European couple travels to Vietnam on low budget

A young French and Polish couple has traveled to nine countries, including Vietnam, on their minimal budget and thrived on the hospitality and kindness of locals, particularly Vietnamese people.

Quentin Dewiere, 32, and Agnieszka Nanaszko, 30, had made journeys across eight countries before arriving in Vietnam with a minimal sum of money and a special note containing heartfelt words in the native languages.

In every country they have been to, they always ask English-speaking locals to write notes in their native languages, which read “We’d like to go to …If you happen to go on the same road, can you give us a free short ride? We really don’t have much money on us, as we’ve spent most on food. Moreover, we would really love to explore your country. With sincere thanks.”

In Vietnam, where the couple is holidaying, an Internet shop owner wrote the note in Vietnamese for them.

Dewiere and Nanaszko, both freelance photographers, believed that if they worked hard, in a few years’ time they would have enough money to travel across the world.

However, some four years ago, they were inspired by the story of a 76-year-old Polish woman named Teresa Bancewicz, who traveled across the globe by hitch-hiking on her limited pension.

Dewiere and Nanaszko also worked hard in the countries they travelled to to cover their expenses, and spent only US$8-10 a day.

The ‘miracle visa’

The couple’s special note has earned them locals’ trust and people are more than willing to help them out.

Once, the couple made their way to a remote area in Trung Khanh District in northern Vietnam’s Cao Bang Province, late at night.

After having a humble dinner at a run-down eatery, they handed the owner the note, seeking help in finding shelter.

The owner wrote in English that there was no room for rent in the village, and offered them a place in his shop to spend the night.

“In remote, poor areas, we’ve always felt the locals’ sincerity. They’ve always enthusiastically helped us out,” Nanaszko shared.

The couple arrived in the resort town of Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong in late June 2014, after traversing through Hanoi and other provinces in the north, as well as the tourist attractions of Hue and Nha Trang in central Vietnam’s Thua Thien-Hue and Khanh Hoa Provinces.

In Hoa Binh Quarter in Ward 1, they handed the note to peddlers, who then asked a “xe om” (taxi driver) to take them to cheap hotels.

They always put the note in the surprised hotel owners’ hand.

After two attempts, the couple found a room at Home Sweet Home Hostel in Da Lat at half the usual rate.

Their memorable experiences also include free rides on trucks and free meals from locals in remote areas.

Instead of stopping passing cars, Dewiere and Nanaszko chose to go to truck parking areas, where truck drivers were loading cargo.

“In other countries, drivers typically asked us to sit in the back of their trucks, while in Vietnam, we were always offered the front seats next to the drivers”.

During the rides, due to the language barrier, all the couple and drivers could do was smile at each other. The drivers also offered them free meals.

“Humans caring for one another counts for more than money. Traveling as beggars gave us the opportunity to feel that care. More than 20 locals offered us free rides, meals and shelter,” Dewiere shared.

In mid-May 2014, while roaming through Quang Uyen District in northern Cao Bang Province, a whirlwind with strong gusts descended upon the couple’s path without warning.

The husband and wife were about to open their sleeping bags and place them in a small cave for shelter from the whirlwind, when a passerby named Hoang took them to the safety of his home.

When the whirlwind was over, fallen tree trunks were scattered along the same village path that the couple were just about to place their sleeping bags on.

The couple were about to leave Hoang’s home when they handed him the note for guidance.

After reading it, Hoang signaled to the couple to spend the night in his home. The next morning, the man asked a trusted driver to take the couple to Cao Bang municipal city for free.

“When we expressed our wishes to share the cost, the locals just shook their heads, implying that we should go on with our journey,” added Nanaszko, who then hopped on a vegetable truck with her husband for a free ride into Ho Chi Minh City.

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