Running across Vietnam to celebrate National Day
On the morning of August 14, at the Ho Chi Minh City Martyrs Cemetery, Mr. Long lit incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs before starting his journey across Vietnam. His final destination is Ba Dinh Square ( Hanoi ), scheduled for September 2.
Mr. Long has been running for many years. This is also the third time he has run across Vietnam. However, unlike the previous two times when he had a logistics team accompanying him, this time Mr. Long decided to run alone.
The luggage he brought with him only had a few essential items such as clothes, raincoat, shoes, water bottle, sports watch, headlamp...
Mr. Nguyen Van Long is on a solo run from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to celebrate September 2 (Photo: Facebook character).
"Because I'm traveling alone, these items will always be with me. I want this journey to be a personal milestone, a challenge that I will overcome, showing my will and pride during the great celebration," he shared.
At the beginning of the journey, Mr. Long set a goal of running an average of 82km/day, completing the trip across Vietnam in 20 days. Compared to the running pace of nearly 100km/day in the two previous journeys, this time he chose a shorter distance to suit traveling alone.
Every day, he usually starts at 4am, runs until almost noon and then rests, continuing in the afternoon from 1pm to around 5:30pm. In the evening, he finds a hotel to stay, writes a diary and updates his journey on social media so that his fans can follow him before going to bed.
Since the day of departure, Long’s journey has attracted much attention from friends and running enthusiasts in many provinces and cities. During the run, Long also continuously broadcast live on social networks, receiving hundreds of encouraging comments from the public.
Mr. Long with a compact backpack containing essential items for the journey (Photo: character's Facebook).
Although he runs long distances, Mr. Long does not focus on a special diet, but maintains eating habits similar to everyone else.
For breakfast, he usually eats nutritious porridge bought from a convenience store. For lunch, he stops at a roadside stall to eat rice, noodles, pho, vegetables, soup... In the evening, he drinks a carton of milk before going to bed.
Walk alone but not lonely
Sharing with Dan Tri reporter at the end of the 4th day of the journey, Mr. Nguyen Van Long said that on the first day of running, when entering the old Binh Duong area (now Ho Chi Minh City), the erratic weather prevented him from reaching his goal of 82km/day.
However, he quickly made up for the lost distance in the next leg. "It was the encouragement of the community and the meaning of September 2 that gave me the strength to continue," he said.
Along the way across Vietnam, Nguyen Van Long often encountered situations that were both surprising and touching. When running through residential areas, many people were curious as to why a man with a small backpack on his shoulder was walking tirelessly in the midday sun or in the pouring rain.
Some people stopped their cars to talk to him, some stood in front of their houses and waved. When they learned that he was running across Vietnam to celebrate National Day, September 2, many people were excited, many encouraged him and wished him good health.
"One day, a driver gave me a can of soft drink with a wish for peace. That action was like a way to give me more energy. Not only that, some roadside cafes, when they saw me stop by, also created conditions for me to rest and recover my strength.
"I travel alone, but I never feel lonely. On every journey, I always feel the love of everyone for me and that is more valuable than any material support," Long shared.
On the way, Mr. Long met many people who shared the same passion for sports (Photo: Character's Facebook).
According to Mr. Long, the simple encouragement from those strangers was the "fuel" that helped him overcome the fatigue of the hundreds of kilometers of travel. By the evening of August 17, Mr. Long arrived in Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak).
Every day, he spends more than 10 hours on the journey, overcoming many roads. However, he remains optimistic, seeing the journey not only as a personal challenge but also as an opportunity to spread the sporting spirit to the community.
His ultimate goal is to arrive in Hanoi on September 2, with the hope of offering incense at Uncle Ho's Mausoleum. He also anticipates difficulties in accessing Ba Dinh Square during the big holiday, but with determination, he believes that his journey will end at the most meaningful moment.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nguoi-dan-ong-chay-bo-xuyen-viet-tu-tphcm-ra-ha-noi-mung-29-20250818122948769.htm
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