A British tourist's video of a Nha Trang fruit vendor has captured global attention, transforming the vendor into an internet sensation. Louis (LocalLou) filmed Ms. Mai on Nha Trang beach on 10/8/2025. He was sunbathing with a friend from Nha Trang when Ms. Mai approached, carrying a basket of fruit.

The viral moment began with Ms. Mai's unexpected and musical English greeting. After Louis greeted her, Ms. Mai sang a line from Lionel Richie's 1984 song "Hello": "Hello, is it me you're looking for?" To the British tourist's surprise, Ms. Mai continued to sing, listing fruits: "Mango, pineapple, banana, watermelon."

Louis's friend recorded this interaction, mentioning that Ms. Mai was a "celebrity" on the beach. Louis bought some fruit and gave Ms. Mai a tip, enjoying her humor. The video of Ms. Mai, once uploaded, attracted over 40 million viewers, with most comments expressing delight at the vendor's unique sales pitch. Louis recounts, "Every day, I receive dozens of questions from users worldwide about where to find Ms. Mai. They want to visit Nha Trang just to meet this street vendor."

The vendor's catchy chant further inspired a remix by a South African musician, boosting her online fame. After Louis's second video, musician David Scott (stage name The Kiffness) contacted him, proposing a remix based on her sales pitch. On 28/2, Scott uploaded a video "duet" with Ms. Mai selling fruit on Nha Trang beach to YouTube. The video garnered nearly 2 million views in over a week. The remix, titled "Mango, Pineapple, Banana, Watermelon," was directly inspired by Ms. Mai's distinctive sales chant. Ms. Mai also saw the remix and messaged Louis to thank him.

The bond between Louis and Ms. Mai has continued to grow through subsequent encounters. In early 2/2026, upon returning to Nha Trang to visit friends, Louis met Ms. Mai on the beach again. As soon as she saw him, she recognized him and immediately ran over. Everything unfolded like their first encounter, with Ms. Mai singing "Hello" and combining it with her chant: "Mango, pineapple, banana, watermelon." Louis stated that even without him asking to buy anything, Ms. Mai still gave him several bags of fruit, and he reciprocated with a larger tip than before. To date, the two have met about 5-6 times, and each encounter has been filled with hearty laughter.

Ms. Mai's linguistic abilities, though basic, enable engaging interactions with tourists. According to Louis, Ms. Mai's English proficiency is not high, but she knows how to use basic words for short exchanges. Besides English, Louis also heard her sing in Russian, guessing she learned it from Russian tourists—a large group of visitors on Nha Trang beach.

Louis and Ms. Mai posing for a photo on Nha Trang beach. Photo: local_lou

Louis, now traveling in Hoi An, hopes to continue discovering more unique interactions during his second visit to Vietnam. He mentioned that on his previous trip, he had many amusing encounters with street vendors in Vietnam and always filmed them to share on social media.

Tu Nguyen