Cycling Backpacking 58 Provinces and Cities of Vietnam
During his cycling backpacking journey through 58 provinces, the young man Danh felt utterly exhausted one day and decided to set up his tent by the roadside to sleep. Not bothering to lock his bike, he thought, “If someone steals my bike, I’ll have a good reason to go home tomorrow.” Despite moments of doubt, Danh still believed in the kindness of people and dreamed of the adventures that awaited him
90 days and more than 7,000km
The beauty of the Northwest mountains and forests makes the young man not want to leave (Photo: Trong Danh)
After taking in all the beauty of O Quy Ho Pass—the longest mountain pass in Vietnam—Nguyen Trong Danh slowly drove his bicycle downhill towards Lao Cai.
While going downhill, despite applying the brakes, the young man suddenly saw the bike rushing forward. Knowing that the brakes had slipped, Danh quickly stepped on the front wheel to slow down.
However, this “fire-fighting” method was not as effective as usual. The bike continued to move forward with no intention of stopping. Seeing that the road was deserted, the young man quickly leaned over and jumped down, letting the bike fly a little further. He landed on the grass by the side of the road, so Danh was lucky not to be injured.
Trying to regain his composure as quickly as possible, he pulled the bike to the side of the road to find a way to fix the brake line and then continued on his way.
Danh said that was just one of many vehicle breakdowns during his solo cycling backpacking journey through 58 provinces and cities.
As a passionate traveler, Danh has gone on many motorbike trips. After graduating from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, he decided to take a cycling backpacking trip to 63 provinces and cities across the country before applying for a job. Danh told his friends that he would “go backpacking” before starting work.
The bicycle took Danh to Ca Mau Cape (Photo: Trong Danh)
After that, the young man used all the money he saved from working part-time for a real estate company during his college years, along with his allowance from attending a reserve officer training course, to buy a bike and cover his travel expenses.
After looking at various off-road vehicles, Danh decided to buy a “bite-sized” bike for 3 million VND. Stuffing his backpack with a few sets of clothes, some dry food, two cell phones, a flashlight, a tent, and bike repair equipment, Danh set off from Ho Chi Minh City on March 1, 2021. He traveled to the provinces of the Southwest, Southeast, Central Highlands, and Central Coast.
By the end of April 2021, Danh’s destination was Quang Ngai—the hometown of this 25-year-old man. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, Danh’s trip was interrupted. For more than 8 months, he stayed in his hometown to help his parents with housework.
On December 14, 2021, realizing that the epidemic situation was stable and traveling to other localities was easier, he asked his parents’ permission to continue his cycling backpacking journey from the Central region to the North.
Eating, sleeping, and living on a journey of thousands of kilometers across the North, Central, and South were not simple tasks. With only about ten million VND in his pocket, Danh tried to save every little bit.
“I usually have lunch along the way. In the evening, I ask to stay overnight at local houses, pagodas, or churches. Here, I often ask the homeowner to cook rice and let me pay for food. However, most people do not accept money but generously provide food and accommodation.
The next morning, they also gave me breakfast. Therefore, the cost for each province, including food and tickets to visit famous monuments and landscapes, is usually only about 100,000 VND,” Trong Danh shared.
Relaxing on the wind power field in Bac Lieu (Photo: Trong Danh)
In the southern provinces, Danh often asks to stay overnight at friends’ and locals’ houses. However, when moving to the North, he often had to pitch a tent and sleep by the roadside. At that time, the epidemic in the northern provinces was still complicated, and many people were afraid to come into contact with strangers.
Danh understood that, so he proactively chose well-lit places near people’s houses to pitch a tent and sleep overnight. Sometimes, wanting to inspire himself with new experiences, the young man set up a tent in secluded spots or in the forest.
All the destinations and unforgettable moments from his cycling backpacking journey were meticulously noted by Danh in a notebook. Upon returning home, he discovered that he had cycled more than 7,000 km over the past 90 days.
He once wished that a thief would just take his bike for him
Cycling Backpacking 58 Provinces and Cities of Vietnam
Traveling alone across the country during his cycling backpacking journey, Danh experienced many emotions and created many memorable memories. He most vividly recalled the time he got lost in Khanh Hoa while conquering Mui Doi—the easternmost point on the mainland of Vietnam.
The 1997-born Quang Ngai native said: “That day, around 5 PM, I parked my motorbike at a local’s house by the roadside and then walked through the forest to the easternmost point. I brought a flashlight, thinking that if I followed the trail that many had walked before, I would reach Mui Doi.
Many sections of the road went close to the sea, some led into the forest, and others required jumping over rocks. However, I kept walking but couldn’t see Mui Doi. I didn’t even notice when my floppy hat, scarf, and selfie stick fell off.”
Walking alone through the forest and then along the coast, Trong Danh felt his heart skip a beat, bewildered by the vast darkness around him—there was no one in sight, only the sound of waves crashing and the wind howling in the late night. At times, lights flashed from an unknown source, and Danh quickly looked back and walked away.
At 9 PM that night, Danh was fortunate to find a freshwater well, so he stopped to rest. With a package of dry food in his pocket, he took it out to fill his stomach. After dinner, Danh found a cliff on the beach, spread out his sleeping bag on the sand, and fell asleep without realizing it.
Arriving in Nghe An, the young man did not forget to visit Uncle Ho’s hometown – the leader of Vietnam (Photo: Trong Danh).
Early the next morning, Danh continued to feel his way to Mui Doi but still got lost. Finally, near noon, he found a way back to the main road to return to the house where he had parked his motorbike earlier.
During his three months of cycling backpacking across the country, braving rain and sun, Trong Danh was lucky not to get sick or have any unfortunate collisions or accidents. However, being alone throughout the journey sometimes led to feelings of loneliness and boredom, and there were moments when he thought about giving up.
He mentioned that the journeys in the South were quite normal, with almost no difficulties. However, the roads in the North posed real challenges. The mountain passes were undulating, the houses sparse, and the most frustrating part was his bicycle continually “protesting.”
At one point, the bike not only had a flat tire but also damaged structural components like the axle, pedals, and brakes. Danh had to walk his bike countless times along the road.
The little friends he met on the journey (Photo: Trong Danh)
When his legs were tired and he still couldn’t find a repair shop, he had no choice but to hire a motorbike taxi to take him there. Finding someone to repair off-road vehicles in those remote villages wasn’t easy. Starting from Yen Bai, challenges kept arising one after another.
Danh’s journey came to a halt in Bac Ninh, the 58th province, because his bike kept breaking down. His mind was disturbed, fearing this was an omen of bad luck.
At the end of the journey, Danh’s shoes were worn out and his bike kept breaking down
He worried that the bike’s issues might lead to an accident or collision. As it was near the Lunar New Year, Danh had to temporarily end his journey, planning to conquer the roads in Bac Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Hai Duong at another time.
Interesting reflections after the cycling backpacking trip
Trong Danh closes the journey with many beautiful memories (Photo: Trong Danh)
Although he has not yet completed his goal of visiting all 63 provinces and cities, Nguyen Trong Danh still feels satisfied with the special journey he has gone through. He has satisfied his youthful passion, met kind and generous people everywhere, and taken in countless beautiful landscapes and landscapes of Vietnam.
“After what I have experienced, I love and appreciate life more. That will be beautiful luggage before I embark on the upcoming career path,” Trong Danh said with a smile.
Source: Dan Tri newspaper
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