On June 4, Pham Quang Minh (born 1981, residing in An Khanh Ward, HCMC) embarked on an extraordinary journey: driving his Toyota Land Cruiser from Vietnam to Europe. Exactly 80 days later, he arrived in Paris, France, completing a nearly 25,000-kilometer overland expedition spanning over 20 countries.

"This was a journey I nurtured for several years to satisfy my passion for driving and my desire to explore the world," he shared.

Initially, Minh and a companion traveled with a group exceeding 10 members, operating motorcycles and automobiles from Vietnam toward Paris on a planned 68-day itinerary. Departing HCMC, Minh drove through China, continuing through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey. At that junction, he detached from the original group, joined two friends flying in from Vietnam, and drove through over 10 European nations.

This was not Minh’s first long-distance road trip. He had traveled to Europe several times, rented cars and explored different places based on his interests. In 2025, he drove from Vietnam to Tibet in China.

To prepare for the journey from Vietnam to France, he had to make sure he was in good health and carefully research the itinerary.

During the first leg of the transcontinental journey, the Vietnamese travelers spent more than 20 days driving through China, stopping at several famous destinations. Minh particularly remembers mid-July, when the group crossed the majestic Tian Shan mountain range on the way to Kuqa amid extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius. Simply stepping out of the car could leave travelers feeling as though their skin was burning, accompanied by dizziness and lightheadedness.

The route became increasingly challenging as the group entered Central Asia.

The group encountered a problem at the Tu’Er Gate border crossing from China into Kyrgyzstan. Customs procedures lasted more than half a day, with luggage repeatedly unloaded from the vehicles for inspection before being packed back in. By the time they were allowed to enter the country, it was already dark and temperatures had fallen to around 4 degrees Celsius. Despite their exhaustion, Minh and the other members continued driving for about 180km through the night, passing through mountain gorges before reaching their accommodation.

“The distances between rest stops are very long, so we always have to keep drinking water, food and essential repair equipment in the car in case something goes wrong along the way,” Minh said.

Unforgettable encounters

Looking back on the 25,000km journey, Minh said the most memorable part was not the number of countries he visited but the experiences along each stretch of road. Driving allowed him to get closer to the lives of people in each place he passed through and fully appreciate the natural scenery. At the same time, he had unforgettable encounters with local residents and overseas Vietnamese.

In Uzbekistan, besides the vast deserts and distinctive historic architecture, Minh remembers meeting the owner of a Vietnamese pho restaurant in the capital, Tashkent.

“When he learned that a group of Vietnamese people had driven from their home country to Tashkent, the owner was delighted and prepared a special Vietnamese meal for us. After days of eating Central Asian food that was quite different from what we were used to, the meal prepared by a fellow Vietnamese became a particularly special memory for me,” Minh recalled.

Although he had traveled to Europe several times, during his journey from HCMC to Paris, Minh visited four countries for the first time: Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark and Romania.

In Bulgaria, Minh spent 4-5 days exploring Plovdiv and Sofia. While taking a historic tram tour of the city, a local young man approached him, struck up a conversation and enthusiastically showed the way to some of the city’s lesser-known tourist attractions.

In Sofia, Minh happened to meet a Vietnamese restaurant owner. She had opened a Vietnamese pho restaurant in the European city only about two months earlier. When Minh and his two friends stopped by for pho, the group, missing home-cooked food, asked if she could prepare a Vietnamese meal for them. 

The restaurant did not normally serve rice dishes, but after learning that the three customers had driven all the way from Vietnam, she happily agreed. 

Another moment that left a strong impression on Minh was seeing cars from a Vietnamese brand being used as taxis in Copenhagen, Denmark. When a local taxi driver learned that Minh had driven from Vietnam, he enthusiastically welcomed him and even offered to take him into the city center for free.

Linh Trang