"I'm old with Pakistan"
Having first set foot in Pakistan since April 2018, Mr. Tran Giang Le Vu (HCMC) was immediately overwhelmed by the majestic and magnificent landscape.
Although I have traveled to about 50 countries around the world before, when I arrived in Pakistan, I found Pakistan the most beautiful. In addition to the unique scenery because it is the intersection of the world's three major mountain ranges of Himalaya, Karakoram, Hindu Kush with 108 peaks over 7,000m high. The friendly and hospitable local people are the reason why I have returned to Pakistan 7 times to experience different seasons, Mr. Vu shared.
From 2018 to 2025, except for the time when COVID-19 cannot travel, every year Mr. Vu booked a flight to Pakistan to experience from Spring, Summer to Autumn. Each season of Pakistan is unique and special, with its own beauty. Spring "five hundred flowers blooming" with thousands of dreamy gardens and white cherries. Summer is the ideal time for adventuring with trekking trips, conquering ice caps, lakes and high mountain peaks in Pakistan.
Autumn in South Asia is splendid with bright yellow leafy bighead forests mixed with red leafy dreamy gardens. In particular, Autumn is also the apple harvest season. Ripe or red apples decorate the Hunza Valley. If you come here in the fall, you will eat apples for free.
Mr. Vu's most recent trip to Pakistan took place in March 2025, he admitted that "I have aged with Pakistan". When he took a bonsai bus from Skardu to Gilgit, he recalled that route, 7 years ago when he first went to Skardu, it took him a whole day to travel from morning to night. The road is only 200km long but it takes more than 12 hours because it takes people to build a road while waiting, just 3 hours to blast to break rocks, now it only takes 4 hours. Of the 7 trips, this road has been passed 6 times, many other sections are very old because of landslides and landslides every year.
Each person has a valuable limited time reserve, must love Pakistan as much as a Vietnamese person who spends so much time in Pakistan. 7 years of returning here 7 times, he witnessed the development and changes of Pakistan. From the first times I was asked: "Where are you from?". I replied: "Vietnam", they don't have any concept yet, now many people respond: "Oh, Vietnam, beautiful country, kind people. I also want to go to Vietnam".
Impressed by the scenery to the people
Mr. Vu once joked that "going to Northern Pakistan, you have to close your eyes or get in the car to sleep" because you see beautiful scenery everywhere, and want to stop and take photos. Every time you put up your camera, you have beautiful photos and every corner here is truly "handsome without corners".
For him, the best season is always Spring in Pakistan, even though he has admired it 3 times, he still wants to return at this time of year to explore new places. The flower season in Pakistan lasts from March to the end of April, but each region has a different "peak season" and the flowers bloom for only 3-4 days and then fade. This past spring, Mr. Vu focused on seeing flowers in the Skardu region with famous dream flower villages such as: Khaplu, Machulu, Shigar, Barah, Chunda...
The first time a group of pilots flew directly from Vietnam, he seized the opportunity and had a rare experience that no one had tried in Pakistan, which was paragliding in Karimabad, Hunza. Having walked in many places, when winding among famous high mountain peaks such as Rakaposhi, Golden Peak, Lady Finger, you can see the blue Hunza River winding below with the scene of the fortress, the thousand-year-old village from above, feeling extremely excited.
Just overcome the fear of altitude, very quickly, a few seconds after takeoff and even if the wind is stretched high, you will feel extremely relaxed, no longer afraid but just enjoy the wonderful moment.
However, nature is not the only reason why tourists are attracted. The people of Pakistan are extremely hospitable and friendly - this impression has never changed even though Mr. Vu has been to Pakistan many times and traveled to many areas from the city to the remote mountains. They are so enthusiastic that they dont know each other, meet on the street but invite you to go into the house to have milk tea, go to the apple garden, dream of giving you, sometimes proactively ask for photos and get a water fee.
After 7 years of continuously traveling to Pakistan, Mr. Vu wondered whether he was too dependent on modern life. Life here is simple, not mixed with daily dishes. For example, they drink 100% whole cow's milk, eat organic potatoes, garden fruits without pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. They live peacefully, naturally and live to be a hundred years old. I am still redefining what it means to live true to every trip to Pakistan.
