I'm from Hanoi, Vietnam and now currently studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea - which makes me unable to host people coming to Hanoi and since I'm living in the dormitory here in Seoul, I can't host people either but am always willing to show you around - I'm confident about my Seoul experience! :)

I'm passionate about languages and have spent most of my life experimenting many forms of expressions. While I use English daily, I'm particularly invested in learning about Sinospheric languages - Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean. My Chinese friends often tell me that they have never met any foreigner speaking better Mandarin than I do, which I think is an exaggeration and also what I aspire to be (as in I want to speak Mandarin at a native level, maybe in a few years but yes, that goal is not gonna change).

I process information by reading. I just have this kind of spiritual connection with words. Be it books, stuffs on the internet, comics, novels, flyers and random street advertisements, it doesn't matter what I read, because the act of reading alone puts me at my best ease.

I'm flexible and can be at ease in almost any kind of setting, be it crowded or deserted, loud or quiet; I don't even take much personal offense by things that are supposed to make me feel so. I stick to myself, but I'm not afraid of trying new things.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to travel in a way that makes me feel as "local" as possible. I might as well skip most of the must-see tourist attractions to travel around on public transportations, see the way life goes, shop for groceries and try some typical family meals the way the locals do. I prefer making myself at home to feel embraced by the place that I travel to, so that when it's time to go, I would find it hard to leave and feel like I always have somewhere to return to.

Interests

1. Read, read and read.

2. Translating and interpreting! I just really like the feeling of looking into other people's ideas then re-narrate them with my own words in another language, everything done as fast and as naturally as possible.

3. I have a heavy taste for coffee.

4. I'm a beauty victim hahahaa. Makeup, dress-up.

• dogs
• culture
• literature
• chinese food
• japanese food
• reading
• languages
• travel
• kpop

Music, Movies, and Books

1. I listen to anything and everything; I have no particular taste in music.

2. I'm very invested in Vietnamese literature, Luu Quang Vu, Bui Giang and Nguyen Ngoc Tu to name a few. My favorite genre is nonfiction & literary criticism. I'm not really into thrillers or sci-fi, in which plots tend to be the most emphasized. I always prioritize characterization over plot, and I can get very invested in characters with good build-up even if the story is illogical or commonplace. I kinda grow up with Haruki Murakami, Ryu Murakami, Albert Camus, and recently just started to read more Chinese writers such as Mo Yan and Yu Hua.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being 100% financially independent since 19 I think...? which results from me selling my soul and all of my free time to my part-time jobs while still studying relentlessly at school, and of course not without saving up for traveling. I haven't done much in life other than that haha.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you Vietnamese (and even some heavily accented and basically crappy Mandarin Chinese if you're curious), cook you some authentic Viet cuisine, talk with you about stuffs, help you walk your dogs, take you some kinda good-looking pictures.

I have to admit I don't have a lot to offer, and I'm definitely not one of the more interesting, daring, well-travelled people out there that is gonna change anything in your life. I look forward to learn from and listen to my hosts' stories instead; I'm sorry for that. I try my best to listen and respect, and I would always appreciate my hosts for having decided to host me even though they don't have to.

I believe every encounter in our lives means something. Thank you beforehand for crossing my path, fellow couchsurfers, :)

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, Viet Nam