VietNamNet Bridge – Traveling on a motorbike has become popular among many young people in Vietnam in recent years. Each person has his or her own reason to go on such a trip but the most common answer is to experience new things and to enjoy the beauty of nature in different localities across the country. And they even find a good philosophical reason behind the hobby.

Young backpackers pose for a photo in Lam Dong Province

“Happiness is a journey, not a destination,” says Dang Khoa when asked for his motivation behind such motorbike trips. Such happiness, Khoa explains, is the great joy that the young man and his traveling companions find during their journeys far and wide, to forests, passes and rural places. For Khoa, journeys teach him a lot, besides fun.

Happiness is to be found along the way rather than just at the destination, he repeats.

Khoa recalls a lot of smiles with his friends when pulling their motorcycles out of the mud. “We gain confidence after fixing a flat tire on a pass, and admire the amazing beauty of beaches, streams, bamboo trees, wild flowers, sunrise and sunset on the ways to many corners of the country,” says the 28-year old Tran Dang Dang Khoa, who used to climb the Fansipan Mountain in Lao Cai Province five years ago. Since then, he has fallen in love with adventurous trips.

The backpacker can not give the number of his journeys, saying that it is numerous. He instead recalls some places of most impression such as journeys to the Northernmost, Southernmost, Easternmost and Westernmost points of Vietnam in Ha Giang, Ca Mau Nha Trang, and Dien Bien provinces.

The young man is a senior sales executive at Ishida, a Japanese-invested company in HCMC’s District 7. Khoa now spends most of his weekends away from the city to refresh himself and experience new things. “Journeys teach me a lot about culture, geography, communication and problem-solving skills that I would never know if staying at home,” Khoa says in an exciting voice.

During such trips, the man learns about life of ethnic minorities in the North of the country. He feels the friendship and simplicity of people in the Central region, and the hospitality of locals in the South. Before meeting those people, he and most of his traveling companions had some prejudice against residents in some provinces, but now they are thankful that locals usually let them stay at their houses and sometimes give them good food.

In addition, riding motorcycles to strange places requires those backpackers to find ways on the map or use GPS (global positioning system) to avoid getting lost. After each trip, they learn by heart streets and roads from and to an area.

They also learn skills to cope with problems they often encounter on the road. It could be the risk of getting sick, it could be one motorcycle breaking down, or the lack of drinking water during their trips. While these young riders have to solve those problems to keep moving, such problems also teach them how to adapt to unpleasant situations.

Moreover, the spirit of teamwork and friendship can be built during their journeys. Khoa boasts he has made friends with many peers from across the country and they now share useful information about traveling with one another on social networks like Facebook.

“As a salesman, I have to meet people from different parts of the country and experiences from my trips help me build relationship with customers and partners easier,” claims the man.

However, to those travelers, the biggest gift they receive is to see smiles and happiness of poor children living in remote areas when being given schoolbags, notebooks, pencils and milk from those strangers. The wandering riders are also happy to play guitar, sing with those kids and prepare meals for them. To organize such charity trips, they have to raise money and call for help from friends and relatives one to three months prior to a trip.

The trend of traveling without using services of travel agencies is said to emerge five years ago and has become popular for around two to three years now. It has drawn attention of many young people wanting to admire the beauty of Vietnam in their own ways.

Many of them go to remote and mountainous areas and islands, or destinations that travel companies do not offer services. Others take gifts along with them to grant disadvantaged children in rural and poor localities.

Taking a motorbike trip is an interesting way of traveling for those wanting to see and feel life in their own way, says Khoa.    

SGT/VNN