‘This Exemplifies True Hospitality’: Indian Tourist Shares Vietnamese Cafe Owner’s Sweet Gesture

In recent years, Vietnam has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations for Indians. According to data from the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, it is estimated that over 125,000 Indians traveled to Vietnam in 2022, and over 250,000 traveled between January and August in 2023. While affordability and a simplified visa regime that offers e-Visa, encourage Vietnamese tourism amongst Indians, it is ultimately the hospitality of the locals that wins over travelers. Recently, an Indian man recalled a heartwarming gesture of hospitality by a cafe owner in Vietnam. On Sunday, an X user who goes by the username Skh27 shared a photo that showed him and his friend dining with a Vietnamese family in their home, alongside videos of the train passing through Hannoi’s famous train street.

He wrote, “To me, this exemplifies true hospitality. While in Hanoi in 2022, I visited a cafe for drinks. Despite the language barrier (me not speaking Vietnamese and the owner not understanding English), we communicated through Google Translate. Surprisingly, the owner extended an invitation for dinner with his family for the two of us!”

This post soon gathered over 22,000 views. Many people took to comments to share their pleasant experiences in Vietnam. An X user wrote, “Been there, did that! Was mesmerised as how even some street hawkers were openly using smart phone apps to translate the bargaining negotiations.” Another asserted, “Vietnamese people are very friendly and helpful, and they don’t try to scam tourists, unlike other countries.”

Recently a similar post showcasing the sweet gesture of a Japanese duo on the bullet train went viral. Abdullah Ghazanfar, a choreographer and video editor living in Japan, was traveling from Tokyo to Osaka when he tried to take a photo of Mount Fuji from the train’s window. A Japanese duo that was sitting near the window ducked down so that Ghazanfar could get a better picture. Somehow Ghazanfar managed to take a wholesome photo that showed them bending down to accommodate Ghazanfar’s photo opportunity. Soon this photo went viral.

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Ghazanfar added more context to the viral photo and wrote, “Just wanna clarify that what makes it extra wholesome is that I didn’t ask them to move. They saw me trying to half-heartedly take it from across the aisle and give up when I couldn’t. They then did this so I could get a better view and encouraged me to try again.”