Cycling from France to discover the beauty of Vietnam

Just go!

The story of exploring the world by bicycle was shared by Max and Mary: "We are not professional cyclists. We chose bicycles for our journey around the world because it is convenient, slow, we can carry everything we need and stop at any time, and it is more interesting because it is easy to meet people. But for the first 2 months, every day was torture because our whole body was always sore, the most embarrassing thing was getting on the bike every morning, our limbs felt like they were falling apart."

Taking souvenir photos in the grounds of Van Duc Pagoda, Binh Dai, Ben Tre

Mui Ke Ga Lighthouse, Phan Thiet through Max's lens

The South Central Coastal Route is a wonder on Max and Mary's travel map.

Sharing passion with students of Alexandre Yersin International School

Asked about the itinerary, Max said: "Actually, from the beginning, we didn't have a clear itinerary, we thought we would just go, depending on our inspiration. But more and more people asked about the destination, so we decided it was New Zealand. We also didn't have a specific time, just estimated it would take no more than 8 years. And we spent 2 years working hard to prepare the budget for this trip, estimating an average of 30 euros/day for food and accommodation. We used to think we would never take a plane or use any other means of emission because we wanted to contribute to protecting the environment, but through the journeys, we also changed our minds, needing flexibility, so when needed, for example returning to France for important family occasions, we still chose to take a plane."

Wow!

Max and Mary said that during their journey through countries and territories over the past 5 years, Turkey was where they stayed for 6 months, and Vietnam planned to stay longer, because: "The first time we entered Vietnam from Xa Xia - Ha Tien border gate, we were overwhelmed. Cambodia is in the dry season, when we just entered Vietnam, there was a whole area of vast rice fields, cool air, and friendly people. We went through the provinces of the Mekong Delta, along the coastal road to the Central region, when our 45-day visa expired, we went to Laos and then returned for another 20 days. And now this is our third trip back to Vietnam, with the purpose of exploring the East - Northwest arc".

Max and Mary explore Vietnamese tea flavors in Hanoi

Max and Mary on the beautiful coastal road near Vinh Hy Bay

Enjoy the pristine landscape of Trang An

Captured images at "Tuyet Tinh Coc" in the West, Tri Ton, An Giang

Max and Mary arrived in Hanoi to prepare for their journey to explore the Northeast and Northwest.

Max and Mary clearly felt the experiences from the peaceful West, through the sunny Central region, the majestic Northwest... Mary admitted: "Vietnam is the first country that constantly surprised us, from the scenery, the people, and especially the cuisine. We often tell each other, this is truly a paradise for cyclists. Imagine yourself going through a river village in the West, with coconut trees on both sides of the road, the small road is less than 1 meter wide, flat concrete, quiet, no one passing by, as if that road was made for us. Really impressive".

Max and Mary's journey so far has been more than half of the estimated 14,000 km to their destination in New Zealand. To earn extra income for the journey ahead, Mary - also a tattoo artist - always carries a tattoo kit to perform when required. Besides, Max and Mary have a more interesting mission, which is to inspire students. In each country and territory, Max and Mary meet young people and tell their experiences, from Europe to the Middle East such as Oman, Abu Dhabi, Dubai...

In Hanoi, the two had exchanges with students from the Foreign Trade University, students from Alexandre Yersin International School... to talk about geography, cycling around the world, difficulties, minimalist living skills, skills to connect with nature, sharing recipes learned during the journey... and were enthusiastically responded by young people. Mary said: "The questions were very cute. Usually we start with the same topic, but depending on their age, they have many different questions, leading to different exchange results. For example, in Abu Dhabi, Oman, the Middle East, they ask a lot about how to move, how to bathe in the desert environment... Students are interested in many broader topics. Therefore, from the initial topic they want to share, students from different cultural regions will have different exchanges, which also gives us a lot of inspiration to continue the journey and share stories with you".

Vietnam is not just a destination

Traveling across Vietnam, Max and Mary were drawn into the stories and beauty of Vietnam. Max said: "When we arrive in a new place, what we want most is to talk to and meet local people, and those chance encounters often bring many surprises. Last time in Hanoi, we enjoyed Vietnamese tea, heard about Vietnamese ancient tea, and were really surprised because we are from Normandy, and really like to learn about the original flavors, from the home garden to the dining table. The cup of ancient tea surprised us with its aroma, taste, and story of the tea region in the highlands. It was from that encounter that we decided to spend nearly a month more exploring the East - Northwest arc to learn about this specialty."

Max and Mary show off their photo collection taken during their journey to explore Vietnam. It is clear that each photo not only contains a story and memories of the journey, but also a piece of the puzzle that creates a beautiful, magical, and warm Vietnam through simple, intimate camera angles.

Max and Mary's journey was simply to enrich their souls and life experiences. As for Vietnam, the months of wandering opened one of the most beautiful chapters of the journey, because that place made Max and Mary slow down, spend more time listening, experiencing and being moved. As Max said: "Your country is not just a place to come and go, but to love and remember."