A Vietnamese couple admires the majestic natural scenery in Khaplu, Pakistan. Photo: Pham Kien.
After more than 10 years of working continuously without a break, Pham Kien (35 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) and his wife Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc (35 years old, Lam Dong ) decided to take a long vacation that they had both long dreamed of.
Let's start making the big dream come true.
Ngoc and her husband's trip was conceived in 2018 and they plan to depart in early 2025. Therefore, during the preparation period, the couple meticulously planned and prepared everything, most importantly their finances and each person's health.
At the end of 2024, Ms. Ngoc submitted her resignation from her marketing management job. By April 2025, Mr. Kien also stopped working as a graphic designer. After 12 years of dating, the couple has always been in perfect harmony with each other's journeys.
Ms. Ngoc said: “Before, we worked so hard every day that we felt like we were just repeating a cycle, our lives mainly revolving around work. Both of us want to explore and see the world , broaden our perspectives, and accumulate more life experience. We hope that when we return, we will have fresh perspectives and ideas for our work, and also appreciate everything in life more.”
The luggage they brought consisted of a large backpack weighing about 20-30 kg containing essential items for the trip and a smaller backpack for easier carrying.
For Kien and Ngoc, besides finances, one of the most important preparations is health, because on this trip, the couple will travel through many types of terrain, experience changing weather, and mainly travel by train and car.
Both of them are very active and regularly engage in sports, not only for the trip but also to form good habits for their daily lives, such as meditation, breathing exercises, jogging, and martial arts for self-defense.
Ms. Ngoc revealed: “My husband goes to the gym, and I practice yoga and dancing. Besides that, we also regularly go to bed early and get enough sleep. Thanks to that, during the trip, we were fine even in places over 4,000m high or during trekking up to 4,700-4,800m. Throughout the trip, we still occasionally made time for jogging and short exercise sessions.”
Hormuz Island in Iran is one of the most colorful and unique islands in the world. Photo: Pham Kien
A touching moment
In July 2025, the couple began their journey from Ho Chi Minh City on the Thong Nhat train to Hanoi and then traveled to the Lao Cai border crossing to cross into China.
During their month in the country with the world's largest population, they continued their trip by visiting Pakistan for 26 days, Afghanistan for 12 days, Uzbekistan for 28 days, Tajikistan for 12 days, Kyrgyzstan for 17 days, Kazakhstan for 8 days, Turkmenistan for 4 days, and are currently spending a considerable amount of time exploring Iran, which is expected to last around 45 days.
Currently, Afghanistan is the country that has left the best impression on them. Due to the political situation there, alongside some anxieties, their decision to visit the country was an adventurous experience.
"Although the facilities here aren't modern, the people are friendly and down-to-earth. We were often offered tea, fruit, nuts, and sweets... and sometimes the locals wouldn't even take our money, even though they weren't well-off themselves," the Vietnamese female tourist shared.
Ms. Ngoc added: "Thanks to that, we realized that the less people have, the more comfortable they are at giving. For example, not knowing what tomorrow will bring and having nothing to lose, they are honest, generous, and courageous even when living in harsh and difficult conditions."
Afghanistan's natural landscape is primarily desert and ancient ruins along the Silk Road. Because they traveled by bus and car, they had the opportunity to admire the rustic villages with their mud and earth houses. People, horses, donkeys, and children with muddy hands and feet flashed past the windows...
One of the most memorable experiences was the journey of over 800km from Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif. However, due to brake failure, the car stopped at a small village along the way.
“Many children came to our stop with curious eyes. We chatted with them and lent them our cameras to take pictures. Then, after a while, almost all the children in the village came to see the camera; the more confident ones wanted to hold it, and Mr. Kien showed them how to try it out. Looking at them, I felt their innocence and simplicity, and suddenly I felt so much love for this life. Perhaps that's what makes us so attached to Afghanistan,” Ms. Ngoc confided.
The country that the couple most wanted to visit during their planning process was Iran, because it is a country with a long history and still retains many cultural and historical traces in famous cities such as Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan, etc.
A Vietnamese female tourist expressed: “We were all fascinated by the ancient Persian architecture, which is both beautiful and mysterious. What surprised me was that Iran is much more modern in real life than I had imagined, especially the capital Tehran. Not only that, other major cities also have subway systems.”
Kien and Ngoc's journey of exploring the world hasn't ended yet. They still aspire to visit many more countries because venturing out into the world is also a journey of self-understanding and understanding their partner.
Laodong.vn
Source: https://laodong.vn/du-lich/kham-pha/vo-chong-viet-cung-phuot-9-nuoc-bang-duong-bo-1630857.html
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