U80 veteran rides motorbike 1,300 km to Ho Chi Minh City to watch parade

The image of veteran Tran Van Thanh walking on the street was accidentally caught and recorded by people.

On the afternoon of April 22, Mr. Thanh stopped by his daughter’s house in Nha Trang City to take his motorbike for maintenance. He continuously received phone calls from his family and strangers in many provinces and cities asking for support while he was passing through.

Mr. Thanh started his journey on the morning of April 17. Initially, he told his family that he would "take a bus" but secretly prepared his belongings, pots, pans, clothes, blankets, alcohol stove, and a national flag before setting off.

"If my family knew I would travel more than 1,300 km by motorbike, they would definitely stop me, so I had to lie," he said.

Mr. Thanh fought in the B5 front (Route 9 area and northern Quang Tri ) during the resistance war against the US. This trip was to see the development of each place he passed through as a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification, and also to pay tribute to his fallen comrades on the old battlefield.

Every day, to avoid the heat of the Central region, he usually sets off at 6am and rests at noon, continuing his journey at 2pm. In the evening, he takes the opportunity to rest at local hotels and motels. On average, he travels 150-200km per day.

Veteran Tran Van Thanh and his belongings on the journey from Vinh City (Nghe An) to Ho Chi Minh City to watch the parade on April 30.

The veteran said that most of the roads were "quite easy to travel", except for Ngang Pass (Ha Tinh - Quang Binh) and Hai Van Pass (Hue - Da Nang ) which were "difficult" for his 25-year-old motorbike, because the road was quite steep and winding. Once, he fell off his bike and suffered minor scratches in Phu Yen province.

"Once I didn't check, so when I passed Hai Van Pass, my car ran out of gas and I had to walk a distance. But with the timely support of the locals, this difficulty was not a big deal," said Mr. Thanh.

Along the way, he stopped at many famous historical sites in the provinces, asking passersby to take souvenir photos. He stopped at the old battlefield in Quang Tri province to burn incense for his comrades and visit his adoptive mother.

When he arrived in Da Nang, the story of Mr. Thanh's journey spread on social media. At this time, his family learned about the incident and were worried, advising him to "stop" and wait for the car to pick him up.

"But I feel my health is still stable, I want to go to experience, along the way I also visit relatives and always update the situation at home so my children and grandchildren are less worried," he said.

Mr. Thanh was quite surprised to see that his trip was being followed by many people. Along the way, many people invited him to eat and drink, and gave him gifts, but he chose to "share with the workers along the way" because he did not feel that he was in too much of a difficult situation.

"Through this trip, from the bottom of my heart I also want to contribute a part of patriotism to the younger generation, always remembering the sacrifices of our ancestors to protect the Fatherland, to have peace like today," said the veteran.

Mr. Thanh and the motorbike he traveled across Vietnam with (photo provided by the character)

Mr. Pham Quoc Huong, head of Block 2, Quang Trung Ward, Vinh City, Nghe An, said that at the beginning of March, at a meeting of veterans of Block 2, Mr. Tran Van Thanh shared his intention to ride a motorbike from Nghe An to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. At first, everyone thought he was joking because at his age, he was not healthy enough to make that journey.

Over the past few days, Mr. Huong and the people of Block 2 have also anxiously followed Mr. Thanh's journey.

Ms. Tran Thi Hong Yen, Mr. Thanh's daughter, who lives in Nha Trang, said that from the moment she learned that he was driving a motorbike across Vietnam alone, she was extremely worried. The whole family did not think that her father would make such a bold decision. Although she was worried about her father, she still respected his decision and asked some friends to support him on his trip to the South.

"On this April 30th, my family will also go to Ho Chi Minh City to watch the parade celebrating the liberation of the South with my father," said Ms. Yen.

Mr. Thanh said that after the trip to Ho Chi Minh City to watch the April 30 parade, he will send his motorbike back to Vinh City, then take a train or bus back home so that his children and grandchildren will worry less.

TB (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/cuu-chien-binh-u80-di-xe-may-1-300-km-vao-tp-ho-chi-minh-xem-dieu-binh-410047.html