59-year-old Nguyen Thi Bich Van, who lives in Gia Lai, said that she spends time on adventurous trips to mountainous areas and old forests in many different provinces across Vietnam every year.

She used to climb the mountains and conquer the dangerous Gia Lai waterfall in the middle of the rainy season. She even traveled from Gia Lai to Lao Cai to watch the dawn or sunset at the five peaks of Fansipan, Nhiu Co San, Ngu Chi Son, Bach Moc Luong Tu (Ky Quan San), and Lao Than. Other times, she and her son visited three countries in Southeast Asia together.

Nguyen Thi Bich Van and her granddaughter on motorbikes. Photo: Courtesy of the character

This summer, Van’s daughter, who is living in Ho Chi Minh City, sent her daughter for her to look after. Impressed with all her grandmother’s amazing adventures, 6-year-old Linh Lan always wished to explore a new destination with her grandmother one day.

To make a meaningful journey, Van thought about traveling with her granddaughter by motorbike.

Linh Lan posing in front of the waterfall. Photo: Courtesy of the character

"However, at first, I only took her out to play at the waterfall 35km from my house. Travel time on motorbike was about 2 hours. Seeing her being happy during the trip and being able to walk 1 km to the waterfall, I thought she could go even further,” she said.

After that, she planned a riding trip from Gia Lai to Quy Nhon to take the little girl to explore the sea areas. From Quy Nhon, they continued to arrive at Tuy Hoa (Phu Yen), Nha Trang, Ninh Thuan, and other destinations.

Along the way, Linh Lan and her grandmother watched the sunrise together at An Khe Pass (Gia Lai), played at Doc Let Beach (Nha Trang), visited Da Dia rapids (Phu Yen), watched the sunset on the beach, admired the coral reefs at Hon Yen or picking grapes in Ninh Thuan.

Photo: Courtesy of the character

Van had to prepare first-hand all the necessary equipment to ensure the safety of her granddaughter. She even brought a helmet and belt in case the little girl fell asleep. For the child to have a place to rest, Van put behind a large bag of things, including toys, clothes, and some medicine.

“Every day, we only travel about 80 to 90 km, which is about two hours. We get up early and begin our trip before dawn. At noon, I usually find a motel room for us to take a nap, then keep going at 2 – 3 p.m. Therefore, I and my granddaughter have a lot of time to rest, swim, go to fishing villages and other famous tourist destinations,” Van said.

Linh Lan is on the road. Photo: Courtesy of the character

Van’s trip surprised her family. Linh Lan’s parents were worried at first, but when they saw how happy their daughter was with her grandmother after the journey, they were greatly reassured.

Every day, the whole family anxiously waits for pictures of Linh Lan's interesting summer vacation. The whole trip lasted about eight days. Both have traveled more than 500km on motorbikes. After the journey, Van saw a clear improvement in her granddaughter.

Photo: Courtesy of the character

Linh Lan is no longer shy. She has also learned some self-reliance by preparing clothes by herself instead of relying on adults.

The little girl finally has a chance to step out into the bigger space, meet new people from different places and listen to interesting stories with her grandmother.

When asked about her feelings after the trip, Van said, “Sometimes, I also wonder if it was alright for me to bring her out of the comfort zone. But after everything, this journey was one of the best memories for my little granddaughter.”

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