Hey there ! My name is Minh, I was born in Vietnam and grew up mainly in France. Both cultures are part of me and I now consider that to be one of my biggest strengths.

I would say that I'm easygoing, curious, an explorer at heart. I love sharing with people, laughing a lot, being adventurous, spontaneous and a little reckless.
Lately I've been trying to challenge myself and do things that frighten me a bit : The "getting out of my comfort zone" sort of things. If you can suggest me any activity that involves adrenaline, I'm all up for it !

I value kindness and empathy, and tend to dislike self-centered people. I often remind myself that everyone I meet is fighting a battle I know nothing about.

I'm 25 and have travelled a lot, on 3 different continents. Although it seems almost normal especially on a network like CS, I'm grateful because I'm aware that it's a great chance and a privilege to do so. In 2017 I only had to work 6 months in Paris to afford a 6 months trip across Central America ; many hard-working people on earth will never be able to afford a single trip outside their country. That's the kind of realization that makes me want to make a change. How ? I'm still trying to figure it out.

For now I act as an activist for social and environmental justice. In 2018 I co-founded an environmental NGO to raise awareness on ecological issues. I recently started to help migrants and refugees coming to seek aid and support.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I can't believe it's been already 7 years since the first time I was hosted and went on my first roadtrip across a country. I was 19 ! Back then, I instantly fell in love with the concept : it's such an easy and handy way of finding new interesting and colourful people to meet, travelling and discovering another place "from the inside". I've only had positive experiences sofar... especially when I was in Central America in 2017 : that's why you'll see a lot of spanish references from my hosts :)
I also hosted a few people in Berlin, Lyon, Paris and Lima.

Interests

All kinds of art but mostly drawing, painting and cinema.

I've always been a city person but I love outdoor activities like hiking and trekking. I am a diver and since I was certified I fell in love with the underwater world. I now would like to learn freediving, which seems so challenging. The ocean fascinates me and makes me want to protect it so badly.

In the city, during night I like having drinks while listening to live music, going to techno clubs and dancing until morning ; during day I enjoy museums and drawing random things on the street.

Of course what I love most is travelling, it's something that allows me to combine every thing that I have just mentioned... However, I now try to travel in a responsible way (not flying, slow travelling, etc...). There's diving in another culture and space, and then there's just being a plain tourist and I've never liked the latter.

• sketching
• meditation
• drawing
• hiking
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• art
• permaculture
• freediving
• environmental justice
• slow travel
• scubadiving
• alternative living
• ocean conservation
• volcano climbing

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES : I'm a huge fan of cinema, trying to extend my knowledge of the subject and watch more artsy, less known movies, some documentaries...but as for classical stuff :
Film makers I love= Kubrick, Lynch, Capra, Elia Kazan, Emir Kusturica, Darren Aronovsky, Kurosawa, Lars Von Trier, Fellini... My favourite movie is the Japanese film The tale of princess Kaguya. So pure and beautiful.

MUSIC : I'm mostly into rock, electronic and instrumental musics, dreamlike melodies, but i'm open to all styles except a lot of pop music and frenetic hardcore styles.

BOOKS : Favourite classical authors: Jack London, Kafka, Albert Camus, Dostoïevsky, Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred de Musset. Alain Damasio was a huge revelation for me the past year. The star rover and Mrs Dalloway are my favourite books. Another is the estonian classic "The Man Who Spoke Snakish" - trust me, it's just mind blowing.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I jumped off a 39 meters cliff once.
I travelled alone for 6 months in Central America when I was 22 which changed me for the best.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can maybe teach you one of the languages I speak, or stuff related to science or to the countries I've lived in/visited. I can teach you to draw, share my point of view on a topic, anything. I read a lot about everything related to ecology and am knowledgeable about climate change and other environmental issues.
I love debating and am always happy to meet someone who doesn't share my opinions. I believe it's important to unlearn sometimes to learn once again.

So : I want to learn about everything. Science, philosophy, history, spirituality... I've been trying to learn meditation because I'm often really overwhelmed by my own emotions. I'm a kind of sponge, I tend to absorb others' sufferings, so you can imagine how it makes me feel :) if you're good at meditation please teach me some.

Other than that, everything you know or believe is valuable, so please share it with me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Everything I know.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Peru, Viet Nam