3 from Hwh complete 900km cycle trail in Vietnam in 6 days
Times of India | 17 March 2025
123 Kolkata: Three adventure enthusiasts from Howrah, including Everest summiteer Malay Mukherjee, completed nearly 900 km on cycle in Vietnam in six days. The trail, popularly known as the Ho Chi Minh trail, cuts across diverse landscapes, including mountains, jungles, coastal areas and large paddy fields.
The three adventure enthusiasts — Mukherjee, Debashis Chakraborty and Partha Pratim Hazra — set out from Hanoi on a cycling expedition on March 11. "On the first day, we started after receiving a message of goodwill from the deputy ambassador at the Indian Embassy in Hanoi. We were a bit behind schedule and decided to travel 95 km to a city called Ninh Binh that day," Mukherjee said. The trail, which transformed into Ho Chi Minh Highway in 2000, provides a very smooth surface for cycling.
"On average, we covered around 150 km daily. But the road conditions never made us feel tired. Fortunately, we also had very favourable temperatures," Chakraborty said. The cyclists decided to change the cycle every day. "We did not have much time for repairs. Changing cycles daily ensured that we had cycles in the best condition every day," said Mukherjee.
"One of the challenging aspects of the expedition was adapting to the traffic rules. In Vietnam, vehicles drive on the right side of the road, unlike India," Chakraborty said.