Nearly half a month with her young daughter exploring the Northwest mountains by motorbike has left Trang with many unforgettable memories.

“Travelling or backpacking has been my hobby for a long time. Before when I was a child, I temporarily put aside my hobby of traveling to take care of my child. When the baby was older, mother and daughter continued with passion. moving”, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Trang (30 years old, Dak Nong) shared about her journey to the Northern mountains with her 5-year-old daughter Le Nguyen Tu Uyen from January 30 to February 12.

The total journey is 5,650 km, from Dak Nong hometown to Hanoi by plane, then rent a motorbike through Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces.

Trang said that what worries her the most is the weather . Before leaving, she researched the places she planned to go to, then planned and chose the right time. “No matter how passionate I am about travel, I must put my children’s health first,” Trang said. During her trip to the Northeast in June 2022, Tu Uyen was excited and obedient throughout the journey, so she was assured for this trip.

With luggage including a suitcase of 12 kg and a small backpack, and a motorbike rented from Hanoi, Ms. Trang and baby Uyen started the Northwest journey with the first route Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Moc Chau (Son La). . Mother and daughter went through hydroelectric dam, Da Trang pass in Hoa Binh, experienced Van Ho S-shaped road, reached Long Sap border gate, Vietnam – Laos border landmark, took pictures in the field of rape flowers, plum garden , visit Hang Tau and Nang Tien waterfall in Moc Chau.

The first days of the journey went smoothly thanks to favorable weather, and at the right time when plum blossoms and yellow canola flowers in Moc Chau were in season, so the mother and daughter had satisfactory photos. Ms. Trang said that Tu Uyen likes Moc Chau the most because there are many animals and flowers here. “Baby likes to see beautiful scenery like his mother, but he prefers to play and chase pigs and chickens in Hang Tau,” said Ms. Trang. Looking at her innocent daughter, enjoying nature, a mother like her feels tired after long distances have been removed.

Arriving in Ta Xua, she took Tu Uyen to hunt clouds on the top of the wind, dolphins, and take pictures in lonely trees. Because the baby was still small, to ensure safety, she skipped the place where the dinosaur’s spine was located and continued to move to Son La city.

Dien Bien is a stopover in the following days of mother and daughter. This is not only the place with the most beautiful roads in Trang’s journey, but also the place that left her with unforgettable memories. The mother and daughter were both excited about the beautiful scenery on O Quy Ho pass, Khau Pha pass and Pha Din, but also almost had to sleep at a local house on the 45 km road from Muong Tung across the forest to go to Muong Lay.

That day, after climbing the western pole of A Pa Chai, she chose the shortcut, reducing about 20-30 km. What Trang didn’t expect was that in the mountains, it got dark fast and the road was bad with lots of crushed stone. After walking about 15 km, she fell from her car but was not seriously injured. “At that time, I imagined a lot of things. Was there a robbery? Did the car break down? Did you run out of gas in the middle of the road?”, Ms. Trang recalled.

She thought of the option of asking to sleep at a homestay because the phone’s battery was about to run out, and there was no signal or internet in that area. But when she went about 5 km more, the phone signal returned, she looked up the map to the main road and met the police, who helped show the way to Muong Lay.

“This is the part of the road that makes me feel tired and scared the most. But at that time, I had to tell myself to be brave to still protect my daughter,” said Ms. Trang.

During the trip, she and Tu Uyen experienced almost all types of accommodation services from homestays, motels to luxury hotels, and ate local specialties such as: buffalo meat in the kitchen in Mu Cang Chai, grilled fish in Tram Tau, sturgeon hotpot in Sapa.

After two trips with her daughter, Ms. Trang has learned some experiences to bring her children to travel happily and safely. The first is not to force your child to eat during the trip so that he can feel comfortable, and always prepare milk and cakes in case he is hungry. Bring all necessary medicines such as diarrhea, antipyretic, allergy, insect repellent, cotton swabs, wind oil, motion sickness medicine. Clothing depends on the weather to prepare, there are both warm and cool clothes for children because most places in the northern mountainous areas can be hot during the day, but the temperature is low at night, and children are easily cold.

Having 8 years of experience as a guide in the northern mountainous provinces, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung (30 years old, Son La) said that there are very few cases of taking children on long-term motorbike trips like Ms. Trang. Most young children will be taken by their families by coach or private car to ensure their health.

“I personally appreciate the courage and thoughtfulness of the mother when taking her 5-year-old child on a long trip by motorbike while still ensuring her health. However, the resistance of young children is not good, in the northern mountainous region. The North is a place with severe weather, so consider before taking the children to experience.Moreover, the mountain pass is difficult to go, the driver is female, so someone should accompany him to ensure safety and handle the accident. try to be timely,” said Mr. Tung.

At the end of the 13-day journey to discover the Northwest, Ms. Trang is satisfied that she has successfully conquered the destinations with her daughter without any serious problems. She hopes to go with her children to all 63 provinces of Vietnam and take a series of commemorative photos so that “later when I grow up, I will remember a great childhood”.

Photo: Internet (Vietnamese.Quest.net)