As a visual artist passionate about traveling, Sunny has been working, composing paintings and traveling in many different countries for more than a year now. He arrived in Vietnam in the last week of September and planned to explore the S-shaped country alone for 4-5 months.
Before leaving, Sunny carefully planned a long trip, researched information about the places he wanted to go to, the experiences he wanted to try, and planned the cost to save while enjoying them as much as possible.
Go your own way
Up to now, Sunny has been in Vietnam for a full month, exploring 3 destinations: Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Dong Van in Tuyen Quang. Sunny just arrived Sapa a few days before traveling to other provinces and cities in the North.
Although I had learned a lot before, the actual experience was completely different, Sunny said. As soon as I arrived in Hanoi, I was really attracted. Not much shocked by culture, but I was shocked by the price of food and drinks in Hanoi. There are so many options, so I tried as many dishes as possible. Vietnamese street food is great.
He did not go on regular tours in the capital but rather wandered alone by walking, cycling to visit museums, temples, pagodas, large and small art exhibitions, singing coffee, milk tea, bread, pho alone...
Sunny realized There are so many things to experience in Hanoi, every ten steps I meet a coffee shop, pho restaurant, temple or a new sightseeing spot... There are days when I cycle all day to wander around, watching, filming videos, taking photos of the streets.
After a week in Hanoi, he met a new friend and took a train together to Ninh Binh, during the rainy and stormy weather in the North. Unstable weather, even many tourist attractions are flooded, but Sunny is still very excited to check-in from Hang Mua, Bai Dinh pagoda, Tam Coc - Bich Dong relic site...
Most international visitors come to Dong Van to take a tour of Ha Giang Loop by motorbike for 4-5 consecutive days, the young Philippine man spends half a month at a homestay and painting. The homeowner not only reduced the room rate because he stayed longer than expected but also lent him a 50cc motorbike so he could drive himself to tourist attractions such as: Lung Cu Flagpole, Ma Pi Leng Pass, Nho Que River, Sung La, Lung Phin...
From the sky-high rocky mountains, the new buckwheat flowers blooming on the roadside to the constant smiles of both children and the elderly here. Every stop, every person he met in Dong Van surprised and made Sunny faint.
Enjoy small memories
After going through a busy storm season, the Northern climate has turned from hot days with heavy rain, the weather has turned to the cool of Autumn. Although he traveled quite a lot on New Year's Day, Sunny was lucky and had no problems, but he saw with his own eyes many ruins of earthquakes, destroying the northern mountainous roads.
The youngest artist in Dong Van has been noticing the nature and climate here for the longest time, bringing a feeling of nostalgia for the northern Philippines highlands such as Baguio, Sagada... However, Sunny is still impressed with the unique shapes of the landscape, rural architecture and colorful traditional costumes of local ethnic groups.
Sunny said that the homestay owner lent him cub cars so he could travel freely wherever he wanted. After just a few minutes of teaching, he could drive, bring paintings and cameras from village to village in Dong Van. Once on the way to Lung Cu, Sunny suddenly saw the vast buckwheat fields with a trail leading to the nearby hilltop. He could not help but stop his car and immerse himself in the romantic scene.
Another image that impressed him forever was the ethnic mothers carrying very heavy things on their backs. "Suddenly I felt heartbroken but also felt impressed because they were trying to support their family."
Initially, Sunny planned to only repaint a set of paintings as he had done in the Philippines. However, after a month, the young artist was full of inspiration and said that he could release 3 different paintings about his experiences and landscapes in Vietnam. I will miss and cherish the special moments here, Sunny said.
