[ELLE Voice] Gap year is a trade-off for time and opportunity

Quynh Anh has had memorable Gap year experiences, can you share with ELLE readers?

After graduating from college, I went on a 3-month Gap year trip, going through 5 countries: Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

That year I was one of 25 Vietnamese students selected to participate in the cultural exchange program in Japan (JENESYS – batch Journalism).

ELLE Voice

[ELLE Voice] Gap Year – Experience is life’s luggage

After returning home to celebrate Tet with my family for 2 days, I brought my backpack and set off to the next locations.

Because the costs are very small and the ambition is relatively great, I have to find every way to cut down as much as possible.

It’s been an interesting journey, but why did you decide to go on a Gap year?

Many seniors often whisper to me about adult life and the `dilemma` (tragedy): when they were young, they wanted to travel and experience, had energy and health but did not have money or time.

Many people misunderstand that a Gap year means having to go somewhere far away, for a long time, going abroad or having to go for a whole year to be a Gap year.

Another reason why I am interested in Gap year is because the 4 years of college were quite rough.

• Graduating from the Faculty of Journalism and Communications, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Quynh Anh worked in the field of media and entertainment for about 5 years (from 2013 to 2017).

Tourism

Find some peace in Hoi An

What difficulties have you experienced?

The biggest difficulty for me is probably the $1,000 cost.

The second difficulty was that for most of the trip, I traveled alone.

Perhaps Gap year must mean a lot to you?

The gap year is probably the best thing I’ve done, and the best memory of my 20s up until this moment.

After the trip, for me, the value of money becomes smaller and inversely proportional to the value of experience.

Photo: Alberto Frias/Unsplash

Gap years are very popular in the West, but are still strange in Vietnam.

I think there are two main reasons.

I see that most of you in Vietnam still live with your parents, it is not common to have to be independent and live in a far away place for a relatively long time.

Tourism

Travel to Vietnam: Where should people who love tranquility go?

Second, Gap year is a trade-off in time and opportunity.

Photo: Kinga Cichewicz/Unsplash

So in your opinion, is a gap year really necessary for young people?

I don’t think it’s `necessary` for young people to take a Gap year, because as I feel, a Gap year is not for everyone.

Is there any comparison between Vietnamese and foreign young people on the Gap year journey?

Westerners gap year very early.