Pia Muehlenbeck’s 1.9
million-strong audience
follows her travelling
adventures with partner
and photographer
Kane Vato.154 COSMOPOLITAN SEPTEMBER 2017
THE
NATURAL EXOTIC
INSTAGRAM SENSATION PIA MUEHLENBECK (@PIAMUEHLENBECK) DISCOVERS
THE MANY HIDDEN TREASURES OF VIETNAM WITH CONTIKIVietnam is an incredibly
natural and exotic location
filled with buzzing cities and
relaxing beachside escapes.
Travelling to Vietnam offers
up a bit of everything! From
the busy streets of Ho Chi
Minh to the breathtaking
islands in Halong Bay, the
contrast in the landscape and
experience is incredible. If
you’re curious about soaking
up another culture, it’s the
perfect place – a destination
filled with adventure! The
mix of breathtaking natural
beauty, intriguing history and
a touch of beachside relaxationmakes this unique locale a
fantastic place to escape to.
It’s quite a culture shock,
I think, especially coming
from Australia. You really
have to be open-minded and
appreciate the attitude of all
the people there.
Vietnamese people are so
happy, friendly and chilled out.
Everyone lives quite naturally,
which is amazing to see. We
travelled to a house in the
Mekong Delta and experienced
traditional life – they were
making all their own food
from scratch. It’s an absolutely
beautiful location, filled with
f loating markets and villages
surrounded by rice paddies.
There is quite a lot of localindustry and a lot is produced
within the country rather than
imported. They appreciate
their own craft and the act of
creating, which really comes
through in their lifestyle as
everyone has something they
can contribute.
Drenched in culture and
history, Vietnam is a country
where you can see the effects
and remnants of war. Despite
the conf lict ending more than
40 years ago, their culture is
really built around it. You can
see how it’s affected the local
way of life. The Vietnamese
people are so happy without‘ It really isn’t just a
pla ce to relax on the
bea ch; it ’s filled with
local culture to soak up ’
Vi e tn a m
154 COSMOPOLITAN SEPTEMBER 2017