Amidst the bustling crowd along the Champs-Élysées, I, a Vietnamese exchange student who had just arrived, felt small and invisible. I was lost, my phone was about to die, and the biting December cold seemed to freeze all hope. In my confusion, I remembered OVFRIENDS, an app a friend had installed for me, saying it was a safer way to connect with locals.
I quickly opened a topic in the “Vietnamese in Paris” community, managing to type only a simple message asking for directions.
Just a few minutes later, a message appeared. It wasn’t from a Vietnamese person, but from a young man named Simon. He wrote in English: “Don’t move, I’m nearby. Send me your location.” 5 minutes later, a French man with brown hair and a warm smile showed up. He didn’t just give me directions; he patiently walked me all the way to the train station.
Before saying goodbye, he said: “You look cold. Paris will be gentler if you give it a chance. How about a cup of coffee with me?”
That hot cup of coffee in a small roadside café warmed my entire Paris winter. We talked about Saigon, about Vietnamese food, and about why he was learning English on OVFRIENDS, so that one day he could visit my country.