Taught by Thanh

'We don’t cry when our parents pass away. Tears are all about regret. Regret for not spending enough time with them. Regret for not telling them how much you love them. We make every second count: we spend all our time with our families and we constantly tell them how much they mean to us. When our parents pass, we should have no regrets.'

Thanh was a witty and wise, family-oriented Vietnamese Buddhist and we were lucky enough to enjoy his company as our tour guide. He was a kind-hearted fellow, and I was quick to befriend him. Although he spoke English well, he was always a little unsure of himself. He’d send questioning glances my way, awaiting my inevitable nods of comprehension before continuing to entertain and intrigue everyone.

He regaled us with stories about life in Vietnam and taught us clever dating tricks. He joked about there being crocodiles in the Mekong and started singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ whilst on the bow of the boat, arms outstretched. He gave the last of his money to a homeless man and then invited us all into his home.

During the last few hours of our trip with Thanh, we headed to a Buddhist pagoda situated on Sam Mountain. We all grudgingly plodded up the plethora of stairs while Thanh happily strolled his way up. At the top we were greeted by serenity. In front of us were peaceful pagodas, made from rich red materials with delicate designs. Beside us was a pond, surrounded by greenery and little white statues of Buddha. Turning around, we could see the vast expanse of flat fertile terrain laid out below. Beyond a seemingly infinite row of tall pines we could also see the Cambodian border. The sun was low in the sky and bathed us and the entire landscape an incandescent golden light.

It was in this other-worldly setting that Thanh explained to us the Buddhist way of life. 'We should not worry, and then we can all have happy lives.' 'We love ourselves when we should love each other instead.' 'We don’t know the future, so we should be thankful every day.'

Thanh taught me more about the Vietnamese and their culture in four days than I had learnt during my entire journey. But most of all, he taught me what it really means to love your family, to love others, and to love life. 'No regrets.'