Foreign Traveler Causes Buzz After Trying to Fly Home with a Traditional Vietnamese Broom

A foreign traveler leaving Ho Chi Minh City became an unexpected social media sensation after attempting to bring a traditional Vietnamese broom onto an international flight. The simple everyday household item, known locally as a chổi đót, drew amused reactions online after he decided to leave it behind at the check in counter.

The moment was captured by a Vietnamese passenger named Sinh, who was waiting at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport terminal. He noticed the traveler holding the straw broom tightly in one arm while preparing for departure.

Why the broom could not go onboard

Ground staff advised the traveler that the broom needed to be wrapped and checked as luggage because it was too bulky for carry on. For unknown reasons, the visitor changed his mind and left the broom at the counter instead of checking it.

Sinh took a photo of the scene and posted it online. It quickly attracted thousands of reactions, with many Vietnamese amused by the idea of a foreign visitor trying to fly home with a humble domestic cleaning tool.

According to local tour guides, foreign travelers often buy traditional items such as straw brooms, coconut leaf brooms, bamboo chopsticks and handmade household goods. One guide in Ho Chi Minh City recalled a French guest who bought a coconut leaf broom while visiting the Mekong Delta. He used it at home because he found it both practical and charming.

The broom cost only forty thousand Vietnamese dong during the tour. For many tourists, watching artisans produce these tools by hand is a memorable part of discovering rural Vietnam. Such craft traditions are maintained by only a few remaining families and provide a small but steady source of income.

In Europe, these brooms are rarely sold. If ordered online, they can cost up to thirty United States dollars each. That price explains why some visitors try to take them home as unique souvenirs.

Not the first time a curious Vietnamese item turned heads at an airport

The broom incident reminds many Vietnamese of another viral airport moment. Several years ago, a Mexican tourist named Arnaud Zein El Din brought a colorful papier mâché horse to the check in counter at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

He had purchased it for one hundred thousand Vietnamese dong simply because he found it beautiful. Only later did he learn that it was a ceremonial votive item used in spiritual offerings.

Security staff allowed him to pass the check in counter and the security checkpoint. However, airline staff refused to let the paper horse travel in the cabin, so he had to leave it behind.

Although the traveler at Tan Son Nhat did not bring his Vietnamese broom home, the story has delighted readers and highlighted something many visitors appreciate about Vietnam. Everyday objects, crafted by hand and rich with cultural character, often become the most meaningful souvenirs.

These unexpected airport encounters continue to showcase the curiosity, humor and cultural fascination that make travel in Vietnam unforgettable for both locals and visitors.