Arnaud Zein El Din, 44, arrived in Hanoi in early July and collected representative objects from Vietnam, including a joss paper horse, and took them home.
Unfortunately, his flight operator refused to let him take the paper horse with him on the plane, claiming it was over the allowed baggage size. When the news broke, locals sympathized so much with the man and his love for traditional Vietnamese culture that they banded together to buy him a new one and send it to him as a gift overseas.
Son Dang, an architect in Hanoi, had the idea of looking for a paper horse similar to the one bought by the Mexican Zein El Din and sending it to him by post.
He shared the idea with some friends of his and posted it on his Facebook account asking for donations. The group of friends received 1.8 million VND (about $76) from donors, and Son added another 2.2 million VND to cover shipping costs. The process took four days.
Son and his friends searched all over Hanoi but couldn’t find a horse that looked exactly like Zein El Din’s likeness. They had to reach out to joss paper mills in Thuong Tin district, on the outskirts of Hanoi, and neighboring Bac Ninh province.
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Zein El Din carrying the paper horse at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on August 3, 2023. Photo from Son Dang’s Facebook |
They found several similar horses there, but all of them were too big to be delivered to Zein El Din. So Son bought a smaller but more sophisticated horse and texted Zein El Din asking for his delivery address.
The horse was then sent to the courier service and should be delivered to Zein El Din in 7-10 days.
Responding to Son’s messages, Zein El Din said he was amazed by the impact of the footage of him carrying the horse through the airport. He revealed that he had received many messages from strangers, offering to send him gifts.
“The horse that Son bought looks brighter and more sophisticated [than the one I had]. I am touched by the love I have received from the Vietnamese,” said Zein El Din.
“There are not only beautiful landscapes, but also beautiful and kind hearts in Vietnam.”
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Things that Zein El Din collected in Vietnam. Facebook photo of Zein El Din |
love from vietnam
Arnaud Zein El Din arrived in Hanoi in early July, beginning a three-week journey through Vietnam. He was attracted to Vietnamese culture during his stay in the country, so he decided to collect representative objects and bring them home.
His collection eventually included things like a fluffy helmet, a traditional bamboo water pipe, a sedge mat, a mask, a glass cup, a broom, various other handmade items, and a joss paper horse.
Among these things, Zein El Din liked the paper horse the most. He was very impressed with the design and the patterns printed on it.
“I didn’t even know the paper horse was supposed to be burned as an offering to the deceased, I just considered it a fancy handicraft,” Zein El Din said. “But it’s a great ritual and I felt bad having to leave it at the airport.”
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The paper horse that Son and his friends bought after searching Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Son |
Zein El Din said his trip to Vietnam was “awesome” and he made the right decision by extending the trip from 10 to 21 days.
The Mexican man has explored every corner of the capital and had many unique experiences. He tried swimming naked at the Red River, attended a trance ceremony, drank with the locals, and enjoyed various delicacies including sidewalk coffee, cold beer, bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli), cha ca La Vong (fried fish pan) and banh cuon (steamed rice rolls).
“I think I’m Vietnamese sometimes, because I quickly adapted to crossing the roads, I liked hearing the sounds of the streets and watching the crowd of people driving their motorbikes,” said Zein El Din.
Zein El Din plans to create a digital museum showcasing his personal collection of handmade objects. He said he would return to Vietnam, as he left a part of his heart in “the beautiful country”.
