ESTJ, Aquarius, B-blood type - you can tell I'm energetic yet disciplined. A rebel yet a perfectionist. An explorer yet a person who journals every day. Overall, a kind person.

I was born prematurely in February 1995, weighed 1.4 kilograms (3.08 lbs) and was put in an incubator for months. On that day, the doctor even told my family to go home and prepare a funeral because he thought the chance for me to live was rather slim. But luckily, I survived and is leading a fulfilling yet promising life.

I hail from the very old, hustle and bustle, but beautiful little city in Vietnam - Hanoi. currently pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. My world is made up by small delights, such as climbing trees, looking at architecture/interior designs, and helping people (as it says "Life is service - the one who progresses is the one who gives his/her fellow human-beings a little more, a little better service").

I dropped out of college after 2 years of studies and will be back later on. Because come what may - feel the fear and do it anyway. (:

P.s: my zodiac animal sign is a Pig - I just love eating you know.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on Couchsurfing as I believe that it's not plainly for free accommodations, but also for curious travelers to experience a local living experience, as well as for hospitable hosts to learn from different cultures and spread out their own.

Interests

After Grade 10, I took a gap year, then went to the United Kingdom for A levels (incompleted). When realizing hospitality is my long-term passion, I matriculated to Switzerland to pursue 2 years of studies there (incompleted). Now, I repatriated to little tiny Hanoi to take more gap years, explore more while preparing for my U.S. college application (yes I'm gonna obtain my Bachelor's when I'm 28 or 30).

I consider myself world-distilled since I've worked for some hotel chains like IHG, Hyatt (in Dubai); a wellness resort (in Phuket); a concierge firm (in Miami). I love learning new things and have enough curiosity to explore most random subjects since I was a kid. From blood donation, tattooing, soap-making, getting lost in the streets of Hanoi to adventurous sports, culinary arts, backpacking, non-violent communication - so on and so forth. For this reason, I’m given 'the human sponge' nickname because I have absorbed pieces from different corners of the work and every year I try to travel to one country on my birthday (fortunately, the tradition is still going strong!).

I’m passionate about anything hospitality: informal/formal talks, pigging out on street foods or ‘trendy' dishes, entrepreneurship, travel etc - you name it. I'll be launching my YouTube channel, blogging platform, and book club soon - The Hospitable Hanoian (give it a ‘LIKE’ to support me hehe).

• arts
• photography
• environment
• cooking
• sports
• volunteering
• cuisine

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz, Indie, Country; Hospitality books; creative journals. =)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Taking 4 gap years. One is after grade 10 in high school and the other three is in the NOW!

Why 3 more years? Because I need to work on my U.S. university application, and of course, enjoying different bits of life! (I'm a learning person - currently taking Improvisation Comedy & Swing Dance classes).

Teach, Learn, Share

Two simple health tips:

- A bar of chocolate helps boost your spirit (my favorite is Marou Chocolate!).

- Everyone knows the average amount of water daily for 1 person is 2 liters. To be exact, it's 0.4 liters per 10 kilograms. Let's do a quick maths, I weight 60 kilos and therefore, should drink 0.4 x 6 = 2.4 liters per day. ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

- The delicacies of Vietnam, especially Hanoi;
- A random yet cool object for you to keep (surprise!);
- A thank-you postcard (so you don't forget me and know who to look for while you are in Hanoi);
- Anything hospitality, such as my cooking ability, my laundry list of check-in & check-out (Art of Hosting) questions - so on and so forth.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam