"Thibault & Khanh Nguyen" a couple traveled 16,000 km from France to Vietnam
"Thibault & Khanh" from France to Vietnam
TRAVEL INFO
1 Years
16000 Km
17 Countries
“Thibault & Khanh” a couple traveled 16,000 km from France to Vietnam, and the adventure began immediately after their marriage and during the honeymoon period, they were on their grades and their goal was to collect money to build a school for education in Asia. He has a wonderful view of life.
INTERVIEW
We asked Thibault & Khanh : Hello guys ! We are Thibault & Khanh Nguyen. Thibault is 32 and French. Khanh Nguyen is 29 and Vietnamese. We both met in Saigon (Vietnam) more than 7 years ago. We got married and decided for our honeymoon to cycle from France to Vietnam (16,000km) and also to raise funds to build a school for poor kids in Saigon. The aim was to collect 1$ per kilometer cycled.
Question : What is your goal for travel ?
They said : Thibault had already had an experience of long cycling before (he cycled from France to Slovenia & Italy before) but Khanh Nguyen had no experience of cycling or travelling at all. Thibault wanted to share with her the feeling of freedom and joy on a bicycle, and that together, as a couple, as a team, they could finish such an ambitious journey.
Question: Is traveling on a bike easy?
They said: It is not always easy but it is extremely rewarding. When you reach the top of a high mountain by yourself, the feeling of accomplishment and joy is so good. You need to suffer sometimes to experience such feelings. You need also to be open to the unknown (events, people, weather, etc.). You need to accept that you won’t master everything. And if you fully accept this you will have beautiful surprises and meetings as we had all over the way from France to Vietnam. Iran is a good example : a difficult country in appearance (mainly because of Western media) but gorgeous landscape and some of the most welcoming people in the world.
Question: What are the most important difficulties you face ?
They said: We had some very difficult days on the road in Azerbaijan (the road was under construction, muddy and many big dogs – the Kangals – kept attacking us). Khanh Nguyen had also a food poisoning in North-East India and a sprained ankle in Myanmar. But these difficulties do not weight much compared to all the beautiful moments we had during one year. Again, we need to suffer a bit sometimes to access some rewarding moments.
Question: Is money an obstacle to financing the trip and how to act ?
They said: We think that travelling by bicycle might be the cheapest way to travel the world, especially if you wild camp a lot. It also depends on the countries you cross for your budget : Switzerland was super expensive (10 dollars for a hot chocolate!) but some countries like Georgia, Iran, India or even Nepal were super cheap. Also many people can welcome you in their homes all the way.
Question: Tell us about your most important travels, how many distances did you travel ?
They said: We cycled more than 16,000km for this journey. Every day on the road is different depending on the road conditions, the weather, and the people you meet. We advise other cyclists to take their time : take your time to meet people, enjoy the landscapes, feel the region you cycle and the atmosphere. Don’t rush to your goal. It is sometimes to skip very boring & flat parts by taking a train or hitch-hike to enjoy more other places.
Question: What are your dreams and plans for the future ?
They said: Now we just had a baby boy, Léon, 2 months ago ! So it is a big change in our life. We wish to put him as early as possible on a bicycle, and if he likes it, we would like to travel by bicycle with him ! And maybe one day go around the world with him (and maybe our other children, if we have!)
Become what you are. Friedrich Nietzsche
Question: What are your tips for those who want to experience traveling on a bike ?
They said: Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment to start your journey, it won’t exist and you might regret that you have never started this journey. As soon as you can go, go ! Learn as much as possible before the trip to maintain and repair your bicycle. The best is to set-up your bicycle by yourself before the trip. Like this you will know how to fix it in case you need it. When you are in the middle of nowhere, it might be useful !
Question: Has your trip project been successful and what do you feel like after the trip ?
They said: More than successful ! It was a lifetime experience for both of us. We also managed to collect more donations for the school in Saigon than we had hoped for. We hope to be back one day on the road !
If you want to know more about our adventure, you can buy our book (available on kindle and paperback) with the title : “From my Home to Yours”.
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