Coming to Vietnam, staying forever and not wanting to go back
At 6am, the "toad" sandwich shop of the couple Thanh Huyen (34 years old, living in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) and Robert Valdes Pedroso (32 years old, Cuban nationality) had just opened for sale, but customers were already waiting around.
While his girlfriend was busy cutting the bread, putting in the ingredients and re-baking the bread, Robert was in charge of collecting the money. Having been in Ho Chi Minh City for more than a year, Robert was still confused with Vietnamese currency and sometimes paid the wrong amount to customers. When his girlfriend reminded him, he scratched his head, smiled shyly and said: "Sorry".
The Cuban man is still not fluent in Vietnamese but he can manage to mumble a few simple sentences. He especially remembers and pronounces correctly the names of his favorite dishes in this Southeast Asian country.
Robert's hometown is the capital Havana (Cuba). Once a general practitioner at Manuel Fajardo Hospital, the young man quickly had a stable life. However, because of his adventurous and exploratory personality, in 2021, Robert told his mother that he would move to another country to live and find new opportunities.
The young man went to Russia to work for about a year, but gradually felt that this country was not suitable for him. Remembering what his mother told him and what his friends shared, he thought of Vietnam, a country close to Cuba. “It is a beautiful country, with a warm climate and people,” Robert recalled.
No sooner said than done, the Cuban man immediately packed his luggage and boarded a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. The first time he set foot here, Robert was impressed with the lifestyle, traffic, people and cuisine. The people he met were all very friendly and treated him well.
“One of my favorite things about Vietnam is the amusement parks. Tet is also very interesting because there are many festival activities,” Robert shared.
When he first arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, the young man planned to stay for a while and then move to Da Nang. However, a fateful meeting with a Vietnamese girl made him decide to stay for a long time.
The Will of Vietnamese Women
During a walk, Robert met Thanh Huyen and asked her for directions. Impressed by each other's appearance and straightforward, humorous personality, the couple quickly kept in touch and dated after a week of getting to know each other.
“I was surprised by the strength and endurance of Vietnamese women. They are very hard-working, working long hours no less than men. That is one of the things I admire the most,” the Cuban man exclaimed. His tourist visa only lasted 3 months, so Robert had to rush to renew it to be with Huyen longer.
In October, Thanh Huyen started her bread business, and Robert regularly helped his girlfriend. Every day, the couple woke up at 4am to prepare the ingredients. At 6am, they both took the bread out to sell and worked until 9am before going home to rest.
Around 1-2pm, the two continue to work for two different restaurants. Robert is a customer service staff, and Thanh Huyen is a manager. The work is hard, they have to work until midnight, but the couple is always happy.
Thanh Huyen shared that she had started her own business many times before, but unexpected events and lack of experience caused her business to fail. Her savings dwindled and she had to rely on her mother for support, and she always felt guilty.
Therefore, Huyen tries her best to fulfill her passion for starting a business and changing her family life. She considers the 15-hour workday schedule to be no problem, because she still has many things to take care of.
Each loaf of bread costs 25,000 VND. They regularly sell 30 loaves a day, striving to reach 50 loaves a day in the future.
In addition to sales profits, Thanh Huyen still does many other jobs to nurture her passion for starting a business.
“Because I am young, I see difficulties as something that makes me try harder, and Robert thinks the same way. Finding someone who sympathizes and understands, and has the same entrepreneurial aspirations, makes me very happy,” Huyen confided.
About 3 months before starting her business, Huyen had just left the emergency room after ovarian cyst surgery. Robert was the one who was by her side taking care of her.
Thanks to the encouragement of her Cuban boyfriend, along with her great motivation and passion for entrepreneurship, Ms. Huyen was given more strength to fulfill her dream. The couple is also in the process of registering their marriage, waiting for the day they live together.
Nguyen Vy - Phan Hang
Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/nguong-mo-co-gai-viet-chang-trai-cuba-o-lai-tphcm-phu-ban-banh-mi-20241121141014755.htm
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