Vietnamese tourists visit a tribe that lives like primitive times: They don't bathe their whole lives.

(Dan Tri) - During his journey to explore Africa, the Vietnamese man was both surprised and amazed when he had the opportunity to meet people from many tribes, including the Hamar people with the custom of not bathing after marriage.

Starting from the first cross-Vietnam cycling trip in 2014, the passion for discovery was ignited in Le Kha Giap, a young man born in 1994 from Hai Duong.

To have the funds to experience many trips, Giap is not afraid of any job, from trying to build a small bakery, to filming and recording moments of his journey and becoming a travel blogger.

Mr. Giap took a photo with the Karo people, a tribe of only about 1,500 people left (Photo: NVCC).

Going against the majority, the destinations of the Hai Duong guy are not too popular with tourists with many available amenities, Giap chose Africa to experience. The land and people here are still wild, there are many new things that make him absorbed in exploring, not afraid of getting bored after just a few days.

During his journey to explore Africa, coming into contact with many tribes in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia brought him many special emotions.

Bodi tribe boys compete to see who is the fattest on New Year's Day (Photo: NVCC).

"The tribes here still live in a primitive way like in ancient times, almost rejecting human civilized society. Like the Mursi tribe, they have a very strange beauty custom of cutting their lips and stuffing a very large plate into their mouth. Outsiders may find it strange, but it is a very unique cultural feature," Giap recalled.

And with the Hamar tribe, where people almost never bathe their entire lives, Vietnamese tourists are surprised time and time again.

The Hamar people live isolated from the outside world (Photo: NVCC).

Hamar girls are topless when interacting with strangers. After marriage, they hardly bathe or wash their hair, but "keep clean" by applying clay all over their bodies and plastering their hair. After marriage, couples are bound to each other for life, there is no "breaking up" like in modern society.

To survive, people live by taking care of livestock and cattle. They hunt and gather, while women collect firewood, find fresh water for cooking and take care of children.

The Hamar are also the only tribe in the Omo Valley who build their houses in a “two-story” style, with the upper floor used for living. The main building materials are clay, straw and cow dung. And the houses here are all built in the same style, from size to style because no one wants to be different from the people around.

Girls in the Hamar tribe do not bathe (Photo: NVCC).

In the "no bathing" tribe, the Vietnamese visitor found life to be full of hardships. But he realized that if he looked at it from a different perspective, everything would be easier.

"They don't know about time and don't care about it. Hamar people are happy just living today and having enough to eat. They don't think about distant things like food, clothing, and money, or are burdened by the burden of career and fame like most people in the modern world. Therefore, when interacting with them, visitors will clearly feel their innocence and joy," Giap commented.

To thank the locals for his time there, Giap bought them a goat. He planned to cook a meal together. But the "very different" way of cooking made him give up.

A Hamar baby puts food in a jar to prepare dinner (Photo: NVCC).

And despite visiting some of the world’s most difficult regions, travel costs are not cheap. A 10-day trip to the Omo Valley cost a Vietnamese tourist around $150 a day (VND3.5 million).

"Many places in Africa are even as expensive as in Europe. For example, in Burundi, the poorest country in the world, a fried fish costs about 400,000 VND, while in Vietnam it would cost at most 80,000 VND. Meanwhile, people only earn about 20 USD/month. They have to save that money to feed their whole family. Similarly, the cost of living in Ethiopia or Kenya is expensive," Giap revealed.

Giap brought a tent to stay overnight at the tribes he visited (Photo: NVCC).

Besides, the Vietnamese tourist noted that if you travel to big cities in Africa, there is no problem, but if you go deep into unfamiliar areas, danger can strike at any time.

"When I arrived in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, I met a new French friend who told me about going deeper into the Mursi tribe and being stopped by a group of armed robbers. They were robbed of everything, from passports to phones and money," he said.

Close-up of a meal of the Mursi tribe made from cassava and mashed corn (Photo: NVCC).

Regarding visa application, most of the time, Giap applies online and directly at the border gate without encountering any difficulties. As for hotel rooms, he books them wherever he goes. Almost every city has motels and lodgings.

Girls of the Mursi tribe (Photo: NVCC).

"I just turned 29 not long ago. While I am still healthy, I still want to continue experiencing the world. On the way, I always capture the most authentic moments to share with viewers," the Hai Duong boy confided.

Dantri.com.vn