Foreigners “Falling In Love” With Hanoi

Korean businessman with a love for Hanoi street foods

Yoon Kyu Hee (born in 1996), is currently the Deputy General Director of NAFICO Auditing and Consulting Company Limited, headquartered in Hanoi. Even though he is only 27 years old, the young Korean businessman has been attached to the S-shaped land for more than 20 years. He is currently living and working in Hanoi.

Yoon Kyu Hee is currently living and working in Hanoi.

When asked about he started his early life in Hanoi, Yoon Kyu Hee said he followed his parents here when he was young. He studied all levels from elementary school to high school in Vietnam, and he has friends in both Vietnamese and Korean.

“I adapted to life in Vietnam since I was 3 years old. I vividly remember the first time I came into contact with Hanoi cuisine and fell in love immediately. Some street dishes that I particularly love include sugarcane juice, Bun Cha, Banh Cuon, and other foods," Yoon Kyu Hee said.

Yoon Kyu Hee enjoys walking around Hoan Kiem, wandering The Old Quarter, and gathering around with friends at Ta Hien Street. “Living in Hanoi for many years, I know quite a few excellent places to eat street dishes. Among them, my favorite dish is vermicelli with shrimp paste. Many people are surprised that I can eat shrimp paste because very few Koreans can stand its taste. For me, this is a dish that combines a lot of attractive elements, from taste to color. I like this dish so much that, when I returned to Korea to do my military service, there were nights when I only thought of vermicelli with shrimp paste. When my Korean friends visit Vietnam, I still invite them to try this dish and there are people who like vermicelli like me," the young businessman shared.

From the perspective of a businessman, Yoon Kyu Hee said that in order to attract more tourists, especially Korean tourists, Hanoi should develop more attractive sports tourism products, such as golf.

“Vietnam in general and Hanoi, in particular, is a place worth living. I hope that in the future, more Korean tourists will come to Vietnam and there will be many people who love Vietnam like me,” he said.

Japanese Youtuber Highlights Vietnam in his Videos

Kaneya Manabu is an YouTuber from Japan, currently living in Hanoi

Kaneya Manabu is a Japanese civilian who has decided to spend his life living and working in Hanoi after finding his place in the S–shaped country. Having worked in a high-paying, but very stressful job in Japan, Kaneya Manabu began to find a new interest in learning Vietnamese in 2012. In 2014, he and some colleagues attended a two-month Vietnamese supplementary course at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology. His life began to change from there.

Manabu's first impression when coming to Vietnam is the friendliness and openness of the people. “Vietnamese people talk and laugh a lot, their expressions always radiate a happy look. I only stayed in Vietnam for 2 months, but already loved this place,” Manabu said.

Returning home, Manabu thought a lot about Vietnam and began to rekindle his intention to begin his new life in this country. Whenever he has time, he makes trips to Vietnam to experience and explore. His love for the S-shaped land continues to grow.

“Vietnam is very beautiful. The scenery, the food, and the people are all wonderful. This makes me want to live here longer,” Manabu shared.

In 2016, he wrote his resignation letter in Japan to the surprise of his family and friends. He decided to come to Vietnam to work at the invitation of a friend whose company operates in Hanoi. Living in Hanoi, Manabu took the Vietnamese name “Hoc."

“Manabu means to study, so I took the name Hoc so that Vietnamese friends could easily remember and understand. Later, people called me by this name more than my Japanese one,” he explained. He faced many difficulties living in the country when he first settled here. He had changed jobs four different times and encountered many failures, but he never intends to leave Vietnam.

Photo: Kilala

In order to have a more prosperous life in Vietnam, Manabu decided to specialize in Vietnamese. He applied for a Master's degree in Vietnam at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. In 2020, he completed the course. “I have learned a lot of things, and understand more about the country and people of Vietnam. The more I learned, the more I fell in love and wanted to live in this country in the future. When I have mastered the Vietnamese language, I can confidently travel everywhere and share my feelings with everyone,” Manabu shared.

Currently, Manabu holds the position of Deputy Director of a labor export company (headquartered in Dong Anh district, Hanoi), teaching Japanese to Vietnamese workers before coming to Japan to work. In his spare time, he makes YouTube videos to record his experiences in Vietnam. Most of the videos on Youtube are made in Vietnamese and Japanese. He recorded many videos about beautiful scenes in many famous tourist spots of Vietnam, the delicious street foods that he ate as well as his feelings about Vietnam. Manabu's Youtube channel currently has nearly 90,000 subscribers.

Vietnam Ranks First among Japan’s Foreign Worker Population Vietnamese nationals accounted for 25.4%, the largest proportion, of the foreign worker population in Japan as of the end of October 2022.

Hanoi: Foreigners Can Now Own Estate From 8 More Housing Projects Hanoi’s Department of Construction has approved 8 more housing projects that can be owned by foreigners. These projects are constructed in the districts of Tay ...

A Japanese Doctor's Mission to Save Vietnamese Vision For the past 20 years, Dr. Hattori Tadashi has used his knowledge to help thousands of visually impaired Vietnamese.

Thousands Enjoy Vietnam - Korea Friendship Street Festival in Hanoi Many out-door activities celebrating K-culture (Korean culture) took the street of Hanoi during the weekend on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment ...