While visiting the Tam Coc-Bich Dong tourism site in Ninh Binh Province with friends on May 3, Thuy Tran from Nam Dinh Ward unexpectedly encountered two foreign visitors boarding boats at the same time.
The pair quickly attracted attention from nearby tourists thanks to their striking appearance and calm, polite demeanour. Although they were not on the same boat, the two men smiled and waved warmly after noticing Thuy filming them on her phone.
“I did not have a chance to speak with them directly, but I was very impressed. They were both tall and looked like models,” she said.
After posting the clip on her personal social media page as a keepsake, Thuy was surprised when the video rapidly gained traction and approached one million views.
The footage captured the two men in suits travelling by boat along the Ngo Dong River, passing limestone mountains and rice fields characteristic of the Ninh Binh landscape.
Many viewers quickly recognised the pair from previous viral videos filmed in Vietnam.
The two men were identified as Michael Kolkowski from Poland and Andrew Royce from the United States. Both are 27 years old and work as models and content creators.
Before appearing in Ninh Binh, the pair drew widespread attention among Vietnamese social media users in late March with a cinematic video filmed in Cao Bang Province.
Styled with the atmosphere of past decades, the Cao Bang footage featured carefully edited colour grading, composed shots and slow pacing, giving viewers the feeling of watching a classic film.
Distinctly Vietnamese imagery appeared throughout the video, including buffaloes, grassy fields and familiar rural scenery. Famous landmarks in Cao Bang such as Thung Mountain, Phat Tich Pagoda and Ban Gioc Waterfall were also prominently featured.
The video has reportedly attracted more than 10 million views across social media platforms.
Michael and Andrew’s recent appearance in Ninh Binh has fuelled hopes among young Vietnamese audiences that the pair will continue producing visually rich travel films in Vietnam, helping promote the country’s tourism image to international viewers.
