Honeymoon guest in Ha Giang causes a stir because he looks like soccer player Messi

(Dan Tri) - Choosing Vietnam as the destination for his honeymoon, Irish tourist James Dolan attracted a lot of attention because his face has many similar features to soccer player Lionel Messi.

Having been recommended by many friends that if you come to Vietnam, you must definitely visit Ha Giang (from July 1st in Tuyen Quang province), Irish tourist James Dolan was curious. After getting married, he decided to take his wife, Kelly Boyce, to the S-shaped country for a 12-day honeymoon.

An Irish tourist couple chose Ha Giang for their honeymoon (Photo: Provided by the character).

Arriving in Hanoi on June 22, the newlyweds had many interesting activities such as participating in a cooking class, making some traditional dishes such as bun cha, bun thang, and egg coffee.

After that, the couple booked a tour to Ha Giang for a 3-day, 2-night trip. Hearing friends describe Ha Giang as a destination "worth experiencing" made Dolan and his wife even more excited.

However, what surprised him the most on this trip was that many people mistook him for the famous Argentine player Lionel Messi.

He was surprised that many people called him Messi (Photo: Character provided).

"In my home country of Ireland, I had heard a few people say they looked like Messi but didn't pay much attention. But in Ha Giang, many people recognized me and asked to take pictures with me. I felt like a celebrity," he said happily.

To fully explore Ha Giang, the couple booked a local tour with drivers from Lotus Easy Riders to lead the group. The group of 10 members will have 10 corresponding drivers.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter , Mr. Nguyen Van Khu, one of the drivers leading the group, was impressed with the appearance of the Irish guest because of many similarities with famous football player Messi.

"The couple both have cheerful and sociable personalities. During the journey from the old Ha Giang City (now Tuyen Quang) to Yen Minh, many people asked to take photos with them, which made Mr. Dolan a bit confused. He was surprised because he didn't think there were so many Messi fans in Vietnam," the tour guide revealed.

During the 3-day, 2-night journey, the tourist group starts from the center of Ha Giang and moves to Yen Minh to bathe in the waterfall, visit the weaving village and enjoy the majestic road.

The next day, the group traveled from Yen Minh to Tham Ma pass, up to Lung Cu flagpole. In the afternoon, they arrived at Ma Pi Leng and then in the evening, they went to H'Mong village in Pa Vi. On the last day of the journey, the group experienced a boat ride to explore Nho Que river. At noon, they arrived at Nui Doi in Quan Ba and then returned to the center of Ha Giang.

Tourists sit on a boat to experience Nho Que River (Photo: Provided by the character).

During the trip, the two guests were surprised by the majestic natural landscape and impressed by the local cuisine. The Irish guest confessed that he loved Vietnamese cuisine because of its richness and was impressed by the cultural beauty of the tradition - where people sit together around a meal and enjoy many dishes.

"This was really a very meaningful honeymoon," he confided.

After leaving Ha Giang, the Dolan couple continued to explore Ha Long Bay by cruise for one night and then flew to Da Nang. They planned to visit Hoi An, go to Ho Chi Minh City before flying to Bali (Indonesia).

Meanwhile, after saying goodbye to the Irish guests, Mr. Khu was busy preparing to welcome more new guests.

Born and raised in Ha Giang, Mr. Khu used to work in big cities. But in recent years, seeing his hometown develop strongly in tourism and wanting to contribute a small part to the development, he decided to return.

"Ha Giang is becoming more and more known to international visitors, thereby creating more sources of livelihood for local people. Now my job also helps ensure a better life than before. This is also the motivation for me to try harder," the male tour guide confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/vi-khach-toi-ha-giang-huong-tuan-trang-mat-gay-sot-vi-giong-cau-thu-messi-20250630225740955.htm