Lao international students gave up their American scholarships to go to Vietnam to explore culture

Having won scholarships to universities in the US, Singapore, China... but Maysa is determined to go to Vietnam. Currently, she regularly makes clips sharing about the culture of the two countries Vietnam - Laos, making many people excited.

Surfing around on social media, you will come across short clips of a g.irl who speaks Vietnamese "poorly" but is very knowledgeable about Vietnamese culture and cuisine. She is willing to go to shops to try sidewalk snacks, wear ao dai to take Tet photos... Along with that, there are clips sharing about Laotian culture that make netizens extremely excited.

That g.irl is Maysa Phanthaboouasy (born 2001), Vietnamese name is May, born and raised in Laos, currently a senior student, Quang Ninh University of Industry, Quang Ninh province. She is an international student in Laos, living in Vietnam for 5 years. May's TikTok channel (@maysaa.ptbs) attracted 760 thousand followers and 13 million likes thanks to interesting clips about Vietnamese and Lao culture through the perspective of an international student.

Sharing with the media about the reason for choosing to study abroad, Maysa said: "When I was young, I heard my parents talk a lot about Vietnam. Some of my relatives also came here to study, so when I had information When I was told I had won the scholarship, I agreed immediately.

Receiving scholarships from the US, China, and Hungary, I didn't take much time to think and make the final choice. Simply because Vietnam always has a special place in my heart.

Vietnam and Laos have a close relationship with each other, so I came here to study like I was at a relative's house. My parents also feel secure and absolutely confident."

In October 2019 Maysa went to Vietnam to start her journey of learning Vietnamese. After about 1 year, Maysa was able to confidently communicate in Vietnamese with her friends.

Maysa confided that the thing that made her feel the most difficult when coming to Vietnam was communicating with teachers and friends. Vietnamese is very rich and diverse in usage. She was impressed with the proverb "Winds and storms are not equal to Vietnamese grammar". It took Maysa a long time to learn Vietnamese. Now Maysa understands this saying very deeply. .

Maysa was lucky to receive help from teachers and friends to quickly perfect her soft skills so she could keep up with life in Vietnam. The journey of living and studying in Vietnam is not easy. There was a long time when Maysa had to eat instant noodles because it did not match the taste of Vietnamese food, specifically in Laos, the food is very spicy, salty, and rich. That spice was also the reason why she lost weight during her first stay in Vietnam.

In order to quickly learn Vietnamese and keep up with life in Vietnam, Maysa made friends with many Vietnamese people and tried to talk to them.

This is also the secret for Maysa to gain more skills in using Vietnamese. The more Maysa learns, the more she loves Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture. That's why she has videos on social networks introducing and promoting Vietnamese culture and has attracted millions of views.

While studying, May often shares the interesting things she feels while living in Vietnam with Lao youth, and introduces the unique culture of Lao people to Vietnam as well as many other countries. .

May is not afraid to go to sidewalk shops to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine, visiting many places in the S-shaped country. May shared that before going to Vietnam to study abroad, she researched and loved the history. Vietnamese history and culture. So she chose to study in Vietnam instead of going to the US, Singapore, Hungary...

Without introducing famous tourist destinations in Vietnam, May shares clips when visiting historical relics such as: Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison, Long Bien Bridge, Uncle Ho's Mausoleum... And I wish to one day go to Nghe An, visit Uncle Ho's hometown.

From clips filmed aimlessly on social networks, May began to receive more attention from people. May focuses on creating content that explores the culture of Vietnam - Laos and the connection between the two countries. From daily activities and communication with friends in Vietnam has helped May have more ideas to build her personal page. The Vietnamese - Lao cultural features were introduced by May in a "silly" Vietnamese tone, gradually people knew and loved May more.