A boy from Hanoi and his mom cycled 1,000 km across 19 provinces during summer
A few days ago, 12-year-old Ha Khoa, a boy from Hanoi, returned home after a two-month cross-country trip with his mother.
A boy from Hanoi and his mom take on 1,000 km of summer roads
Khoa’s “summer homework” was a cycling journey through 19 provinces, from Can Tho to Hue—pushing through sudden early-summer downpours in the Mekong Delta, the scorching sun and winds of Central Vietnam, and sandy mountain passes where the road almost disappeared.
A boy from Hanoi and his mom
But the “course results” were priceless: breathtaking landscapes that made him shout, “Mom, it’s so beautiful!”; heartwarming encounters with strangers who felt like family; and, most importantly, the life skills that made him more confident and resilient than ever.
Ha Phuong, Khoa’s mother, is a special education teacher who strongly believes in helping her son develop real-world life skills. Since Khoa loves nature, the two often spend weekends running, cycling, and hiking mountains in the Northwest. Over the past year, he kept sharing his dream of cycling across Vietnam to see the country’s beauty for himself. That dream pushed Phuong to rearrange her work and plan a journey they could take together.
“I talked to him very clearly,” she said. “The trip would last two months, using different kinds of transport — mostly e-bikes. He needed both physical strength and determination.”
The 12-year-old boy trained hard before starting the journey
The e-bike helped them on steep climbs or when they were too tired, but riding 50–60 km a day still required serious stamina and persistence.
“In each province, we usually stayed one or two days to rest, explore local culture, food, and landmarks. I did not set goals for speed or the number of places we had to reach. I prioritized our health and emotions. Every turn of the wheel had to feel exciting, not stressful,” Phuong shared.
In early June, she shipped their two bikes to Can Tho. They flew in and began their journey, riding from Can Tho through An Giang, Dong Thap, Tay Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City, then following the coastal route past Ho Coc, Ke Ga, Nha Trang, Vung Ro, and Tuy Hoa before reaching Hue — a total of more than 1,000 km.
Khoa enjoyed the fresh air of the Mekong Delta
Khoa loved the days spent roaming through the Mekong Delta, with endless rice fields, tall sugar palm trees, and a calm, fresh atmosphere so different from Hanoi. He was also excited to try all the local specialties, from O Thum grilled chicken to stuffed frog.
From the Mekong Delta to Central Vietnam: stories, sunsets, and lessons learned
In Can Tho, he met Ba Nam, a warm, kind woman who treated him like her own grandchild visiting from afar. During their stay, she taught him how to make banh xeo and let him wander around her garden picking fruit to his heart’s content.
Ba Nam took such good care of Khoa that he grew very fond of her
On the road from An Giang to Dong Thap, Khoa had a small accident that left his wrist aching. It discouraged him at first, but after a few days, he adapted, learned to pace himself, and stopped worrying about how far they still had to go. Instead, he took time to enjoy the scenery and would even tell his mom to rest whenever he saw her getting tired.
Traveling from the Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City made Phuong nervous—the traffic was dense and nonstop, and Khoa had little experience riding in big-city conditions. But the 12-year-old traveler surprised her with his confidence and even reassured her along the way.
“When we reached the Thu Thiem Tunnel, the rain suddenly poured down. Someone shouted that the tunnel was about to flood. We quickly pulled over at a bus stop. Not knowing what to do, we ended up calling a small truck to take us and the bikes back to the hotel,” Phuong recalled.
Khoa and his mom faced plenty of challenges along the way
The Central Coast was even tougher, with scorching July heat. One of the moments Khoa remembers most was crossing the Mui Dinh dunes in Ninh Thuan (now Khanh Hoa): fierce winds, burning sand, and exhaustion hitting both of them. Yet he refused to stop and even encouraged his mom to keep going.
At Mui Dinh, powerful winds and burning sand made the ride especially tough
Phuong admitted there were moments when she felt like giving up—like when Khoa had a slight fever in Vung Tau or when her strength nearly ran out climbing Lo Dieu Pass along the Hoai Nhon coastline.
“In those moments, I reminded myself that I had to push on so my son would see that his mom doesn’t give up easily. I didn’t hide the fact that I was tired, but I didn’t want him to worry. Whenever either of us felt worn out, we discussed taking longer breaks,” she said.
The route through the central provinces was tough, but the scenery was breathtaking. Khoa made new friends in fishing villages, and hearing kids his age talk about working hard to support their families moved him. That night, he told his mom he felt grateful for the life he had.
The stunning beaches along the way swept away his tiredness.
With each passing day, Phuong was surprised by how much her son was growing. Khoa, who rarely expressed his feelings before, now opened up to her more. He paid attention to small things—like noticing when she was tired or eating less than usual. He also became calmer and more capable of handling unexpected situations, whether it was a bike problem or bad weather.
“This has been an amazing summer for me. I have so many cool stories to tell my friends when school starts,” Khoa said excitedly.
His excitement made Phuong smile with happiness.
It was a summer Ha Khoa will never forget, spent with his mom
Photo courtesy of the family
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