Couple walks from Türkiye to Vietnam to celebrate love

One night in mid-May, Sophia and Luke set up a hammock and tent together on a hillside outside Karaman, in Türkiye's Central Anatolia region. "It's only been 50 days of our journey, but we've had countless experiences," said Sophia, 27. "Those things will make our moment in Vietnam even more special."

Sophia Tang used to work in marketing for a company in the UK but found office life boring so she decided to quit her job, go to Australia to work and sail around the Whitsundays Islands.

She switched to being a content creator specializing in travel . In 2022, she came to Vietnam and spent a month exploring from North to South. In Ho Chi Minh City, Sophia met Luke, a fellow countryman who was also traveling. The two became friends and fell in love.

On September 16, 2024, Luke came up with the idea of walking across 21 countries, from England to Vietnam. He invited Sophia to join him for half of the journey, starting from Turkey to Ho Chi Minh City to return to the place where they first met.

"It wasn't easy to say yes because everyone knew this journey was crazy, but saying 'No' was even harder," Sophia said. "I love freedom and adventure and would regret it if I missed this experience."

She had only one week to prepare before flying from Australia to Türkiye.

On March 22, the couple set off from Silivri, on the coast of the Marmara Sea in northwestern Türkiye, where Luke stopped before picking her up at the airport. They planned to travel through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and end in Vietnam. The couple's journey was about 11,000 km long and was expected to last a year.

They walk about 30 km every day. Every two days they take a day off to recover. At night, they camp outdoors to enjoy the wilderness, occasionally staying in a hotel.

The first week, Sophia felt like she would give up because of exhaustion from carrying a heavy backpack, walking in the hot sun, and climbing steep hills. The last few kilometers of the day were often the hardest, with blistered, sore, and tired feet. But the more she walked, the stronger she felt and the more she enjoyed the journey.

They had originally planned to cross the mountains in Türkiye, but after seeing numerous bear tracks and encountering wild wolves, they turned back 50 km and chose to go along the Black Sea. This route was longer but safer and offered views of the sea.

“I learned to adapt and find simple joys,” says Sophia, who enjoys the feeling of eating grilled chicken skewers, fish rolls, meatballs, soups, salty yogurts and tea in rural Turkey.

Over the past two months, Sophia has posted dozens of videos about her journey on social media, attracting millions of views. Many people say they are inspired by her story. Sophia's uncle watched the videos and was motivated to run 15 km every day.

Sophia always thinks about her destination Vietnam, she looks forward to enjoying Vietnamese food, especially banh mi, and the energy and kindness of the locals.

“I’m excited to experience it again,” Sophia said. “Vietnam not only marks the end of a long journey, but also represents everything I’ve overcome to get there.”

TB (summary)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/cap-doi-di-bo-tu-tho-nhi-ky-sang-viet-nam-de-ky-niem-tinh-yeu-412186.html