About 2-3 weeks before Tet, members of Facebook travel groups start calling each other to form groups to ride home for Tet.
According to a survey in the Ho Chi Minh City area, the three most discussed routes are from Ho Chi Minh City to the Central region, through coastal localities; Ho Chi Minh City to the Central Highlands has two directions, to Da Lat or to Dak Nong, Dak Lak and from Ho Chi Minh City to the Western provinces.
This year, the backpacking groups started to depart on the 24th day of the lunar calendar (February 3). The routes mainly last for 2 days 1 night or 1 day and night.
The call to form groups to ride home for Tet is bustling on backpacking groups near Tet.
Nho Trung, working in Ho Chi Minh City, shared on January 14 that he posted on a group of backpackers looking for teammates to ride home for Tet. Trung's hometown is in Quang Nam, this is the first time he rode a motorbike home instead of taking a bus or plane like every year. He believes that riding a long distance home, through coastal roads, is an experience that should be tried once in a lifetime, allowing him to see beautiful scenes that cannot be seen clearly when traveling by other means of transport.
Trung plans to drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Nam on the 24th day of the lunar calendar (February 3). After two weeks of searching for travel partners, Trung's group now has 3 people driving 2 cars. The group starts from Saigon, ending in Tam Ky city, Quang Nam province. This route has many directions, the group chooses to stick to the coastal roads instead of driving entirely on the national highway to conveniently stop and admire the beautiful scenery.
The group is expected to depart at 6am on February 3, run until 5-6pm the same day, then stop in Phu Yen, a famous tourist destination in the central coastal region, and stay overnight there. The next day, the journey continues, and is expected to arrive in Quang Nam around noon on February 4.
Trung estimated that the cost of gasoline for the nearly 900 km journey would be about 1.4 million VND. Depending on the type of vehicle, the fuel consumption will vary, some vehicles will only cost about 400,000 VND. Other expenses such as food and accommodation will depend on each person's needs.
"There are plenty of places to stay along the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Quang Nam because it passes through famous tourist provinces like Binh Thuan or Phu Yen," Trung said.
Because it was his first time driving a long distance back to his hometown, Trung was most concerned about safety while driving. He said driving at the right speed, controlling the speed, and wearing full protective gear were of utmost importance.
Mr. Chien, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, said that this year, he also rode his motorbike home to Quang Tri for Tet. These days, he is "calling" for companions to ride the same route. Mr. Chien shared that his itinerary for his trip home will go through 10 coastal provinces in the Central region, including Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Hue and Quang Tri.
In addition to this coastal route, you can also go up to the Central Highlands, conquer the Indochina junction in Kon Tum and the easternmost point of Vietnam. The total route is 1,200 km but the continuous travel time is about 18-22 hours to complete.
Bau Trang road in Hoa Thang commune, Bac Binh district, Binh Thuan is a check-in point for many tourists.
Mr. Chien estimated the cost to be 600,000-800,000 VND including gas and 3 meals. He and his group of friends will depart at 4pm on December 26 (lunar calendar), drive through the night, and arrive in Quang Tri around December 27.
"Because we are running long distances, we require group members to have vehicles of 150cc or more. We have to travel 150-200km before stopping to refuel," said Mr. Chien.
Regarding safety criteria, he requires group participants to wear good quality helmets, with 3/4 or full-face visors, full body armor, and saddle pads.
Mr. Minh Quan, who is working as a content producer for the car segment in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the trend of backpacking to the countryside for Tet appeared a few years ago but is always bustling in backpacking groups during long holidays such as April 30-May 1 or Lunar New Year.
Anh Quan on a motorbike ride in Than Uyen town - Lai Chau
Not only during Tet, but almost every holiday, Mr. Quan drives back to his hometown in Can Tho. He said that the route to the West is quite short, mostly on national highways, not as beautiful as the route from Ho Chi Minh City to the Central region or Ho Chi Minh City to the Central Highlands.
"From Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, you will pass a section of road near Trung Luong intersection (Tien Giang). Here, there is a small forest with many tall, large trees that are quite special. This scene may be familiar to many people from other places but is strange to people from the West because in the West, there are mainly low, small forests," said Mr. Quan.
He said that every time he drives back to his hometown, he usually goes with a group of 2-3 friends. Having traveled many long distances, Mr. Quan believes that each group should have a maximum of 4 vehicles, and the group leader needs to have experience leading the group. In case of traveling in a larger group, it is necessary to drive in a zigzag pattern to easily observe the situation ahead. In addition, it is necessary to bring enough personal documents and comply with road traffic safety laws.
TB (according to VnExpress)Source
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