A journey in Vietnam with French hitch-hiker
14:00 04/03/2009

      Hubler Ludovic has been to some 40 countries by foot and when he arrived in Ho Chi Minh City to travel around Vietnam, a Thanh Nien correspondent accompanied him briefly.

His hitch-hiking equipment includes a world map with marks indicating the places he has been to, a newspaper clipping about him with a photograph, and a self-introduction in the local language written by friends in each country.

The latter says: “My name is Hubler Ludovic, aged 29. I’m traveling by foot. Do you go in that direction? Could you give me a lift?”

To travel from HCMC to the north, we had to take the Ha Noi Freeway.

When traveling between cities, Hubler usually goes to the city gate where cars leaving the city have to pass through.

In all we changed cars and buses 11 times before arriving in Hoi An town a day and a half later.

He knows an extremely useful website for backpacking travelers, www.hospitalityclub.org, which has over 24,000 members in 207 countries willing to offer free home-stay.

Unfortunately there were no members in Hoi An, unlike in Hanoi or HCMC, and so we stayed in a small hotel.

In Hoi An, like everywhere else he has been to, Hubler spent most of his time visiting schools and talking about his around-the-world trip.

He wants students to nurture their dreams of adventure.

Within a short time of our arrival, when walking on the street, some boys yelled “Ludovic!” “I have become famous in this small town,” he said.

When the trip ends, he intends to write a book and make a movie about his journeys before settling down with a job and marriage.

“On the road, sometimes I feel desperate when drivers continuously refuse to give me a lift. But I stick to my rules – optimism and steadfastness.”

“One of the happiest conclusions I have drawn is that most people in this world are kind-hearted,” he said.

After Vietnam, the peripatetic Frenchman’s next destination is China.

By Phuong Nguyen – Translated by Tuong Nhi

Source : thanhniennews.com