Take a glance at one and it quickly conjures up images of beautiful people zipping and buzzing about the busy Saigon, narrow, crooked streets.

The painted, pressed steel unibody of the Vespa is an unmistakable anchor to its identity and it has become a status symbol on the Vietnamese crowded streets throughout the country.

After reading the book ‘Vespa - Da Roma a Saigon’ (Vespa travel - from Rome to Saigon) 33-year-old Rietro Porro, who worked at a NGO in Italy, became inspired by the dream of making the trek.

So, in July 2016, says Porro, he up and quit his job in Rome and headed off on the 40,000-kilometre journey in his LML Star 125 Vespa scooter that he bought in 2014.

The once in a lifetime journey has now taken him through more than 20 countries.

He plays street music along the way for change to make ends meet.

A companion accompanies Porro through India but ever since he has been travelling on his own.

Porro has kept a diary of his adventure and hopes to write a memoir someday.

Porro points to a spot on the map in Pakistan where he was surrounded by a group of armed men and barley escaped with his life.

Porro has now spent 10 months on his journey, one that has been chock full of fascinating and exciting adventures but one that also has been sometimes scary, dangerous and gruelling. 

Porro says he tries not to think negatively about obstacles he may encounter but instead focuses on ways to overcome challenges as they present themselves.

On May 10, Porro arrives in Vietnam and he is nearing Saigon.

The final destination on his journey of a lifetime—‘Vespa - Da Roma a Saigon’ (Vespa travel - from Rome to Saigon).