Take mom and dad to explore the world

His father passed away due to a serious illness. His promise to take his wife to explore the world was "taken over" by his son Nguyen Trong Luan through hard work and savings.

Trong Luan and his mother on a recent trip to the US - Photo: NVCC

Nguyen Trong Luan (28 years old) is a pixel game artist living in Da Nang . He and his mother - Ms. Ngoc Anh (62 years old) - just completed a trip to the US a month ago. Before that, he and his mother had visited Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and many provinces and cities across the country.

My mother spent her youth taking care of me and my family. What I can do now is to take care of her and give her meaningful moments in life, which makes me prouder than any other success.

Nguyen Trong Luan

Father's Unfinished Promise

His father's sudden passing left him with an inconsolable sadness and an unfulfilled promise to take his mother on a world tour. That was his father's wish to make up for his mother's years of hardship, and now Luan took on this responsibility.

On his first overseas trip in 2023, he took his mother to Korea because she loves Korean dramas. Over the past two years, Luan and his mother have explored Thailand, Taiwan, and most recently, a journey halfway around the world to the United States.

Luan always remembered what his father told him when he was alive: if he had money, he would definitely take his mother to America to experience new things and meet old friends. So for him, that trip was his whole heart and soul, not just simply fulfilling his father's promise.

The mother and daughter's journey spanned from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States, starting in Los Angeles and ending in New York.

Not only did Luan take his mother to visit famous landmarks, he also took her to visit the old university he attended, telling her about the lonely days when he was studying alone in a foreign land.

The most memorable memory was when mother and son were watching the ocean in San Diego. Mother stood still, looking into the distance, then suddenly held her son's hand and said: "I wish your father were here!"

That sentence seemed to squeeze Luan's heart for a moment, but it somehow made him feel a little relieved because he had finally arrived at the place his parents had cherished going to together, even though now only his mother was left.

That night, the son accidentally discovered that his mother still kept the habit of texting his father in the chat box. For the past eight years, she had kept up this habit every day, texting her husband about what happened that day even though he could never read it anymore.

"The whole journey was the same, every destination, every dish or person I met, my mother told me about it as a way to keep my father always present in my life," Luan said.

Cherish every moment with mom

Many people who know the story say Luan is wasting money and youth on trips like that.

Why don't you focus on working and saving to ensure your mother has a comfortable life when she gets old? Luan listens to everything but usually just smiles and then stops. Because for him, money can be earned back but time with his parents can't.

But it's not like this guy wastes time on each trip, because he arranges his schedule so that he can both travel and work. Luan always has a laptop in his backpack so he can handle work that arises anywhere, so there are almost no significant barriers.

Many years of hard work, even working continuously for 16 hours a day, but Luan said it was not a problem.

Because each trip is with his own savings, seeing his mother happy and excited to discover new things, Luan said that is a worthy reward for his work achievements.

Unable to hide her pride when talking about her son, Ms. Ngoc Anh said that as a mother, she can feel all the love, affection and efforts of her son through every action and word he says to her.

That was also the support and comfort for her in her remaining days. "When he passed away, my life seemed to have ended, but Luan was always there to take care of and encourage my mother every day. The joy he brought me helped me gradually regain balance in life," Ms. Ngoc Anh was moved.

Not long after finishing that trip halfway around the world from Vietnam, Luan was already plotting his next destination, which would be Japan and China.

Then this plan had to be postponed because his mother had unfortunately recently had a traffic accident. But he still hoped that his mother would recover soon so that they could continue their journey together to explore new lands in the near future.

Love your parents while you still can

Sometimes, when he saw his peers enjoying life, Luan also thought about temporarily leaving his busy work to be like them. But at those times, the image of his hard-working father from the past appeared in his mind.

Because Luan used to think "it's never too late to work hard and enjoy it later". But perhaps more than anyone else, the loss made Luan understand that the time with his mother was limited, so he had to try to cherish every bit while he still could.

"You don't have to wait for success or wealth to do great things. Sometimes a meal at the end of the day, watching a football match with your father or combing your mother's hair and massaging her back is enough.

Things that seem normal and are considered "corny" by some people are the most beautiful and meaningful memories in life for parents," Luan confided.

Phu An - Luan's close friend who accompanied him on his trip to the US - said he was most impressed by his friend's resilience and determination. After many years of being friends, An realized that Luan always overcame any challenge he encountered with the strongest and most positive attitude possible.

"The way Luan takes care of his mother and family has inspired me a lot. I realized that love and support from loved ones can give us the strength to courageously pursue our dreams no matter how difficult it is," Phu An shared.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thay-cha-dua-me-kham-pha-the-gioi-2025020910264658.htm