When Quang Anh and his father finally visited Ho Chi Minh City, the weather was raining heavily at the end of June. A wide smile appeared on the boy’s face when he excitedly shared about his 1-month long bicycle journey to other countries, “I am not tired at all!”

“What he learned from his childhood years will be with him forever”

To Quang Duy - the 39-year-old father of the little boy – he felt immense relief after finishing the trip and relaxing after 1 month of constant traveling with his son.

“I could only believe that our trip succeeded after we came back to our hometown in Lang Son,” he said.

Quang Anh stopped to rest after crossing the pass about 2km long to reach the Cau Treo border gate, Ha Tinh on June 6. Photo: Bao Dak Nong

The idea of cycling through three countries: Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia started last year. At that moment, the boy just completed his quest of traveling across Vietnam from Lang Son to Ca Mau more than 2.400 km with his father.

When Quang Anh was just 5 years old, his father taught him how to ride a bicycle and discovered the nearby places to exercise and keep healthy. Each time the boy came to a new destination, he learned more exciting things, which gave him more motivation to go farther and stronger.

The first was a 25 km long journey from home to Huu Nghi border gate (Lang Son) when he was only 7 years old. Then, it was the trip to conquer two routes, which were Lang Son – Mui Chua (Quang Ninh) with more than 100 km, and Lang Son – Mau Son Peak with more than 15 km of pass road.

This road trip was planned in detail by the father and son for nearly a year. The goal is to cycle 100km every day. The 2,800 km journey is expected to occur in 30 days, and the two of them finished it as planned.

On June 10, the boy arrived in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Bao Dak Nong

A lot of people asked Quang Duy why he made a child as young as his son go through such hardships and challenges like that.

He thought if the boy only traveled to places by car, he would not learn anything valuable. But if he went by bicycle himself, he would be able to see and observe a lot of new things and feel how difficult it was to ride through all the bumpy roads along the way.

“I believe that Quang Anh will dare to think big and becomes the person that I hope him to be after finishing this journey,” the father shared thought.

The strong bond between a father and son

The journey of the father and son is quite simple, including 1 repair kit, a spare tube, 5 pairs of clothes, and personal belongings. They chose to stay at the small motels, focusing on eating healthily and drinking enough water to remain strong during the trips.

The terrain did not scare Quang Anh anymore. To him, this trip did not have steep passes like the one across Vietnam last year.

Quang Duy and his son. Photo: Bao Dak Nong

In the mind of a 10-year-old boy, he felt like he had grown stronger and more mature. “I only knew to ride my bike around last year, but now I have learned to observe the environment around me and informed my father about what I have seen,” he said.

Last year, Duy often spent his spare time during the trips to deal with his work, but now he leaves them aside to focus on being a companion to his son. The two challenge each other with general knowledge, and the boy loves teasing his father.

“He used to look grumpy and stressed before. This year, he has smiled a lot more,” Quang Anh said. He also shared that this is the happiest moment he has had during the journey.

Quang Anh visited the Toul Sleng Museum, in Cambodia. Photo: Bao Dak Nong

The boy also said that even though he wanted to go on more trips in the future, he also did not want to worry his family.

“Maybe after this trip, I will come back to share and tell everyone interesting things on the journey and the difficulties that I have overcome so that they will feel more reassured,” he said.

What the father was proud of his son was that Quang Anh had done the incredible thing that not all kids his age can do.

However, he does not encourage parents to do the same. According to him, each child will have a different interest, and parents must observe and understand what the kids enjoy to cater to their needs.

The boy completed the journey arriving in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Bao Dak Nong

Vietnamese Blogger Meets Cameroon's Dupa Tribe A Vietnamese blogger with a “one–of–a–kind” YouTube channel takes viewers along as he journeys through Cameroon, where he meets the friendly Dupa people.

Elderly Vietnamese Couple Spends 11 Years Exploring Southeast Asia Mr. Minh, 74, and 70-year-old Mrs. Cuc have had a fantastic journey trekking throughout Vietnam and across Southeast Asia, and even to other countries for ...

Vietnamese Man Conquers Korean Mountains In nearly three years of climbing, a Vietnamese has conquered about twenty high mountains in the Land of Kimchi. He has admired the poetic beauty ...