Even though he still hears gunshots at night, Nguyen Minh Nhan is not too afraid during the days when Israel is at war.
Nguyen Minh Nhan, in his 30s, returned to Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of October 11 after a trip to Israel in early October. Nhan said that in the days before Hamas soldiers attacked Israel, life here was very peaceful. Tourists and pilgrims flooded the streets.
The peace ended on the morning of October 7 when Nhan's group left the city of Bethlehem in the Palestinian region (where Jesus was born) to visit Jerusalem (where Jesus was crucified). It was then that Nhan noticed something unusual. In front of him was a line of cars lined up 1 km long waiting for their turn to go through security checks to enter Jerusalem. "For an hour, the cars barely moved a little bit," Nhan said.
Ben Gurion Airport was packed with people when Mr. Nhan arrived to check in for his flight back to Vietnam. Photo: NVCC
Faced with this situation, the tour guide decided to turn the car around to visit Jericho, a city near the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, first, and then return to Jerusalem in the afternoon. The group visited the Mount of Temptation, located 5 km from Jericho.
Leaving Mount Temptation, the Vietnamese tourist group planned to go to the Dead Sea, but the local tour guide later announced that they had to return to the hotel immediately and stop all tours according to the recommendations of the Israel Tourism Board.
"The whole group was confused," Nhan said. However, everyone cooperated and got in the car to return. On the way back to the hotel, police and military stood at the intersections leading to the West Bank of the Jordan River. Security was tightened, and the convoys continued to line up on both sides of the road, waiting for their turn to be checked.
Israeli streets are deserted during the war. Photo: NVCC
The tour guide and driver got out of the car and asked permission from the owners of the cars parked in front (who were locals) to cut in line and meet the military officer standing at the checkpoint. They explained that this was a tourist car and needed to take the passengers to the hotel for shelter, so they wanted to go first. The military officer got on the car and checked each person's passport. And despite the tense war situation, the Israeli soldiers maintained a friendly and professional attitude. "They still smiled when checking the papers," he said.
The army then cleared the road for Nhan's convoy to pass. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But it took them another two hours to get back to the hotel by going around checkpoints and through traffic jams. "We could still hear gunshots somewhere in the night," Nhan said.
Nhan's group wanted to shorten their tour and return home early. However, many flights to Israel were canceled, and there were no flights to Vietnam. In the meantime, they continued on schedule, visiting the Sea of Galilee, the largest freshwater lake in Israel and the place where Saint Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, once lived as a fisherman.
"Cities near the Gaza Strip such as Jerusalem or Tel Aviv are more or less affected, but the lake area is further away so it is still safe," Nhan said.
Sea of Galilee in Israel, when Mr. Nhan visited. Photo: NVCC
Nhan's group was scheduled to fly back to Vietnam at 10pm on October 10, but the plan was unexpectedly changed. The airline announced a 7-hour early flight, at 2:40pm. At that time, they were 180km from the airport, a 2-hour drive, so they had to "run away". "Luckily, the flight was delayed another 4 hours, so we didn't miss the flight," the male tourist said.
When he arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport, 25 km from Tel Aviv, Nhan saw a "chaotic" scene, "packed full of people". Some people argued while lining up to check in. Many tourists sat waiting at the airport because they could not buy tickets.
Nhan's group lined up according to the procedure, answered security questions, completed airline procedures, checked in their luggage, went through airport security checks, and then went to the boarding gate. Two hours later, Nhan landed at Istanbul Airport, Türkiye, and then waited another 6 hours for a connecting flight back to Vietnam. After 10 hours of flying, the group landed in Vietnam on the evening of October 11.
Despite the war, Mr. Nhan said he was "very impressed" by the Israeli army's quick response, calm and friendly attitude. "Many soldiers were very young, both male and female." In Israel, both men and women must do compulsory military service.
Although he arrived in Israel when the war broke out, Nhan said he did not feel "too insecure" although he was a bit worried. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism sent a telegram to travel companies to reassure them, explaining the war situation clearly so that tourists could understand. Israel also committed to ensuring security and helping tourists return home safely. Local travel companies "were very concerned and supportive of the Vietnamese group from arranging vehicles, hotels, and staff to assist with airport procedures". Local people were willing to give way to tourist vehicles even though they were completely congested at the time.
"I am really impressed by the way Israeli people treat tourists during the turmoil," said Nhan.
*Character names have been changed
Phuong Anh
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