In the article published on May 3, Johnsen expressed her impression over Bui Vien walking street after sunset in Ho Chi Minh City. This long-time backpacker enclave lights up at night in a chaotic jumble of vendors selling street food, souvenir shops spruiking their wares, clubs with table-top dancers gyrating to high-decibel K-pop and locals nonchalantly weaving through the traffic on motorbikes loaded with sleeping children, dressed-up pet dogs and strapped-on groceries.

When talking to a local young man, Johnsen said she was moved to hear a compliment that “Your smile is very beauty”.

“That a young man would take the time to give a middle-aged woman such a warm and genuine compliment; to notice the small details of humanity amongst the raucous surroundings, made it feel like one of the kindest things anyone had ever said to me,” Johnsen wrote.

When visiting towns across Vietnam, Johnsen usually pays attention to the people, and their demonstrable kindness, rather than the ancient attractions or natural beauty which caught my attention.

She said that Vietnam places a strong cultural value on offering mutual assistance, known as “tinh than tuong than tuong ai” (the spirit of mutual love and support). This principle is deeply embedded in Vietnamese society, where people often go out of their way to help strangers, whether it’s offering directions or assisting after natural disasters.

When her teak-panelled riverboat stopped in bustling Chau Doc, she saw this virtue in action, she added.

She saw a local man paying a roadside cafe owner in advance for “com treo” (hanging rice). When someone in need later comes along, they can claim this free meal, which is sometimes sitting (hanging) at the front of the shop, ready to be discreetly taken.

Other times, a sign will indicate whether hanging meals are available. Paying in advance for “ca phe treo” (hanging coffee) is common too.

The author went on to say when buying a sweet, Vietnamese coffee: bitter espresso paired with sweetened condensed milk served over ice, she feels cooled by the drink but also warmed by the notion of this culture’s way of paying it forward.

She is also impressed by Vietnam’s nature. When she arrived in the heart of the Mekong Delta, and visited Tra Su forest, she climbed the observation tower to get a bird’s-eye view of the 850ha forest, and the 70 species of birds that call this sanctuary, and now a popular ecotourism site, home.

Forty years of painstaking reforestation by the Government and local communities has successfully breathed new life into this ancient wetland ecosystem, which sustained significant damage during the Vietnam War, she said, suggesting tourists now pay to glide around its hyacinth-strewn streams in small watercraft, or hike through its depths.

“Arriving at the top of the observatory, drenched in wet season sweat, she spy a beautiful, young Vietnamese couple on their honeymoon, somehow not even sporting a bead of perspiration. They are taking Polaroids of themselves against the backdrop of graceful melaleuca trees.”

“I try to look at the view unobtrusively, not wanting to trespass on their special moment, but they insist on taking a photograph of me and my friends too. Handing me the developing picture, they say meaningfully, “so you can remember your time in our country”.

Vietnam is not some kind of utopia. The impoverished still suffer. However, she hopes and prays that Vietnam’s spirit of mutual love and support would be wide enough to embrace vulnerable humans, she concluded her article.

NZ Herald suggests 48-hour trip to discover Ho Chi Minh City

VOV.VN - Ranging from edgy bars to retro subterranean bunkers, there is plenty to discover in vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, according to Brett Atkinson, an author who wrote about his 48-hour trip to explore the local culture and cuisine for New Zealand newspaper NzHerald.