided. By organizing her own itinerary, Ngoc can be proactive about time, save more on costs and most importantly, have memorable experiences. For her, the secret to safe self-guided travel is to thoroughly research geography, customs, politics and climate.

“The more prepared you are, the more perfect your trip will be. Another important thing in a trip is choosing the right travel companion. Someone who has the same “frequency” as you will make the journey more exciting and memorable,” said Ms. Ngoc.

Go and learn to see yourself young

After decades of traveling, what Ms. Ngoc treasures most is not only the landscape or culture, but also the people. “The landscape moves me, the culture intrigues me, but the people are the reason I want to come back,” she said.

Once, in Iceland, Ngoc soaked in a hot spring in -12°C weather, her hair frozen solid while the purple-blue aurora danced in the sky. “I was cold to the bone but indescribably happy. I felt like I was being ‘healed’ by being a little crazy,” she said.

Each trip brings Ms. Ngoc different emotions and knowledge (Photo: Facebook character).

There was a time when she traveled four days by plane and long car just to see the Marble Caves in Chile for an hour in the cold rain. It was difficult, but for her, it was worth it.

For Ms. Ngoc, each trip opens up a new perspective, sometimes full of inspiration, sometimes a challenge. Therefore, she always prepares very carefully to limit risks. However, the West Africa trip in 2024 still becomes the most "tense" experience for her.

According to the plan, she traveled from Burkina Faso to Benin by road (she had a Benin visa). But on the day of departure, all border gates between the two countries were closed due to political instability. People suggested she go around Togo and then continue to Benin.

“I had applied for a Togo visa but it had not yet expired so I could not enter the country. We took the risk of contacting the Togo Embassy to ask for an adjustment of the date, which seemed impossible, but they agreed. It was only 9pm at that time, and we waited for a long time but still had not received the new visa.

So we were stuck at the border, unable to return to Burkina Faso because we had already left the country, and entering Togo was illegal. In the end, the border police kept our passports and took the whole group to a small hotel near the border gate for temporary stay,” she said.

The next morning, the visa was reissued but the Togo side still wanted to verify more information, forcing the group to wait until the afternoon to get it resolved.

“For two days stuck in 40-degree heat and blinding dust, we just wanted to move on. When we finally got through the border, I immediately understood why West Africa is never an easy journey. Without time, calmness and the ability to manage, you will want to “turn back home” from the very beginning,” she said.

While waiting, her companions, a young couple, were struggling to find a way to handle the paperwork. “They quickly solved the problem, but I just kept calm. Being impatient doesn’t make things go faster. Traveling has taught me to slow down, be patient and trust more,” she shared.

On days when she doesn’t go far, Ngoc lives a simple life in Hanoi. Every day starts with an hour of exercise, practicing various sports such as yoga, walking, cycling, swimming... Then she goes to the market, cooks, plants, and arranges flowers.

Ms. Ngoc loves natural products that are not harmful to the environment, so she often makes her own dishwashing liquid, shampoo, and natural bath water... In the evening, she reads the news, sometimes learns a foreign language, or meditates.

Ms. Ngoc dives in Maldives (Photo: Facebook character).

“Every year I learn something new. This year it was freediving, scuba diving and meditation. I always believe that when I am learning, I am young,” she confided.

The Hanoi woman also laughed when hearing others say that "you must be very rich to travel so much".

She said: “I choose to invest in experiences instead of material things. Other people like nice, branded cars, but I like trips. Traveling requires money, but in addition to money, it also requires passion, health and initiative.”

She believes that women are good at taking care of others, but sometimes forget to take care of themselves. Middle age is when people have overcome many worries, if not now, when?

“In life, we often regret the things we haven’t done, but rarely regret the things we have done. Every day that passes, we get older, weaker, and earn less money. So love and pamper yourself today,” she advised.

At an age when many people think of the word “settling down”, Ms. Ngoc still talks about the future with eyes as bright as someone in her twenties. After 80 countries, she has not thought about stopping, simply calling the next trips “the next part of life”.

“Next year, I want to go to Central Africa, Central America and the most beautiful seas in Asia to dive and see coral. There are still many places in the world to visit and I still have a lot of energy to go,” she said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nguoi-phu-nu-viet-di-80-nuoc-va-su-co-mac-ket-o-bien-gioi-tay-phi-20251111165720719.htm