In the afternoon of February 19, Nguyen Ngoc Quang (65 years old, living in Bao Loc, Lam Dong) came back home and was welcomed into the warm arms of his family. The old man could not hide his happiness when he finished his “dream trip” which fulfilled the promise he made with his three best friends 50 years ago.

From left to right: Quang, Trung, Khanh, Chung. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

In 15 days, Quang and his friends have been to 32 provinces and got a chance to experience the most beautiful destinations of Vietnam. They set up camps together, slept and ate along the way, visited their old classmates, etc.

Quang’s trip began on the Tet holiday with his closest and life-long friends, including Nguyen Thanh Trung (68 years old), Tran Van Chung (66 years old), and Tran Quoc Khanh (65 years old).

Unlike the previous trips together, this trip meant a lot for the group of friends and marked a milestone in their lives. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

During their journey from North to South, the group of old friends drove a truck with all the equipment and necessary things from camping stove, pots and pans, dishes, tents, tables, and chairs to food and drinks, including Tet cake, snacks, juices, instant noodles, etc. They also brought important medicine and aid kits for health caution and emergency situation because of their old ages.

Among three friends, Trung used to go backpacking across the country by bike for experiences in his younger years and participated in several charity activities.

Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

Quang and his three best friends used to be students at The National College of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Forestry of Bao Loc. When they were still in college, they wished to be able to visit the West and Northeast region and witnessed the majestic natural sceneries of the forests and green mountains. However, when they graduated, the three were so busy with work and life that they could not complete their plan.

When they met each other before the Tet holiday, the three men talked about their old times, and they remembered their promise from 50 years ago. From that day, they were determined to plan the trip to explore the West and Northeast region of Vietnam.

The friends gave candies and lucky money to the children living in the mountainous areas. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

At first, they planned to start the trip one day after the Tet holiday, but they were too excited that they could not wait, and began it one day earlier. Even though the journey would be long and difficult, they all got great support from their family members.

Quang said they went on the trip all on their own without having a tour guide or detailed preparation, and they would sleep and eat whenever they could along the way.

Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

“We brought the tents, necessary supplies, and equipment such as portable gas stove, dishes, bowls, food, etc, in case we could not find a restaurant or motels on the way. Even though we were a bit worried about our health, but we felt stronger the longer we went, and got no problems at all”, Quang said.

Starting from Lam Dong, these tourists ventured into West and Northeast region. They visited nearly 20 provinces, including famous tourist destinations and historical sites.

Among the most famous places that they have seen, the Lung Cu flag tower (located in Dong Van, Ha Giang Province) has left many unforgettable memories in Quang’s heart. The 65-year-old visitor was emotional when he saw local villagers sowing seeds on the field or young people from the South visiting Ha Giang.

The group of friends took pictures at Ban Gioc Waterfall. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

“Despite our ages and health, I still attempted to climb all the stairs leading to Lung Cu flag tower. At the most sacred place of the country, I looked at the flag flying in the wind, and felt extremely happy”, he recalled.

In all the backpacking trips that Tran Van Chung has done, this special journey meant a lot to him, because he had his best friends by his side.

“In our previous trips, we only visited the destinations that were close to where we lived in a short time. But this journey marked a milestone in our lives because we had to wait for so long to be able to make it come true”, Chung said.

Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

As the only driver in the group, Thanh Trung admitted that he felt like a leader and big brother of his friends, and he was extremely careful to ensure the safety of the trip. Before that, he used to go backpacking about 5 times by motorbike alone, and participated in charity activities, helping people in need. This was his first time ever driving his old friends in his old truck across the country.

“This trip was much longer and was more difficult than the previous ones, so that we had to carefully prepare everything, from the mechanical quality of the car to medicine, necessary things, and emergency kit for the unexpected situation”, Trung said.

Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

Coming home from the joyful trip, the four men felt very happy. To them, this was not just only a journey, but also a time to strengthen their friendship and fulfill their 50 – year promise. They also joined some charity activities in local provinces.

Trung took several memorable photos of his friends and the beautiful natural sceneries. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Trung

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