Jongrak Choi, from Seoul, has visited Vietnam several times since 2018. He is learning Vietnamese, and with two friends creating digital contents about Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and tourism, then post them on a YouTube channel with nearly one million subscribers.
According to Jongrak, his love for Vietnam stems from the country’s beautiful landscapes, delicious food, and reasonable prices. The tourist has explored more than half of the country, but only recently visited Ninh Binh in May while participating in a reality show.
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Jongrak Choi has his first experience riding a water buffalo in Ninh Binh. |
During his three-day trip, Jongrak explored Mua Cave, Trang An, and Tam Coc, having unique experiences, such as riding a water buffalo, planting rice, and catching fish.
“I've never ridden anything, not even a horse,” Jongrak Choi confessed, adding that at first glance, he thought riding a buffalo would be easy, but when he did, on the contrary, he realized it was difficult.
The buffalo-riding activity took place at Buffalo Cave, located in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, within the UNESCO-recognized Tam Coc-Bich Dong complex. The area surrounding the cave is about one hectare, with mountains, rivers, rice fields, and waterfalls.
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The tourist enjoys the scenery of Tam Coc on buffalo’s back. |
The tourist said Mia, the buffalo, was "intimidatingly large but actually gentle." Yet it took him 5-10 minutes of struggling, with the help of a local, to settle on her back. Afterward, the local led the buffalo, taking the tourist for a sightseeing of the region.
"The countryside in Northern Vietnam is unlike anything I've ever seen before," admired Jongrak.
Besides buffalo-riding, the Korean tourist also experienced a farmer’s daily life by trying his hands at planting rice and catching fish. Planting rice did not pose a challenge for the Seoul guy, but he had to struggle in the water to catch a fish as big as his forearm.
"The fish was big and strong, struggling for more than five minutes before becoming exhausted," the tourist recounted.
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Jongrak catches a fish as big as his forearm. |
After that, Jongrak continued to visit other attractions in the Vietnamese ancient capital, like Mua Cave and Trang An. The peaceful rural mountain scenery sparked a desire in him to live his retired life in the countryside.
Alongside the beautiful scenery, the lives of locals left a strong impression on Jongrak. He most fondly remembered the chance of encountering goat-meat vendor and hearing his story of overcoming difficulties.
"All people of Ninh Binh take pride in their homeland," he remarked.
In the future, Jongrak plans to revisit Ninh Binh with his parents. He said that there is no place with an atmosphere and scenery like Ninh Binh in South Korea.
Source: VnExpress
Translated by The Minh