At 8am, after finishing his yoga session, Nguyen Le Van, 75, from Thu Duc in HCMC, slowly prepared a cup of coffee while revisiting photos from his recent 31-day motorbike journey across Vietnam, covering more than 6,000km.

Van’s latest cross-country trip began on April 10 and ended safely on May 10.

“Since the 1990s, I’ve traveled across Vietnam by motorbike around 10 times. In the past, whenever I rode to northern Vietnam, I usually stayed there for a while before returning to HCMC. But on this trip, I rode both ways. It was truly a memorable experience and a test of my health and endurance at nearly 80 years old,” Van shared.

Crossing Vietnam 10 times without getting bored
 

Van recalled that when he was 10 years old, he accidentally came across a photo of a sports motorbike in an international newspaper. Fascinated by the image, the young boy dreamed of one day owning a similar motorcycle and riding across the entire S-shaped country.

“At 24, I started saving money to buy a motorbike. It took me 10 years to afford my first 350cc bike. I then began traveling around southern provinces. By the period from 1990 to 1996, I upgraded to a 650cc bike and rode solo to northern Vietnam, visiting all 53 provinces and cities at the time,” he said.

Back then, Vietnam’s road infrastructure remained limited, with highways filled with potholes and rough sections. Van navigated mostly by following directions on a simple paper map.

“Looking back, I realize I was quite reckless at the time. If the bike broke down on the road, I had no idea where to repair it, and if something happened, I wouldn’t know who to call for help. Whenever I rode into villages or small towns in the north, people looked at me like an alien because they had never seen such a strange motorcycle before. Shop owners and neighbors would gather around to look at the bike and ask questions,” Van recalled.

At the time, finding places to eat and sleep along the road was extremely difficult. Some days, Van survived on bread, sticky rice or military ration bars just to keep going. In return, he was rewarded with untouched beaches, majestic mountains and peaceful villages rich in local culture.

Among all the routes he has traveled, the greatest challenge was conquering Vietnam’s legendary “Four Great Mountain Passes” - Ma Pi Leng, O Quy Ho, Khau Pha and Pha Din. Three decades ago, these passes were still wild and dangerous, with narrow roads covered in gravel and steep cliffs where a small mistake could be fatal.

“Some mountain passes took me half a day just to reach the top. But once I arrived, the breathtaking scenery made all the exhaustion disappear. I still remember standing atop Pha Din Pass at noon, feeling as though I could touch the clouds. The more I traveled, the more I admired the soldiers who once crossed these mountains by sheer human strength during wartime,” he said.

Over the years, Van has returned to these four mountain passes many times, though modern infrastructure has made them far easier and safer to travel than before.

Staying healthy and active at 75

In 2025, Van completed another motorbike trip from Ha Giang to HCMC via the western Truong Son route. This year, he departed from HCMC and followed the eastern Truong Son route, conquering border mountain ranges in Quang Ninh and Lang Son before continuing to Ha Giang and Dien Bien.

Along the way, he spent time visiting historical sites connected to national heroes such as Ly Thuong Kiet, Tran Hung Dao and General Vo Nguyen Giap. He also explored local villages, learned about regional cultures and sampled specialties in every destination he visited.

“Vietnamese people are incredibly friendly. Many hotel and guesthouse owners were shocked when they learned I was 75 years old and still riding across Vietnam by motorbike. Once in Son La, while staying at a hotel, even the neighbors came over to ask how I managed to maintain my health throughout such a long journey,” Van said.

He explained that he has practiced martial arts, swimming and dancing since his youth, and for the past 20 years has consistently practiced yoga and meditation, helping him maintain flexibility and endurance. Thanks to that routine, he remained in stable health despite traveling through harsh weather conditions. Whenever he felt sore or tired on the road, he would stop to stretch and regulate his breathing.

During the journey, Van kept his daytime meals simple to maximize travel time and always carried ration bars for remote stretches of road. At night, he stayed in hotels and made sure to eat nutritious meals to recover.

“My children constantly contacted me, reminding me to take care of my health and return by plane if I became too tired,” he said.

According to Van, his passion for travel and interactions with people who share similar interests help him remain mentally sharp and optimistic. Through social media, he also hopes to spread the spirit of healthy living and inspire others to explore Vietnam.

“Our country is incredibly beautiful, and the regional cultures are diverse and meaningful. I hope people can spend time discovering more of Vietnam so they can understand it better, love it more and feel even prouder of this S-shaped land,” he said.

Thanks to his passion for travel, Van has made friends across the country.

Linh Trang