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“The thought of leaving Vietnam really makes me sad”

Dajana Hoxhaj, an Albania nursery teacher, has become a “hot” TikTok users thanks to her videos about her daily life in Vietnam. Of her Tiktok videos, those capturing her wearing Ao Dai – the traditional dress of Vietnam – have been the highlight.

Hoxhaj said she first fell for Ao Dai in 2018 when she came across a Vietnamese woman “who looked gorgeous in the dress”. The traditional dress flatters anyone wearing it, she added.

Dajana Hoxhaj wears Ao Dai and a conical hat. Photo courtesy of Dajana Hoxhaj

“In mid-2019, I got the chance to wear Ao Dai for the first time. It was when my friend and I took a photoshoot with lotus flowers,” Hoxhaj told Tuoi Tre. “I have two Ao Dai, both are presents from my Vietnamese friends. Whenever I can, I wear them, you know like when I was teaching at schools, or attending someone’s wedding.”

“Many followers thank me for loving Vietnam. I guess it’s me to be thankful because I get many support and love from local people.”

The expat plans to buy her mother an Ao Dai.

Hoxhaj said she wants to keep her friends updated on how she’s doing in Vietnam, and how she experiences the local culture, by uploading short recordings of her daily life. Many of her friends want to travel to Vietnam after watching her videos.

“I initially planned to stay in Vietnam for 9 months, but you see, I’ve been living here for 3 years,” she said. “The thought of leaving Vietnam really makes me sad. Maybe I was a Vietnamese in my previous life.”

“A community that always goes all out to attain mutual goals. A nation with strong social unity that could become role mirror to other countries.”

Brandon Hurley, 28, is an English teacher in HCMC. He’s also an MC and has a Youtube channel and TikTok account attracting millions of subscribers.

Hurley also shares the different angles of his life in Vietnam on his social accounts, including his journey discovering food and drinks across the country. In his videos is he always speaks in Vietnamese and starts by saying “Các bạn ơi, Phúc mập đây!” (Hey guys, it’s Phuc).

Brandon Hurley. Photo: Tuoi Tre

In a video recorded in early June before HCMC imposed social distancing order, the young expat said “I really want to send my gratitude to Vietnam and local people for letting me and other foreigners stay during this difficult time.”

Vietnamese people in Hurley’s eyes are friendly and approachable, which helps him communicate in Vietnamese confidently. Vietnam is his second home, where found a job, met the love of his life who is a Vietnamese girl, and became “famous”.

“I’ll try all Vietnamese dishes”

Foodies might be familiar with Will Courageux, or @willinvietnam account on TikTok. Courageux is a famous food reviewer that has been reviewing Vietnamese food, including bread stuffed beef jerky, ice cream, noodles mixed with steamed rice, fried Vietnamese fermented pork rolls and snail vermicelli.

Will Courageux tries banh mi. Photo courtesy of Will Courageux

He also tries dishes considered “weird”, such as duck embryo, shrimp fermented paste and blood jelly.

The French national said he’s a crazy fan of banh mi (Vietnamese bread).

“In France, we ate baguette with cheese, but Vietnamese sandwiches have a lot of vegetables, eggs and other fresh ingredients,” he said.

“I want everyone to know that Vietnam is a wonderful place to live. Even when you are here only for traveling, there’s a whole lot of things to discover,” he added. “The country is home to diverse cultural features, having mountains, seas, developed cities and places with traditional values.”

He hopes to improve his Vietnamese to better communicate with his Vietnamese friends and followers.

“I want to spread the passion for Vietnam to everyone”

“From the moment the flight landed in Vietnam, I could feel some connection with this country,” Ashley Griffith said.

He shows his endless passion for Vietnamese foods in his TikTok videos. “Nước mía Việt Nam ngon muốn chết,” (Vietnamese sugarcane juice is absolutely amazing), he captions one of his videos.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Griffith

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