Although only 20 years old, Ngo Thi Van (Da Nang) had an impressive journey when she traveled alone throughout the provinces of the North for 1 month.
Setting out with a desire to explore and record the best memories of her youth, Van received not only new experiences but also valuable maturity lessons that few people have at a similar age.
Van's trip started on August 5 and ended on September 7. After more than a month of traveling, she passed through most of the provinces in the North such as Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Tuyen Quang... Van affirmed that each place has its own unique beauty, but the place that left the deepest impression on her was still Ha Giang - the land at the head of the Fatherland.
“This is the third time I have returned to Ha Giang in 2024. Ha Giang has majestic nature, small winding roads along the hills, villages nestled between high mountains and streams flowing from one end to the other,” Van said.
Besides, what makes the young girl want to come back here many times is the unique culture of ethnic minorities: “In Ha Giang, there are many H’Mong people. They are lovely, friendly, and have many extremely interesting cultural features. However, the ancient villages are fading over time due to the harsh changes of nature”.
Van affirmed that this trip was quite sudden, without a detailed plan, so she missed many places as well as the outstanding specialties of each region. However, she always tried to go slowly to enjoy everything because she was afraid that she would not have another "once-in-a-lifetime" trip like this one. The more she traveled, the more she realized that Vietnam was so beautiful, not only in the scenery but also in the hospitable and friendly people.
“There is no need to search far, Vietnam is always beautiful in its own way, especially the hospitable and friendly people. Everyone welcomed me with warmth and affection from the first meeting. I will definitely return to those places, to have the opportunity to chat with everyone again”, Van excitedly shared.
During her 1-month journey across the North, Van had to rent a motorbike to cope with the mountainous and steep roads. She fell off her motorbike 3 times because of slippery red dirt roads, bad weather, was fined for driving in the wrong lane, and the most memorable incident was when her motorbike died and her brake pads broke while traveling from Du Gia to Dong Van - Ha Giang.
However, Van affirmed that she was mentally prepared to accept the worst that could happen, so she did not feel that this was a difficulty or inconvenience, but on the contrary, it was a memorable memory and experience of her youth.
“I prepared the necessary items such as clothes, shoes... and a love big enough to handle any incident,” Van shared about the luggage she prepared before the trip that few people dare to take at the age of 20.
Van said the total cost of the trip was about 17 million VND. Of which, the biggest expense was the hotel and motel rental because sometimes she still needed private space to relax and work. In addition, food also took up a large part of her “wallet”, the rest was expenses such as gas, motorbike rental, tickets to visit places, etc.
Taking a long trip, Van said she was lucky not to have any objections from her family or friends: “My family and friends were quite worried at first because traveling alone in border areas is dangerous. But when I returned, everyone liked it and wanted to have similar trips. They asked me a lot about the trip.”
Although she completed the trip safely with many beautiful experiences and memories, Van still does not encourage girls to travel alone because it has many potential dangers.
The young girl believes that if you have enough love and strength, each person should confidently start their journey so as not to have any regrets: "You should plan thoroughly, prepare enough finances, find someone who has gone before to support you throughout the journey, should not go at night and always return to the hotel or motel before 5 pm".
Van said that in 2025, she will continue new journeys to explore the South Central and Southern regions. Van realized her strong passion for traveling without necessarily having a companion.
“I realized that I really like traveling alone. I always enjoy and accept every incident, whether it’s raining or falling off my bike. Traveling alone can ruin your plans and make new friends. Girls traveling alone will have many problems such as safety, no one to help when the road is deserted… but don’t give up your dreams and passions just because you’re a girl,” the young girl affirmed.
