From cancer incident to cycling journey through 5 countries
One day in mid-April, after completing a cycling trip from Lang Son to Singapore, Mr. Vu Minh Dinh (born 1988), a businessman in Na Sam commune, Lang Son province, returned to his daily life, busy managing a chain of stores, restaurants and family accommodation.
Few people know that behind that calm appearance is a 38-day journey cycling alone through 5 countries, with a total distance of 3,572 km, without using any other means of support.
In the scorching sun of the border region, talking to reporters, Mr. Dinh told about the event that changed his way of looking at life.
In November 2023, he was diagnosed with stage 3B lung cancer. After that, he underwent a lengthy treatment with chemotherapy, immunization and surgery to remove part of his right lung.
I can't say I'm completely healthy. With a body like mine, the disease can flare up again at any time. But if I can maintain a stable and optimistic spirit, I can still live with it," he shared.
It was from the moment he faced the fragile boundary between recovery and uncertainty that he began to look back at life in a different way.
Before that, his youth was almost entirely devoted to work. At the age of 19, he dropped out of university to start a business. From a small phone store in Na Sam, he gradually expanded into trading in electronics, restaurants, motorbike supermarkets, motels, and gold shops.
Those years were a continuous cycle of making a living, doing business and supporting the family.
If before I only thought about doing business, making money, building an economy, then after discovering the disease, I want to go more, to see life more," he said.
The idea of cycling through many countries came to him quite spontaneously. After a cross-Vietnam trip last year, at the beginning of this year, he came up with a plan to go from Vietnam to Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and then Singapore.
He said he had almost no elaborate preparation. The luggage he carried was mainly items already available from previous trips.
When participating in Vietnamese community groups abroad to ask for information, most advised him to consider it because the journey is too long and risky, especially for someone who has just experienced a serious illness. However, he still decided to go.
Departing from Na Sam on the 11th day of the first lunar month, he embarked on a 38-day journey. The travelometer recorded 3,572 km of main roads.
In fact, the distance is even longer, but I only count the main section. As for the sections turning in to find a place to eat and rest, I don't press it," he recounted.
It is worth mentioning that he does not choose major roads or the shortest routes to save time. On the contrary, if he can choose, he usually takes people's roads, coastal roads instead of major traffic axes.
For him, it is not a way to find support, but to easily stop, easily find accommodation and, more importantly, to see more realistic slices of life.
Regarding business during his time wandering on the roads, he said that he had handed it over to management and still managed the work points remotely.
3. 572 km and the message of living without surrendering to disease
It was on those roads that he met many people who left unforgettable impressions in his heart.
They are people in poor lands but always gentle and cheerful. They are disabled salespeople who still keep their innocent smiles. They are water bottles, handshakes or simple meals from completely strangers.
Going there, I realized that there are things I used to think were very big, but it turns out they are no longer too heavy. Many people are busy worrying about food, clothing, money, and position and forget about their health, forget that life is inherently very impermanent," he confided.
He recounted that during treatment, he witnessed someone who had just found out they had cancer and collapsed very quickly. But there were also people who lived for many more years, living positively and persistently, thanks to maintaining their spirit.
Psychology is very important. When you know you are sick, don't be too pessimistic. You must encourage yourself, keep your spirits up to go the long way with it," he said.
