Italian-Vietnamese guy wants to find a way to help his homeland attract tourists

"My name is a combination of the names of two countries," Phan Ngoc Y Nam introduced himself proudly as being of Vietnamese origin.

Y Nam wants to contribute to attracting more foreign tourists to Vietnam. Photo: NVCC.

At a glance,Male,23 years old, not having many Vietnamese features, but looking more like Korean or Japanese. When hearing such comments, Nam smiled and said "many people say that, but wherever I go, I introduce myself as 100% Vietnamese".

Nam is currently working as an intern at the Italian Embassy in Vietnam. In September, he will study Vietnamese at Hanoi University, under an exchange program with the University of Venice.This is the 6th time Nam has returned to Vietnam and also the first time he has been "completely free" without his family.

"Before, when I met people from the North, I couldn't understand anything because my parents only spoke with a Da Nang accent. But now I'm used to it," Nam said happily, starting the conversation.

With a fairly good command of Vietnamese, Nam said he was born in Friuli, a small village in Venice, northern Italy. This area has a population of only about2,000 people andThere are very few Vietnamese people. Nam's parents said that his grandfather decided to stay here in 1979, after attending a wedding because he loved the place so much. He then brought his whole family, including his uncles and aunts. Nam's father currently works for an eyeglass manufacturing company, and his mother runs a bakery at home.

Growing up with Italian friends,Nam sometimes "isn't sure he's Vietnamese". But that feeling quickly disappears.

"There were things I couldn't explain at first, like my thoughts and beliefs were different from my peers. But when I talked to my parents and family members, I felt sympathy. At that time, I felt very secure," Nam shared.

Compared to you, a Westerner, Nam finds himself ""a bit more conservative." He gave examples like having to wait for the elderly when sitting at the dinner table, and seeing men and women showing affection on the street "feels uncomfortable."

But most of all, Nam enjoys his family time alone, when his parents require "only Vietnamese, no Italian" in the house.Perhaps that partly helps Nam develop his talent for languages.He can currently speak English, German, Korean and Chinese.

"There's nothing better than coming back to Vietnam to practice. Vietnamese is not difficult, it's mainly about pronunciation. But the important thing is that you have to like it," Nam said.

Before, Nam often had to mix in Italian in a sentence because he didn't know many Vietnamese words, especially difficult ones. Now he is proud that "his level is very high", much higher than his younger sister at home.

Coming back to Vietnam, the young man was also delighted to know many delicious dishes, especially the "original" taste of Bun Bo Hue, a dish that Nam's mother used to prepare, with spaghetti as the ingredient because there were no vermicelli noodles. Nam's favorite dishes are Banh Xeo, Banh Bot Loc and Bun Cha.

Recalling the first time his parents brought him to Da Nang at the age of 6, Nam still remembers the affection his paternal family had for him. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins ​​were all close and asked after him. Nam also received many lucky money envelopes during Tet that year.

The young man came to Hanoi two years ago and found the city beautiful, friendly, and especially had lots of delicious and cheap food.Gradually, Nam and his friends went to many scenic spots, backpacking to the Northwest, Sapa, Moc Chau, to Ha Long, Ninh Binh, down to Hue, Hoi An, the West. Through these trips, he got to know many friends who were of Vietnamese origin born in other countries.

Nam’s passion for destinations in his homeland grew every day. He also curiously learned about Vietnam on travel websites for foreign visitors. After a while, Nam was surprised to see some young peopleleave a comment saying "just come to Vietnam for information". Although VietnamThere are many famous historical sites and attractions, but many peoplecome without knowing the meaning of the place.

"In the Cu Chi tunnels, there were people who came to look around, then raised their hands and shot guns at each other. They didn't understand what was happening in that tunnel, what it meant in the Vietnam War," Nam said, unable to hide his disappointment.

That made Nam think, then he decided to choose this problem to do.my master's thesisThe topic is to survey how foreigners visit historical sites in Vietnam.

Holding the book "Vietnam War" by author Mitchell Hall, Nam said he will look for other books on this topic. Then he will go to the actual locations, first of all cDien Bien Phu stronghold and the 17th parallel.

"I want to find out why some young foreigners do not have much impression after coming to Vietnam.For Italians, only people over 50 years old know about Vietnam, while the younger generation hardly knows. But I'm sure there are many interesting things that they don't know how to discover yet," Nam said.

Y Nam with his parents and younger sister. Photo: NVCC.

According to VNE