๐ I Got Robbed In Vietnam! ๐
In 2014, I was in Ho Chi Minh for the first timeโฆ
After a full day of class, I decided to check out the city with my assistant
It was about 9pm and we were chatting enthusiastically. About what? I forgot
But an exciting enough topic to be unaware of a motorbike racing towards us
Next thing you know, my kindle was yanked out of my hand. I was shockedโฆ So was my assistantโฆ
101 thoughts raced through my mindโฆ
What just happened???
OMG, I got robbed!
NOOOO not my kindle!
Why did this happen to me?
Why didnโt I chase the bike?
Why am I so careless?
What do I do now?
I donโt even remember the bike license plate number.
All my ebooks gone
This is a birthday present from someone special
Gone
I hate Vietnam
I will never come back to Vietnam again
Five years later todayโฆ I am back in the same city where I was first robbed. The same city I swore never to returnโฆ
And guess whatโฆ
I was robbed againโฆ
This time it was my heart And I was the willing victim.
I had the chance to meet a lot of locals during this trip.
A big group at the seminar I was speaking at
Though they couldnโt understand a hundred percent of what I was saying, they were very attentive. They took notes
They asked questions. You can see
โ from their eyes
โ their hunger for learning
During the entire 8 hours session, they clapped a gazillion times to express their excitement towards the strategies I taught
Now this is new to me. I donโt even get that in my own country haha. And then during the evenings when I walked the bustling streets of Bui Vien, I had the chance to befriend a number of locals. Yes they are that friendly
I recall during one evening, I was invited to join four strangers for drinks at Boheme. Though they donโt speak very fluent English, we had a great timeโฆ Google Translate helped a lot. So did the Milo cocktail
Though they werenโt as ambitious as the people I met at the seminar, they were equally earnest and genuine. At the end of the drink session, they even offered to pay! These were just 20 something kids. But so generous. With zero agenda
As I am typing this email on the plane home, I am smiling from cheek to cheek. Can people be that nice?
It seems like the answer is yesโฆ here in Vietnam. Everyone I met wore their hearts on the sleeves
If I really have to pick a bone with Vietnam, I would say their language is hard to learn. But I will try
I can really see myself coming back to this country
Have you been to Vietnam?
Do you have similar experiences?
Please share with me too
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