Touring in Yen Bai 😍

Today I went to Van Chan district in Yen Bai province for the day…it was absolutely amazing! Honestly, the people there were hands down some of the nicest people I have ever met. Irish people have a reputation for being friendly….but then there is the Vietnamese….

In the middle of the country, my research partner Bien was walking me around, showing me different plants, plantations and resources. As we were discussing how bamboo grows in the area…these three children appear. They giddily ask where I am from and get so excited when I tell them Ireland! 

They rush back inside and emerge a few minutes later with their parents and tell us they are taking us on a tour! They lead the way down a dirt track, with orange trees lining either side. They run ahead and when we catch them, they are after climbing up a rocky waterfall. Era…go on we’ll give it a go…

Off myself and Bien go up the rocky path. At the top, the children tell us how they have climbed to the very top of the mountain …. but you need to be healthy to do it. I understood what they were trying to say so I vowed from here on out, to calm down on the bread and butter! 

We were making our way back down, when it started raining. The mother of the children kindly brought us into her home and gave us tea and fresh oranges. They were all laughing because my 5’ 10” self could not fit under the canopy! The women got a great kick out of the fact that I am so pale, but I told them I’m much darker than I was before Vietnam 😂 they all took pictures with me, giggling because I’m too tall and they had to stand on walls to get the shot 😂it was really great craic and with the help of Bien, we shared stories and pictures of our families! 

I did not want to leave them but we had to go…I hope to get the chance to visit again ❤️ Vietnamese people are so kind and giving. They are some of the sweetest, most humble people that I have been blessed to meet!