During 45 days of driving across the country, Mr. Minh’s family passed through 22 provinces and cities, sleeping 35 nights in tents to live among nature.
After a year of careful research and planning, on August 16, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh’s family (28 years old, Soc Trang) started a road trip from the South to the North by pickup truck. The trip lasted until October 9 with a total distance of nearly 9,000 km.
Unlike previous long trips, this time, he decided not to rent a room but spent the night camping on his own. He and his wife and their daughter spent 35 days sleeping in a tent and 10 days staying at a homestay or hotel due to a number of objective factors.
The reason Mr. Minh made this trip was because of his 18-month-old daughter. He wants his daughter to adapt to many types of weather, increase her resistance as well as gradually get used to the outside world during the stage of forming her thinking and personality (under 6 years old).
In the original plan, Mr. Minh only planned to travel from South to North. On the journey, he accidentally met some friends with the same passion, so he joined a group to travel together for more than a month. The journey started from Can Tho City, where he lives and works, through Ho Chi Minh City, the Central provinces to Hanoi and then moved to the Northern mountainous provinces.
Mr. Minh chooses provinces and cities that he has not had the opportunity to visit or has not had much experience in previous trips. “If we can’t find a campsite or it’s too late, we will rent a room,” he said. Normally, the time spent in each province is one day and one night, but in some northern mountainous provinces such as Ha Giang , Yen Bai, and Cao Bang , he spends about 2 – 3 days admiring the golden season scenery on the mountains. terraced fields.
In each place, he chose pristine locations, close to nature, with beautiful scenery to set up camp for the night such as: Cu Lao Mai Nha (Phu Yen); Hai Van Pass (Da Nang); Khau Pha Pass, Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai); Suoi Thau steppe, Phung village, Hoang Su Phi, Chieu Lau Thi peak (Ha Giang); Co La waterfall, Mat Than mountain (Cao Bang) and two days of traveling to China through Mong Cai border gate (Quang Ninh).
Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang)
The first place the family camped was Cu Lao Mai Nha (Phu Yen).
Gianh River ferry terminal (Quang Binh)
Pacify
Hang Tau – the original village of the H’Mong people in Moc Chau
Y Ty (Lao Cai)
Suoi Thau (Ha Giang)
Ban Phung (Ha Giang)
Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang)
The first place the
Because he lives and works in the South, the majestic natural scenery in the Northern mountainous provinces left a strong impression on Mr. Minh’s family. More specifically, his family came during the buckwheat flower season in Suoi Thau steppe and the ripe rice season in Hoang Su Phi, Mu Cang Chai . Sleeping in the middle of majestic but no less poetic mountains and hills, sometimes waking up is dawn on the sea, other times it is a sea of clouds and white fog in front of you. “Witnessing those moments makes me even more eager to go to more places and see more beautiful sights,” Mr. Minh said.
The place that impressed him the most was Hang Tau, also known as the original village in Moc Chau . On the green lawn are herds of buffaloes, cows, chickens and pigs grazing freely, and wooden houses of the H’Mong people form isolated clusters, surrounded by mountains and forests and separated from the outside world. This place has no electricity, no internet or phone signal. “The traditional, self-sufficient lifestyle brings a feeling of slowness and peace, completely different from the life I have been accustomed to over the past 20 years,” he said.
Having been introduced to short-term camping by her parents since she was 3 months old, Mr. Minh’s daughter not only easily adapted but also expressed interest in going to each different location. Experience to help your baby feel comfortable on every trip is to equip a child seat in the car, prepare all necessary items such as warm clothes, powdered milk, nutritional porridge and diapers. Introducing raw foods to babies early is also a way for parents to reduce worries and burdens and comfortably let their children go camping for long days, Mr. Minh shared.
Previously, Mr. Minh had twice traveled across Vietnam by motorbike but stayed overnight at a homestay or hotel. Compared to traveling by motorbike, traveling by car combined with camping has a number of advantages. Mr. Minh uses a two-wheel drive pickup truck, which helps save fuel; Save on accommodation costs if traveling for a long time; Can carry a lot of luggage and items; Easily bring your family and especially children along. However, the disadvantages of this form of backpacking are that it costs a lot of initial money to buy camping equipment, has limited locations (if the road is small, cars cannot go in) and has to repair the vehicle when encountering problems. Incidents are also more difficult than with motorbikes.
Camping in Bui Hau steppe (Quang Ngai) on the way back
Mr. Minh’s family took photos at Tan Uyen tea hill (Lai Chau)
Mr. Minh and his daughter had fun at Hang Tau (Moc Chau)
Chieu Lau Thi Peak (Ha Giang)
Co La Waterfall (Cao Bang)
Magic Eye Mountain (Cao Bang)
Mau Son Peak (Lang Son)
Am Ngoa Van Pagoda (Quang Ninh)
Camping in Bui Hau steppe (Quang Ngai) on the way back
During the trip, his family spent on average about one million VND per day. But before that, he had to prepare some equipment for living such as generators, water tanks, ingredients and cooking utensils; refrigerator and some camping items such as roof-mounted tents, tables and chairs, and sleeping bags.
“This trip will be the foundation for future journeys with many valuable experiences,” Mr. Minh said. At the same time, he hopes his sharing will motivate tourists who want to go camping with their families and bond emotionally. In the future, he is planning a trip across Europe by mobihome (a car designed and equipped like a mobile home) to admire more beautiful scenery around the world with his wife and daughter. .
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)