Gilian finds Vietnam’s nature so beautiful and diverse that it seems “unreal”.

Before coming to Vietnam, Gilian Lipman, a Dutch, heard many compliments from friends and people in other Asian countries. In his image, Vietnam is the most beautiful country in Asia because of its diverse natural landscape. In addition, when he learned by himself, he also fell in love with the road from North to South , which was also praised by Western backpackers.

“Vietnam is a great place to explore,” says Gilian.

While in the Netherlands, Gilian was a tax consultant but resigned to travel to Vietnam, but at the time of the outbreak of the epidemic. Stuck at home, he opened a personal gym training website and maintains it to this day. He arrived in Thailand before Vietnam opened its doors for tourists to wait, and after 16 weeks in the land of golden pagodas, he entered Vietnam on May 28.

Gilian is happy when her dream of discovering Vietnam comes true. He planned to stay for a long time, so he took his time to explore. So far, he has visited many places in the North, visiting a number of historical sites such as French architectural houses and Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay… before continuing to explore the Central region. and the South.

Gilian loves Mua Cave and Tam Coc in Ninh Binh , Sa Pa (Lao Cai) and Ha Long Bay ( Quang Ninh ). If he chooses his favorite place, he chooses Cat Cat village in Sa Pa. “It’s a hidden gem with many mysterious beauties. The nature is beautiful, there are villages, and I get to meet ethnic people,” he said.

Especially, Gilian compares the beautiful and majestic nature of Vietnam like a fairy film. He compared it to the film The Chronicles of Narnia , beloved by generations of Western children, depicting a fantasy world filled with wonder. “For example, taking a boat on the Tam Coc River, holding up the camera to take pictures and recording videos at any time, I am amazed at the beautiful scenery,” praised Gilian. In his eyes, Ninh Binh is beautiful in the style of “all shapes and sizes” because there are caves, temples, and mountains within a short distance.

Similar to Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa, he said that the scenes “as if not real” and caused the camera to work continuously.

“In Indonesia or Thailand, you have to know the spots with nature or beautiful scenery, but in Vietnam, you are always surrounded by beautiful nature,” said Gilian.

However, in Vietnam, Gilian also has not very good experiences, such as the language barrier when Vietnamese people do not know much English and hygiene problems, but “have experienced it since I was in Thailand”.

In terms of food, he was satisfied when he tried pho, after hearing many compliments from his friends. “It’s a bit difficult because I’m not used to using chopsticks. In my opinion, Vietnamese food is very pale compared to Thai food.”

In the future, he will travel to the rest of Vietnam by motorbike. “When I think about Asian countries, the feeling of riding a motorbike gives me the ultimate sense of freedom. I will visit Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, and am also excited to see and learn more about the history. and the wars in Vietnam. I read and learned a lot about them when I was in college,” Gilian said.