Cuban guy falls in love with Vietnam

At 6 a.m., Roberto was setting up his sandwich stall at the Le Duc Tho intersection in Go Vap District (Ho Chi Minh City), while his girlfriend Thanh Huyen was preparing meat sauce.

Before they had even finished setting out the food, three students came to buy it. Roberto took a knife and cut the bread lengthwise, stuffed it with meat, cucumber, and cilantro, and put it back in the oven. "The bread has to be crispy and hot to be delicious," the 32-year-old said.

Two years in Ho Chi Minh City helped the Cuban man understand Vietnamese cuisine and feel "unprecedentedly happy".

Roberto Valdes Pedroso was born in Havana and worked as a general practitioner at Manuel Fajardo Hospital. His job was stable, but the 8-hour daily routine in the hospital left him feeling bored and disoriented.

Covid-19 was the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the young man to have a mental crisis.

"The world is so big and life is so short," Roberto told his mother about his intention to find opportunities in another country. In winter 2021, he left Cuba for Russia to work as a customer service representative.

However, the boy who grew up in the tropical climate of Cuba could not adapt to the cold of Russia. After work, Roberto just went home to cook, lonely, without friends. One winter day in early 2022, he decided to find another country to live. Vietnam was the first name that came to mind.

"When I was in Cuba, everyone talked about friendship with Vietnam," he said. "It gave me a clear picture of a country with warm climate and people."

Roberto landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport on the occasion of Lunar New Year 2022. As soon as he stepped out of the arrival hall, he was surprised to see dozens of families holding signs waiting for their loved ones. They wrote their names on the boards so they could easily identify each other. This made him very emotional because in Cuba, children who are away from their families do not need to call in advance to let them know they are returning.

"I find that sweet," he said.

Following the advice of a friend, Roberto chose to rent a room in District 12, where there are few foreigners, to experience the most local culture.

The appearance of the muscular Cuban man quickly attracted the attention of the people. There was no distance, discrimination or coldness from the neighbors. On the contrary, Roberto was warmly welcomed.

Passing by a house where dozens of people were drinking, he was waved in by them. He was surprised by the stranger's request but sat down with them.

After a few greetings, they found out he was from Cuba so they high-fived him and said "good friend" several times. They also turned on karaoke and invited him to sing along, the party lasted until late at night.

"It was an experience I had never had before in my life," he said. "My psychological problems were healed."

Roberto still remembers that in other countries, when he sat on the bus, the seat next to him was always empty. People chose to stand the whole trip because they didn't want to sit next to a person of color like him. But in Vietnam, no one cared about skin color. They admired Roberto's tattoo on his arm and asked to take pictures with him.

After a few weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, he realized that this is a "food paradise". Whether in the suburbs or the center, restaurants are still open very late. They have a night market with hundreds of delicious dishes and cheap seafood.

It was also through wandering the alleys that Roberto met his girlfriend, one of the most important reasons that kept him in Vietnam. They met through asking for directions, the Cuban guy was impressed by the friendliness and enthusiasm of Thanh Huyen, 34 years old, a restaurant manager.

Four months later, Roberto moved in with Huyen's family in District 12. He applied for a job as a waiter in the "Western Quarter" of Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City with the advantage of speaking three foreign languages: English, Spanish and French.

The Cuban man was not used to manual labor and often trembled when carrying food, so his girlfriend was the one who guided him from the beginning. Huyen showed him how to walk, smile and chat with customers. "At first, I was very nervous because there were too many rules," he said.

However, his job brought him into contact with many Vietnamese people, and Roberto realized that they were the most generous customers. They often gave him tips and asked how he was doing.Where are you from? Why do you live here? How many people are in your family?Sometimes,Roberto gets hugs or handshakes when people find out he is Cuban.

In the process of understanding the Vietnamese character traits, he liked the phrase "hoan nan co nhau" or "tinh nghia" the most. That was what Huyen always told him, but it was proven one afternoon in mid-2023, when he got food poisoning. The young man kept vomiting, had a stomachache, and his girlfriend was the one who was by his side, taking care of him with every pill and glass of water.

"No one has done this except my mother," he said.

That's why when Huyen underwent surgery for an ovarian cyst in September, he was the one who waited for her for four hours at the hospital door. He cooked and brought her food to the hospital.

When he goes out, Roberto is also reminded to put down his bike's kickstand, be careful of his phone or strangers who are willing to take him to the address he needs to find. "My girlfriend tells me to do good first and you will receive it in many ways," he said.

In early October, they opened a sandwich stand in Go Vap District because of their shared love for the dish. They sell for two hours every morning, at the same time as students from a nearby school go to school. Roberto usually returns home, rests, and then travels 12 kilometers to Thu Duc City in time for his evening shift.

"Life is busier than when I was in Cuba, but Vietnam makes me happier," he said.

The young man loved watching the students sitting on tiny stools eating sandwiches or becoming friends with the pho and coffee vendors nearby. They helped him keep the sandwich stall’s belongings for free.

In mid-November, Roberto sent his mother a video of him selling bread at a crossroads, which surprised her.

"She said I sell like a Vietnamese person," he said. "But in reality, I consider this my second home."