Vietnam's mountains and forests fascinate Westerners who walk around the world

Exploring the majestic limestone mountains in western Quang Binh, Meigo Mark, an Estonian man who traveled by foot through 19 countries, said he was fascinated by the beautiful scenery here.

Meigo, 26 years old, comes from the Nordic country of Estonia. He introduced himself as a country that is only 1/7 the size of Vietnam and has a population of over 1 million. Entering Vietnam in early November 2016 through the Lao Bao international border gate (Quang Tri), Meigo said this was the 19th country he had visited.

Meigo Mark's first paper map and his current journey in Vietnam. Photo: Hoang Tao

Travel by walking

What makes many people surprised is that this guy explores the world entirely by... walking. "I have walked 12,530 km in the past 2 years and 6 months. My travel is very cheap. I travel entirely on foot, without using or hitching rides on motorbikes, cars or other means of transport..., except by boat," Meigo said.

Departing on May 11, 2014 from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, Meigo planned to travel around the world on foot 6 months in advance. Carrying a small backpack with 2 raincoats, a waterproof sleeping tent, a small pocket camera, a voice recorder and a few sets of clothes, Meigo set out to explore the world.

A year later, Meigo sold his small house to raise funds to continue his journey. He also organized online donations to raise more funds to realize his dream.

He plans to write a book after completing his 9-year journey, exploring 45 countries and traveling 40,000 km on foot. Photo: Hoang Tao

Vietnam with first impressions

Meigo plans to explore Vietnam for 2 months. From Lao Bao border gate, he follows Highway 9 to visit Cua Viet beach in Quang Tri. Here, Meigo buys his first paper map. “Many Vietnamese people do not know Estonia, so I bought a map and drew my itinerary,” Meigo said, adding that he had previously only used a smartphone to navigate.

Arriving at Cua Viet beach, Meigo exclaimed in disbelief that he had set foot on the Pacific Ocean from Northern Europe just by walking. Then, he followed Highway 1A to Dong Hoi City (Quang Binh).

Exploring Phong Nha for 2 days, Meigo took a boat trip on the Son River, visited Phong Nha Cave, the countryside and limestone mountains.

Meigo said he was fascinated by the peaceful and majestic mountain scenery here. Exploring Vietnam in the past 2 weeks, he had time to get to know some friends, was invited to their homes and enjoyed local dishes. Meigo was quite impressed with the vermicelli dish, ate soup and remembered quite clearly a mushroom dish.

He shared that he usually travels 25-50 km every day, for 5-11 hours, and rests for a few minutes when tired. Sometimes, he visits local families, asks them to sing for him, or tell a story and records it. “When I meet young people who know English, I ask them to translate the stories,” Meigo said.

Admitting that traffic on Highway 1A was “very chaotic” with too many different vehicles, Meigo chose the Ho Chi Minh trail to continue his journey to Hanoi.

Dream of conquering 45 countries

The two closest countries before he set foot in Vietnam were Laos and Cambodia, which took him 6 weeks. India is the country that has taken him the most time so far, with one year and 22 days, covering a distance of 4,700 km.

Meigo said he camped overnight along the way, immersing himself in nature. In one province in India, he heard a leopard growl while sleeping in the middle of the forest. He also slept in the snow many times.

“Traveling is easy now with a smart device with GPS. This would have been difficult 20 years ago,” he said.

In each country he visited, Meigo made friends and was assisted with food and accommodation. “Many locals were very kind to me, offering me food and accommodation,” he added, adding that 140 families had helped him on his long journey. Meigo also met 15 other people who had traveled around the world in various ways.

The young man said he loves the peaceful scenery of Vietnam's countryside and mountains. Photo: Hoang Tao

Having traveled through many countries, he has not encountered many difficulties in paperwork to enter the next country, although each place has different procedures.

Meigo’s next destination is China, which will take at least six months. “After that, I will take a ship to Korea, Japan, Canada, explore many countries in South America, go to South Africa and head north to return to Estonia,” Meigo said. “This journey will last at least another seven years.”

The journey was long and unbroken, with Meigo's mother and sister flying to Türkiye, Nepal and Greece to visit him. Meigo also kept in touch with his family via email and social media.

“My family also loves traveling, they support and encourage me to make the trip,” Meigo confided. Setting a goal of conquering 45 countries and 40,000 km in 9 years, the young man said he will write a book after finishing the journey.

“Hopefully I will return to Vietnam then, but by another means, because walking will take a long time,” Meigo said with a smile.

According to VNE