A trip to Da Nang was supposed to take Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon far away from the familiar tourist experience. Instead, their attempt to discover a side of Vietnam rarely encountered by Korean visitors kept running into one unexpected obstacle: Koreans were everywhere.

What began as a simple challenge on MBN’s This Is Hyunmoo Road gradually became one of the episode’s most entertaining twists, as Korean-language signs, tourists and even familiar greetings repeatedly appeared. Eventually, Jun Hyun Moo made a decision that left the planned filming at one location completely abandoned.

Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon set out to escape the Korean tourist crowd

The September 27 episode of This Is Hyunmoo Road follows Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon as they explore Da Nang with a very specific mission: find places where Korean tourists are not present.

The idea fits the show’s unusual travel format. Rather than simply following a fixed itinerary packed with famous attractions, This Is Hyunmoo Road focuses on the process of traveling itself. MBN presents it as a road trip where the detailed route develops through the travelers’ own choices, local encounters and unexpected discoveries.

For Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon, that means moving away from places already familiar to Korean travelers and searching for experiences that feel more local.

But Da Nang does not make that easy.

As they move around the city, Korean tourists and Korean-language signs repeatedly appear. Their efforts to escape the familiar atmosphere begin to feel almost impossible.

Jun Hyun Moo eventually sums up the situation with a joke:

“It’s too Korean here. This is like Myeong-dong.”

The remark captures the central frustration of their journey. They have traveled to Vietnam looking for something different, yet the surroundings repeatedly remind them of Korea.

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The massage shop creates an unexpected problem

One of the experiences Jun Hyun Moo wanted to try during the trip was visiting a massage shop. The pair continue searching for somewhere that does not appear to be a regular destination for Korean tourists.

Eventually, they find a massage shop without visible Korean signage.

For a moment, it looks like they may have finally succeeded.

Then they enter.

The lack of Korean writing outside does not mean the location is free of Korean visitors. Soon, Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon hear Korean customers greeting them with “Hello” from different parts of the establishment.

Their carefully planned attempt to find a Korean-free location is suddenly over.

Jun Hyun Moo reacts immediately:

“We’re not filming here!”

Rather than continuing with the planned segment, he calls off the filming at the location.

The funny part is that the failed search itself becomes part of the story. Instead of the massage experience becoming the memorable television moment, the discovery of Korean customers turns the location into another unexpected detour.

The Da Nang trip suddenly turns into a soccer match

With the massage-shop filming abandoned, Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon continue looking for something that feels more genuinely local.

Their search eventually takes them away from the city and into a rural alley.

And then the trip changes direction again.

Instead of arriving at another planned tourist attraction, the pair encounter local children and challenge them to an impromptu soccer match.

The scene perfectly reflects the unpredictable format of This Is Hyunmoo Road. There is no need for a famous attraction to create a memorable moment when an ordinary encounter can completely change the journey.

Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon throw themselves into the game, but the physical effort quickly catches up with them.

After running around with the children, the two become exhausted and start shouting:

“Stop! Stop!”

Then Lee Joon notices another detail that makes the children’s performance even more impressive.

They had been playing soccer while wearing slippers.

Lee Joon reacts:

“Wow, they were doing all this in slippers.”

What started as a search for a destination without Korean tourists has now become an unplanned football game in a rural neighborhood.

That unpredictability is exactly what gives the Da Nang trip its distinctive rhythm.

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A chance recommendation finally leads to a Korean-free restaurant

The next breakthrough comes from another unexpected source.

The pair are recommended a seafood restaurant by an employee at the massage shop.

The restaurant is large enough to occupy two buildings and is busy with customers. But after the repeated encounters with Korean tourists, Lee Joon immediately checks the room for something very specific.

This time, the search produces the result they wanted.

There are no Korean customers.

After encountering Korean tourists and Korean-language signs again and again, Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon can finally sit down for a meal without worrying about running into people from home.

The restaurant serves an assortment of fresh seafood, including crayfish and tiger prawns.

The mood shifts. Instead of worrying about whether the location matches their original plan, the two can simply enjoy the food and surroundings.

The contrast also highlights what their search has really been about. They are not simply trying to avoid familiar faces. They are attempting to place themselves somewhere where the destination can be experienced more directly.

Jun Hyun Moo opens up about his alcohol tolerance

While eating seafood and drinking cola, Jun Hyun Moo reveals another personal detail.

He says:

“I get drunk after two drinks.”

Lee Joon then asks whether Jun Hyun Moo would still drink during an especially happy occasion, such as winning a grand prize at an Entertainment Awards ceremony.

Jun Hyun Moo’s answer turns the conversation into another lighthearted moment:

“On days like that, I pretend to be drunk.”

The exchange does not turn the episode into a drinking-focused segment. Instead, it gives viewers another glimpse of Jun Hyun Moo’s personality and his willingness to joke about his own habits.

After the chaos of the day’s search, the relaxed conversation also fits the more spontaneous mood of the trip.

Lee Joon realizes they may be forgetting the TV show exists

But while the two are enjoying the experience, Lee Joon notices something else.

They have become so absorbed in traveling, playing and exploring that they have barely been thinking about the fact that they are supposed to be making television.

Lee Joon admits:

“I’m worried because we’ve just been playing around without thinking about the show while filming ‘This Is Hyunmoo Road.’”

It is an unusually revealing observation because it goes directly to the tension at the center of the program.

A travel entertainment show still has to produce television. Yet This Is Hyunmoo Road deliberately gives its travelers room to follow unexpected paths rather than forcing every moment into a predetermined itinerary.

The production team has explained that destinations and basic preparations are established ahead of time, while the detailed route develops locally. Transportation, encounters, food and unexpected changes therefore become part of the actual travel narrative rather than simply connecting planned attractions.

For Lee Joon, that freedom creates a funny problem: they are having so much fun that they may have momentarily forgotten they are working.

Jun Hyun Moo explains why he refuses to force television moments

Jun Hyun Moo’s response provides one of the clearest explanations of what he wants from the program.

He does not believe performers should constantly push themselves to manufacture content simply because cameras are recording.

He says:

“These days, viewers don’t watch when you force yourself to do something just for a show,”

He then explains why the Da Nang environment itself matters to him:

“Isn’t this place amazing in itself? I’m throwing myself into an environment that is as different from Korea as possible. That’s what makes it healing for me.”

Those comments help explain why the failed massage-shop shoot, the unexpected soccer game and the seafood restaurant all matter to the episode.

The memorable moments are not necessarily the activities they planned before arriving. They emerge from what happens after they enter the environment.

For Jun Hyun Moo, the destination does not need to be turned into a spectacle.

It can simply be experienced.

Why ‘This Is Hyunmoo Road’ keeps changing direction

The Da Nang episode ultimately becomes a demonstration of the show’s broader philosophy.

Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon begin with a clear goal: find places where Korean tourists are not present.

They encounter Korean signs.

They see Korean tourists.

They find a massage shop without Korean signage, only to hear Korean customers greeting them from inside.

Jun Hyun Moo calls off the filming.

They leave.

Then they enter a rural alley and unexpectedly play soccer with local children.

They become exhausted and shout “Stop! Stop!”

Lee Joon notices the children are playing in slippers.

Later, a recommendation from a massage-shop employee leads them to a large seafood restaurant occupying two buildings.

This time, there are no Korean customers.

The pair finally settle down to eat crayfish and tiger prawns while drinking cola.

The show puts the journey ahead of a fixed itinerary

That sequence is consistent with the way the production team has described This Is Hyunmoo Road.

The program differs from Jun Hyun Moo’s earlier food-focused travel program Jeon Hyun-moo Plan by placing greater emphasis on the process of traveling itself — including how the travelers move, whom they meet and where they ultimately decide to stay.

The program’s promotional concept similarly revolves around the idea that there may be no predetermined road, even though the travelers still have their own criteria for choosing where to go.

In Da Nang, that philosophy becomes particularly visible because their original objective keeps forcing them to change direction.

The failed massage-shop shoot is not removed from the story.

It becomes the story.

The unexpected soccer match is not treated as a distraction from the itinerary.

It becomes part of the journey.

And the restaurant they eventually find comes through a recommendation they receive along the way rather than simply because it was placed on a predetermined tourist schedule.

The September 27 episode brings the Da Nang search full circle

By the end of the journey, the search for a Korean-free experience has taken Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon through far more than they initially expected.

They begin by trying to escape familiar Korean tourist routes. They repeatedly fail, with Korean signs and tourists appearing in places where they hoped to find something different.

The massage shop becomes the turning point when Jun Hyun Moo decides, “We’re not filming here!”

From there, the journey becomes increasingly spontaneous, eventually leading to a rural soccer match and then to a seafood restaurant where they finally find the environment they had been looking for.

At the same time, Lee Joon’s concern that they are simply playing around leads to Jun Hyun Moo’s larger explanation of the show’s purpose: forcing television moments is not necessarily what viewers want, while throwing themselves into an unfamiliar environment allows the destination to create its own experiences.

For Jun Hyun Moo, that is also what makes the trip healing.

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Conclusion

The Da Nang episode of This Is Hyunmoo Road turns a simple challenge into an unpredictable travel story. Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon search for places without Korean tourists, abandon a massage-shop shoot after discovering Korean customers, unexpectedly play soccer with local children and eventually find a Korean-free seafood restaurant through a local recommendation.

More importantly, the journey gives Jun Hyun Moo a chance to explain why he wants the show to feel different. Rather than forcing every moment for television, he wants the destination itself to create the story.

The second episode of This Is Hyunmoo Road airs on September 27 at 10:30 p.m. KST on MBN, with Jun Hyun Moo and Lee Joon continuing their search for a more local side of Da Nang.

Source/Research Disclaimer: This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided with the original material, including MBN program and preview information, official MBN search listings, Maeil Business Newspaper, Sports Kyunghyang, Sports Donga and bnt News. The article reflects the information available from those sources and the supplied program-related reporting. Quotes are retained from the supplied report and available program-related reporting. Details should be understood within the September 27, 2026 broadcast context and should not be taken as independently verified beyond the information supported by the provided sources.

Sources

• MBN – ‘This Is Hyunmoo Road’ program and preview information
• MBN Search – ‘This Is Hyunmoo Road’ official videos and program listings
• Maeil Business Newspaper – Jun Hyun Moo explains his travel-show philosophy
• Sports Kyunghyang – Da Nang episode preview and local-market details
• Sports Donga – ‘This Is Hyunmoo Road’ program overview
• bnt News – Program format and production team’s explanation of the show’s concept

Featured Image Credit: Instagram @junhyunmoo