- Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt

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Thành Viên Xuyên Việt

Tân Ðịnh-Oakland, California
I came to U.S from Việt Nam when I was young, so a bike ride across Vietnam was a good way to see the country, revisit my heritage, and get to know the people.  The thrill of biking was that unlike tourists who frequent touristy places and see other tourists, biking allows me to be in the network and corridors of ordinary Vietnamese citizens who go about their normal pace of life.  The idea is to be with the people, interact with them, and share/exchange ideas with them on a personal level.  I have been to Vietnam four times on the Hanoi-Saigon, 1200 miles bike ride.  All the bike rides have met or exceeded my expectations.  I have learned a lot about the history, the country, and the people of Vietnam.  More importantly and on a personal level, I learned about myself, my identity, and a new sense of respect for my heritage.
I urge anyone interested to join "Xe Ðạp Xuyên Việt" for the 2005 trip.  We will begin from the start of Highway 1 on the Vietnam-China border and end at the endpoint of Highway 1 in the City of Ca Mau.  The trip will span over 25 different cities in Vietnam, crossing lust landscapes, historic ancient cities, and breathtaking coastal beaches.
Come join us and share the experience.


Minh Phạm-LA County, California
Lần đi đầu tiên tôi rất sợ nhắc đến tên Ðèo Hải Vân.  Nghe nói nơi đó là cửa "Thiên Ðàng" của bao loại xe hơi, xe tải, xe bò...Nói chung, thì bất cứ loại nào mà sử dụng bánh xe tròn để lăn trên đường thì phải hết sức thận trọng.  Buồn cười!  Năm đó tôi vượt qua Hải Vân với biết bao lời xin xỏ các "thần" dọc đèo.  Dười chân đèo thì tôi xin các thần cỏ, thần cây đừng có che khuất mắt mấy ông tài xế xe hơi đang đổ dốc, Tới lưng đèo thì tôi lại van xin thần "chuột" đừng để cặp giò tôi bị "chuột rút".  Còn xuống đèo thì tôi xin mấy ông "thần" xe tải đừng có liều mạng mà đưa con về "niết bàng"...Khi vượt qua rồi thì mới thấy Ðèo Hải Vân không có kinh khủng như những huyền thoại truyền khẩu.  Nói chung thì chỉ có Ðèo D'ran là làm cho tôi phải rụng rời tay chân.  Ðèo đã quanh co nguy hiểm nhưng khi bò lên tới đỉnh thì còn cả mấy chục cây số đường dốc, đồi liên miên mới tới được trung tâm thành phố Ðà Lạt.  Lết tới bên bờ Hồ Xuân Hương là rã rời cặp giò.  Ðây là thú vị "nhớ đời" của hành trình xe đạp xuyên Việt đấy!!! Bạn hãy nếm thử mà xem...Tuyệt vời.

Hùng Phạm-Fairfax, Virginia
2003 was my second bike trip in Vietnam.  After 2002 trip, I thought nothing could beat that ride.  Boy!!! Was I in for a surprise.  Although, like 2002, we took the same route from Hanoi to Saigon on Route 1A with a climb to Da Lat with the same itinerary (ie, same stops at same cities), the 2003 experience, however, had its own meaning, challenges, rigors, with differentiating colors/textures and nuances, however subtle they may be.  Indeed, it can stand apart with its own identity.  There is one common thread however, and that is I got to know myself a little better as I struggled my way up Da Lat and/or took in the picturesque country side and serene beauty of our motherland.
And here we are already planning yet another bike ride in 2005 that will literally span the length of the country from Lang Son or border with China to Ca Mau or southernmost tip of Viet Nam.  I don't have to tell you the excitement that is growing inside me for this 2005 ride.
Come join us.  Even if only for a part of the ride.  Let us get to know one another as we watch each other's back (literally and figuratively) along the way.  And may be you get to know yourself a little better too.
Regardless of your travel means through life, have a helluva ride.


Kỳ Võ-Oakland, California
Võ Kỳ quê quán tại thành phố Cà Mau.  Ðịnh cư ỏ Hoa kỳ khi còn rất là bé.  Du lịch xuyên Việt trên chiếc xe đạp là dịp tham quan, học hỏi, và tìm hiểu về quê hương, đất nước Việt Nam.


Ham Nguyễn-Birmingham, Alabama


Anton Vũ-Orange County, California


Anh Nguyễn-Oakland, California
Yes, I did it!  That was how I felt when we were heading into Ho Chi Minh city from Tan An City (Long An Province), finishing Xuyet-Viet 2007.  The ride around the Mekong Delta marked my first experience with Xuyet Viet, and by that means, turned me into an official Xuyet-Viet member.  How has Xuyet-Viet transformed me?  Let’s start off what I still remember from the trip.
Before the Xuyet-Viet trip, I had never been known for bike ridding.  The last time I hopped on a bike was a short period in high school freshman year and during my childhood in Vietnam.  I knew about Xuyet-Viet from my roommate, a former Xuyen-Viet member.  When I told people that I had decided to join the group for the 2007 tour, it was not surprised that people talked me out of that.  Too bad, I already made up my mind.  I got myself a Cannondale T800 three months before the trip simply because one of the group members recommended it to me.  (I think the size small Cannondale T800 is still too big for me.)  Due to many excuses, I did not train for the trip.  However, labeled as a half-marathon runner, I was comfortable with the thought that I had the endurance.  That was what I needed for this trip anyways.
First day.  Leaving Ho Chi Minh City, I was fully exposed the heat in Vietnam.  After biking for almost an hour, I felt thirsty.  Afraid of dehydration, I kept sucking water out of my hydration pack.  After a while, I felt my stomach full but how come I was still thirsty?  Keeping drink.  I did that.  But then I gradually felt no energy to bike anymore.  Good thing was that Minh and Hung were with me.  I told them my condition.  We stopped.  Minh said that I would better chew on a Cliff bar.  As I bit the first piece, an urge from my inner body came up right at my throat stopping me from swallowing.  I made a very funny face.  Hung looked at me and he knew something was not OK.  The next thing I knew was all the liquid rushed out from my mouth uncontrollably.  Yup, what was on the ground was all liquid because I did not eat anything that morning.
After taking a break, we continued biking to My Tho City, our first day’s destination.  Right before we headed into My Tho, the group took another break.  I thought if they had not stopped, I could have unwillingly stopped myself.  My right calf felt sore.  Oh no, I got muscle cramp!  As I got off my bike, walking straight to a chair couple yards from me was not an easy thing to do.  That was my first day of the trip.
Traffic in Vietnam was the worst.  As a bike rider, you were often surpassed by big trucks.  In a country running with diesel oil engines and having no smog-check regulations, riding next to trucks belching dark clouds of smog were unavoidable.  I think my lungs had collected some smog particles and a few brain cells were lost just by inhaling the thick black smog from those trucks.  The roads in Vietnam were small, but shared by all kinds of vehicles, people, and even animals.  They don’t watch out for you on the road.  It was heartache to see lines drawn on the middle of the road to mark an accident scene.  My only goal on this trip is to come back to the States in one piece.  Until now I’m still grateful for the fact that here I am, sitting on my cozy pilates ball, writing the stories of this trip.
On the second night at the dinner table, without looking at the menu, I already had a clear idea what we would have for dinner.  Vietnamese sweet and sour soup, fish claypot, “rau muong” sautéed with garlic.  Some other dishes could be added to the meal but these were always and “must have” on our table.  They have become our Xuyet-Viet menu.  The good thing was that the team was easy to be fed.  No one cared and wanted to change the appetite or eat exotic Vietnamese dishes (like…dog meat.)  Ironically, Xuyet Viet brought my weight up. Every 1-2 hours we took a break and I consumed some type of sugar liquid.  For lunch and dinner we ordered the food based on ‘because we liked to’.  Gorging was always the case.  Poor me, who has little self-restraint on food.  Not only that, my eyes brightened up when they caught Vietnamese dessert dishes.  Because I felt my stomach bloated with food all day long, my conclusion was that my stomach had worked harder than my legs.
I don’t think Xuyet-Viet helped me become more Vietnamese.  Coming back to Vietnam, my native country, one thing that I attempted to do was to act like a native and hopeful be like one.  However, I forgot the important fact.  A typical Vietnamese girl would not do what I was doing.  A light skin tone is more preferable and considered to be superior for the Vietnamese women.  The sun in Vietnam is brutal for the skin.  Facial masks, long sleeve shirts, and long pants are ways to avoid the sun exposure.  Here I was, wearing a blue helmet, yellow sunglasses, an orange shirt, black shorts, black sandals, and riding a twenty-seven speed bicycle.  It did not help me much to become more like a Vietnamese girl.
I think what makes the trip great is the company.  In the beginning I was worried that having me, an inexperienced biker, was a drag for the whole group.  But being in a laid-back group, you don’t feel much pressure to keep up.  I like the fact that we watch out for each other’s condition.  The guide, Nam, was resourceful and attentive to the members’ needs.  And without Minh’s initiative and effort, I do not think this trip would happen smoothly.  His witty and cheerful spirit lit up our conversations.  His interest in biking through Vietnam was contagious.  Now I know about Ham and Hung more.  Ham and I have a common interest in eating sweets.
Like other people who have passion for traveling, I went on this trip for the experience.  Exploring the country and its people allows me to engage to something larger than myself.  That feels great despite of the risk and hardship entailing in the trip.  The way I see it is that my body functioned to its full potential rather than being abused (although we did abuse our bikes.)  I remember a remark from a person, and in this particular case I felt it is true.  The first-generation American immigrants like us are the daughters and sons of risk takers.  Our parents gambled their lives to find the land of opportunities.  So, it must be our blood driving us to do the trips like Xuyet-Viet.


Persephone Shon-Oakland, California


Linh Thái-San Diego, California


Khiêm Nguyễn-San Diego, California


Benny Kwong-Oakland, California


Chu Thái-Orange California


John Phạm-Orange California


Tiến Trần-Orange California


Tour Guide 1: Ðịnh Nguyễn, Sài Gòn-Việt Nam (Về hưu-định cư tại Orange County, USA)
Khởi đầu, anh Ðịnh Nguyễn trú tại Sài gòn, Việt Nam.  Anh nhận làm "tour guide" cho các chuyến đi Xuyên Việt 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005.  Chúng tôi rất vững tâm khi có anh hướng dẫn trên đường dài Xuyên Việt.  Năm 2006 anh giã từ nghiệp dư "tour guide" cho Xe Ðạp Xuyên Việt vì gia đình anh được chấp thuận định cư tại Hoa Kỳ.


Tour Guide 2:  Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, Sài Gòn-Việt Nam.
Hoàng Nam là một người hướng dẫn trẻ vì thế kinh nghiệm hướng dẫn cho Xe Ðạp Xuyên Việt trên các tuyến đường chưa được phong phú.  Bạn nhận làm "tour guide" cho Xe Ðạp Xuyên Việt trong chuyến du lịch Xuyên Việt Ðồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long 2007.  Mặc dầu tuyến đường Xuyên Việt Ðồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long khá rắc rối vì phải chuyển qua nhiều quốc lộ, tỉnh lộ, đò, phà, cộng thêm sự giao thông mạng nhện trên kênh nước, nhưng có bạn, Xuyên Việt 2007 được thuận bườm, xuôi gió-không lạc đường và cũng không đi nhầm qua Campuchia.


Tour Guide 3:  Phạm Ngọc Hiệp, Bảo Lộc, Lâm Ðồng-Việt Nam (Về hưu-định cư tại New York, USA)
Anh Phạm Ngọc Hiệp quê tại thị xã Bảo Lộc, tỉnh Lâm Đồng.  Anh đồng ý làm tour guide cho Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt trong chuyến đi năm 2009, 2011 và 2016.  Anh đã từng là phụ xe du lịch cho nhiều kíp xe nên hầu hết các tuyến đường Bắc-Nam anh điều am hiểu tường tận.  Năm 2018 anh đi định cư tại Hoa Kỳ.  Với cuộc sống bận bịu nơi xứ người , anh đã chính thức giã từ nghiệp dư Tour Guide cho Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt.


Tour Guide 4:  Phùng Văn Tài, Tx Ngã Bảy, Hậu Giang-Việt Nam (Về hưu-định cư tại Orange County, USA)
Anh Phùng Văn Tài nguyên quán tại Thị xã Ngã Bảy, hậu Giang.  Anh từng là tài xế xe du dịch chạy khắp các tình thành Việt nam nên anh là một người am hiểu hầu hết các tuyến đường từ Bắc vào Nam.  Đặc biệt anh rất am hiều các tuyến đường lớn, nhỏ trong vùng Đồng  Bằng Sông Cửu Long.  Anh làm "tour guide" cho chuyến đi Xuyên Việt năm 2014 và năm đó chúng tôi thật sự có được một chuyến đi thật la lý thú khi anh hướng dẫn chúng tôi trên những con đường làng nhỏ hẹp chạy xuyên qua các cồn đất để sử dụng những chuyến phà làng mà băng qua các con sông rộng lớn.  Thật là một chuyến đi lý thú, khám phá để đời cho Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt.  Năm 2020, anh và gia đình đi định cư tại Orange, California và anh đã chính thức giã từ nghề tài xế cũng như tour guide nghiệp dư cho Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt.


Tour Guide 5:  Lê Trần Anh Khoa, Sài Gòn-Việt Nam
Anh Khoa là một người hướng dẫn trẻ.  Kinh nghiệm dẫn đường cho Xe Đạp Xuyên Việt trong chuyến đi năm 2019 chưa được hoàn chỉnh, tuy nhiên, sự có mặt của bạn trong suốt cuộc hành trình đã đem lại cho chúng tôi sự tự tin tưởng tuyệt đối giao phó trọng trách hướng dẫn chúng tôi đi đúng hướng và đúng lộ trình.  Chúng tôi cũng hy vọng anh sẽ cùng đồng hành với chúng tôi trong những chuyến đi tương lại.

 
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