Discovering a country, its charms or how to share the treasures of Vietnam.
For a very long time, I had only a single idea in mind – going to settle in Asia. Thus, when I was barely 25 years old, just after graduating, I took off toward new horizons with a simple backpack. Who could have imagined where this would lead?
After 9 months volunteering in Cambodia, Vietnam has stolen my heart. From Ha Tien, where, on the first night, a family invited me to share their dinner. From Ha Tien to Chau Doc, with this splendid pagoda overlooking the Cambodian border. From Chau Doc to Can Tho, I wandered along the Mekong, its meanders, its canals, its floating markets, its orchards… With many colorful experiences and discoveries and full of smiles with incomparable welcome until I reached Ho Chi Minh.
From Ho Chi Minh to Dalat, I hitchhiked and did some amazing encounters and great discoveries. I still remember this monk I met on a small road, who took time to share a moment of his day with me, this “foreigner” wandering on the Vietnamese paths with his backpack. Nam Cat Tien Park is still anchored in my memory with this group of Vietnamese with whom I shared amazing evenings. I will never forget this first Christmas far from my family – A household welcomed me to celebrate this special day and I finally left with this new friend to discover the amazing city of Dalat ; my first crush in Vietnam.
As the rainy season was approaching, my steps randomly led me to Hue. Once more, the many encounters, the kindness of the people, the town between mountains and beach with its countryside and its monuments, I couldn’t resist and I just dropped my backpack. This was my new town of adoption, my new home… a new culture to understand, to respect, a new language to learn to be able to communicate…
One year later, Arnauld came to visit me. He wandered on the roads of North Vietnam by motorbike to meet the ethnic minorities and he also got mesmerized by the charm of this wonderful country. The simple life around Ba Be Lake, the amazing landscapes near Cao Bang and simply the smiles of its inhabitants. Thus, he also got a crush for Vietnam, a deep need to leave France to come settle in Vietnam after his career in hospitality.
We naturally opened a hotel and created our travel agency to share our love for this country. We have wandered some many kilometers to discover every corner between Hanoi and Hoi An, then in North Vietnam, around Dalat, in Ho Chi Minh and finally in the Mekong. Day by day, we have met all this people with whom we now share our daily life so you can discover the country that has seduced us… This adventure wasn’t always easy, as adapting to a new country takes time, leads to some mistakes and we had to bounce back, to persevere to reach our goal. I will never be able to thank enough Florent and Régine, our first customers/friends who have helped taking the plunge. Then, all the people who have followed, from simple tours in Hue to custom-made trips, I couldn’t count how many people I’m still in contact with today.
Thus, I thank all those temporary friends, of a day, a week, a month, for all those discussions shared around a coffee, for the discoveries, for the motorbike ride and many other things, all those people who have contributed and still contribute to Senteurs du Vietnam… Finally, we are just the representatives of a large community of travelers, at your service to help you discover this country that has welcomed us and that is full of many treasures to discover.
Gaulthier
