Editor's note

Many young families tend to buy or turn their personal cars into "mobile homes" to travel and explore freely. They see this as a travel option that ensures privacy, has many interesting experiences and especially has many opportunities for family bonding.

VietNamNet Newspaper introduces to readers the series of articles 'Traveling everywhere with a mobile home' .

Every morning when they wake up, instead of rushing to get ready for school, little Zoey (9 years old) and Evee (6 years old) happily welcome the sunrise, have breakfast with their parents and youngest sibling. From 9-12 o'clock, their parents will teach Zoey and Evee to study at home. In the afternoon, the family of 5 participates in outdoor activities, plays sports , swims, learns about local culture...

The two girls are excited about life in a mobile home, traveling across the states of America.

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Zoey and Evee's family has been traveling all over the world for the past 3 years.

Sell ​​all assets, take children to explore the world

In 2022, Ngoc (30 years old) and Vu (34 years old, both Vietnamese-Americans) decided to sell all their assets to embark on a journey to explore the world.

"Previously, I worked in the auto industry for 13 years. Every day, I spent about 2 hours driving to work, facing traffic jams, and work pressure. That left me with little time for my wife and two daughters," said Mr. Vu. "After Covid-19, I realized that life is very short. I have to cherish the time I spend with my family."

After "saying goodbye" to the stable life that many people dream of, all the family's belongings were packed into 4 suitcases. They started with a trip to Vietnam.

"We returned to Vietnam to visit relatives, then traveled across Vietnam for 6 months, exploring beautiful landscapes from South to North. I came to the US when I was 4 years old, Ngoc came when she was 10 years old, so we were very excited to travel to Vietnam," said Mr. Vu.

The small family traveled to different locations by sleeper bus, bus and motorbike. The place they stayed the longest was Da Lat (Lam Dong) because of the cool climate, beautiful landscape, lots of flowers and friendly people. The two girls were able to connect more with relatives, speak Vietnamese, experience the country's cuisine and culture.

Mr. Vu and Ms. Ngoc's family on their journey across Vietnam

After that, Mr. Vu and his wife took their children back to the US, embarking on a journey to explore the 50 states.

Spend 2.5 billion VND to buy a mobile home

Upon returning to the US, Mr. Vu and his wife decided to buy a trailer-style RV. Initially, they bought a 6m trailer, then changed to a 10m one, and most recently a nearly 13m one. The cost of buying this trailer was about $100,000 (VND2.5 billion).

"Real estate in the US costs from 300,000 to 350,000 USD, not including taxes. Compared to a fixed house, mobile homes are much cheaper. Importantly, we can go anywhere, without having to worry about booking a plane or renting a hotel," said Mr. Vu.

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'Mobile home' of Mr. Vu and Ms. Ngoc's family

The car has a kitchen next to the living room, 2 bedrooms with private bathrooms, and a loft. The kitchen is fully equipped with a gas stove, refrigerator, microwave, oven, etc. They also have a heater, air conditioner, washing machine, and dryer. All activities can take place conveniently on the car.

“The space will be smaller than a house, but if we know how to arrange it scientifically, everything will go well. We can still bring our family dog,” Ngoc shared.

The couple introduces the "mobile home" space

For the past 3 years, Mr. Vu has switched to financial investment and Ms. Ngoc works in tourism consulting services. Their work can be done online and with flexible hours.

Zoey and Evee learn remotely with flexible hours. Parents can easily track their children's progress and stay involved.

Vu's family made the journey to all 50 states with two other families. They shared a passion for travel and had children of the same age.

“Distance learning gives the children the opportunity to learn and experience real life. However, I am also worried that they will not be able to meet and communicate with friends. That is why we chose to accompany other families,” said Mr. Vu.

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Zoey and Evee have fun with their friends - the kids all live in 'mobile homes'

“The children are happy and open to the journey. We always ask for their opinions. When they want to settle down, we will stop moving,” they added.

Mr. Vu and Ms. Ngoc prioritize taking their children to cultural and historical sites so that they can easily compare and relate to the knowledge learned in books.

"In mid-2024, my wife gave birth to our third child. We took care of the child entirely in the mobile home, everything went smoothly. I was with the child 24/7, helping my wife. The baby is bold and adapts very well to different climates," said Mr. Vu.

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Mr. Vu spends a lot of time with his wife taking care of and educating their children.

In the US, there are parks for "mobile homes". Mr. Vu paid 8,000 USD (more than 200 million VND) to join this network for life. When arriving in the localities, they will park their cars in the parks, which have security guards, playgrounds, and charging systems for electricity and water.

Families can meet, play baseball, soccer, camp…

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In each state, Mr. Vu's family stayed for 1-2 months. "I like cool places with fresh air," Ms. Ngoc said.

They had an accident when they visited Alaska. About an hour from their stop, the car ran out of gas. In this area, there is only one gas station every 200km. Vu and his wife were quite worried. Staying overnight in a deserted area would not be safe.

Luckily, an elderly couple stopped to help. They helped Mr. Vu fill up his tank to continue his journey. After about 100km, the car ran out of gas again. At this point, the car stopped at a wood workshop. The staff there refueled the couple, enough to get them to the nearest station.

"On the journey, we met many kind people. They could be passersby, sharing the same passion for traveling. At the RV park, we helped each other fix cars, take care of the children. Our lives became diverse and colorful," said Mr. Vu.

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Mr. Vu and Ms. Ngoc love to dress up in traditional Vietnamese dress with their children on holidays and Tet or cook Vietnamese dishes to invite "neighbors" in the "mobile home" park.

Currently, Mr. Vu and his wife have created a YouTube channel recording their life in a 'mobile home' and their journey to explore all 50 states of the US to share with everyone.

Photo/Video: Mobile Life - RV Life

Parents in Can Tho took their 1.5-year-old child on a 45-day trip across Vietnam in a mobile home . Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh (28 years old, from Soc Trang, living in Can Tho) has just finished a 45-day journey across Vietnam with his wife and 18-month-old daughter. The trip went through 50 provinces from the South to the North and included 2 days of sightseeing in China.