DAY12 Can Loc-Cam Xuyen

Day 12, the last day of March.

Only one month left of this trek.

At this pace, it will be pretty difficult to get to Ho Chi Minh on my own.

I intend to go as far as I can, so I continue heading south today.

Rain is forecast to continue into the morning. Maximum temperature 19 degrees.

I started at 6am. My freshly washed shoes quickly got dirty with mud.

There was heavy sideways rain at times, but the sky turned cloudy in the afternoon.

It was a gloomy day. It was as if the dry season had turned into the rainy season.

I ran 20km to the town of Ha Tinh. Took a break at a restaurant.

I ate pho at a local restaurant again today. 50,000 dong = 300 yen.

Strangely, pho is always good no matter where I eat it.

I realized that I only had a little cash left. I withdrew some cash at the bank.

It's a bit inconvenient that I can't use my card much for shopping. I'm finally starting to understand the types of Vietnamese banknotes.

Almost all the way along the Asian Highway. I cleared a few large roundabouts.

I drove 35km and still had 14 to go. My current location is Cam Xuyen.

The rain has finally stopped, but it's windy and chilly.

I took a rest on a bench in the park in front of the temple.

I was constantly sleepy while running. I thought I was sleeping well, but...

I avoided a big puddle on the road and just moved a little bit to the side of the road when suddenly, a horn sounded from behind.

I was surprised and tried to move back to the shoulder of the road, but I fell into a deep puddle...

I guess I'll wash my shoes again tonight...

48.4km from Can Rock to Cam Xuyen. It's been a while since I've been able to extend my distance.

*Today's distance: 48.4km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 392.4km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY11 Nghi Loc-Can Loc

It was cloudy when I started at 6am, and drizzle when I entered the center of Vinh town. Then it started to rain, so I put on a rain jacket.

Every time I run through a puddle on the road, mud splashed up on our shoes and socks.

In addition, the buggy was covered in mud from the mud splashed up by the large trucks and buses that passed by.

I wonder if the weather will be similar tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?

As I entered Vinh town, the number of large roundabouts and intersections increased. This is inevitable in places with a large population. Therefore, the number of motorbikes also increased. In Vietnam, there are more people riding motorbikes than walking people.

The fact that there are many Winmarts is proof that the town is large.

After crossing the large river, the Ca River, I left Vinh town and entered Hong Linh town. There were almost no shops and only private houses for 16 kilometers until I entered Hong Linh town.

The scenery of rice fields spreads out, and a four-lane highway runs north to south.

When it rains, I can't take a break unless I have a roof to shelter from the rain.

If there was a shop, I could go in and take a break, but if there wasn't, I had to stand in the rain to rest.

When I passed Hong Linh, I ate soy and chicken (400,000 VND) at a drive-in restaurant. A girl who spoke English served me.

A large number of people from a tour bus came in. They must have made a reservation for lunch. Most of them were families (whole families?).

Oh, it was Sunday today. Tomorrow is the last day of March. When I'm traveling, my sense of time gets messed up.

At 2pm, after running 37.2km, I checked into a hotel in Can Rock.

This hotel was 400,000 VND, about 2,400 yen. The hotel I stayed at yesterday was a newer and nicer building, and cost 250,000 VND.

I've been checking into hotels lately on a whim, but they're hit or miss. Online reviews are not very reliable either.

*Today's driving distance: 37.2km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 344km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY10 Dien Chan-Nghi Loc

It's raining in Vietnam in the dry season.

I started at 6am, thanking the hotel owner. He's a man of few words, but he's always smiling. He asked me to shake his hand when I left.

It was a light rain in the morning, but as I started, it gradually became more serious.

I run 12km and took a rest at Winmart to take shelter from the rain.

The rain made the air a little cleaner.

There was no dust, but mud and water splashes flew every time a large truck passed by. People drive more recklessly on rainy days.

It was forecast to rain until 3pm, but I wore rain suits almost all day.

The maximum temperature was 23 degrees, which was cool and I was grateful. I hardly sweated.

I followed a road along the sea to avoid busy Asian Highway 1.

It was raining heavily intermittently.

With 8km to go, I returned to the Asian Highway.

It was hard to find a place to shelter from the rain, so I ran almost nonstop for 35km. I finally sat down to rest at a restaurant with 5km to go.

And today I eat pho again...

The proprietress of the restaurant kindly prepared a refill for me.

I thought it would be impossible, but it went down surprisingly easily.

This is my breakfast and lunch. I always drink up all the soup.

I reach the hotel in Nghi Lock just before 3pm. 

The girl at the front desk has come to Japan for work in the past and can speak some Japanese.

My feet are muddy. My shoes are soaked. I'll wash them all in the hot shower.

*Today's driving distance: 40km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 306.8km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY9 Off@Dien Chau

DAY9, I woke up at 5am.

From around 2am, I could hear the chickens crowing.

Large vehicles were passing on the Asian Highway even in the middle of the night. In addition, long freight trains would occasionally pass by on the tracks.

I must have been tired, because I went to bed at 8:30pm and slept soundly, barely dreaming.

Today's maximum temperature was 32 degrees, just right for a day off.

It's supposed to cool down from tomorrow onwards.

Even on sunny mornings in Vietnam, the blue sky is rarely visible. It's always a hazy white sky.

I asked the hotel owner for my clothes to be washed, and they were dry overnight. Every day my clothes were muddy from the dust and sweat.

The owner brought me some food.

Deep-fried glutinous rice (apparently a Vietnamese food called banh tet).

Hot, crispy and chewy. It felt quite heavy.

I'm currently 40km north of a town called Vinh.

I'm heading to Vinh tomorrow.

I travel at a slower pace than planned.

The course was mostly flat, but it was more humid than I expected.

I look forward to a run from tomorrow onwards when it cools down (it's forecast to rain tomorrow).

I went for a cup of cofee at a roadside cafe. 

The girl working there spoke a little English, so I chatted with her. 

She seemed interested in Japan, and wanted to visit the country someday.

When moving becomes a normal part of daily life, not moving feels unnatural.

When a traveler is in travel mode, their mind is always moving forward, never stopping.

I think that a traveler enjoys the process of moving, whether they have a destination or not.

Next, I went into a local restaurant and ate pho("Pho"to above).

Apparently the owner's son is working as an engineer at Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

This father, who is a Japanophile, said he would like to visit his son and Japan someday.

I heard the news of a major earthquake in Myanmar. It was just around the time I was eating pho at this restaurant.

It seems that nothing happened in Vietnam, but in Bangkok, Thailand, high-rise buildings under construction have collapsed.

Regardless of whether an earthquake comes or not, it is important to avoid being underground or inside high-rise buildings.

I hope that everyone in the area is safe.

*Today's driving distance: 0km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 266.8km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY8 Nghi Son-Dien Chau

Day 8, I woke up just before 4am.

There was the roar of karaoke somewhere last night too...

There was also the vibration and noise of large vehicles near the Asian Highway...

It's nice to fall asleep to lullabies like this.

The temperature will be in the 30s today and tomorrow, and it will cool down after that, but it looks like it will rain occasionally.

I left at 6am. I headed south again today.

After 7am, I changed provinces and entered Nghe An Province.

After 10km, I reached a country road. It runs parallel to the Asian Highway, but the distance is a little longer due to a detour.

There were trails, farm roads, and roads full of embankments from construction sites, so the roads were very varied.

The quiet countryside scenery, typical of Vietnam, was very pleasant.

I received some mandarin oranges from a woman at a market in a small village. Immediately after that, while I was running, a man on a motorbike gave me 12,000 VND.

As I was following the farm road, I ended up crossing a railway line without a level crossing... A similar scene occurred on the Camino de Santiago last year.

Around 3pm, I checked into a hotel in Dien Chau after riding 38.8km.

It was quite hot, exceeding 30 degrees for the first time in Vietnam. I drank too much water and lost my appetite.

I'll take tomorrow off.

*Today's driving distance: 38.8km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 266.8km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY7 Thanh Hoa-Nghi Son

I left the hotel at 6:20 in the morning.

Yesterday, I asked the hotel owner to do my laundry, and when I was putting it away this morning, I noticed that one of my arm covers was missing. Luckily, I found it at the bottom of the washing machine. I want to avoid losing my luggage when I'm traveling.

I ran about 10 kilometers and had breakfast at a restaurant. It was very filling, with salad! The pho was topped with fried fish, deep-fried tofu, and coriander. 240 yen for 40,000 VND is too cheap! I ate too much for breakfast.

It's cloudy now and the temperature is 23 degrees, but I sweat a lot when I'm running. That means it's quite humid. The humid air that is unique to the subtropics is not suitable for running. It's going to get even hotter from now on. The forecast says that it will exceed 30 degrees for the first time since I came to Vietnam tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

There are times every day when I think, "Do you really have to honk your horn?" Just now, a large truck and a bus honked their horns at the motorcycle driving in front of me. It was so loud that it was like a horn and a tuba were being played right next to my ears (it felt like my eardrums were going to burst).

Just a whole day of running on the Asian Highway meant a baptism of dust. White sand had accumulated on the buggy and shoes. I saw food being dried in front of the house, but I wonder if that's okay...?

After 11am, I ran 21km to a cafe. They brought me hot coffee, ice, and green tea. It was 20,000 dong, about 120 yen. It's nice to be under a roof with a table and chairs. It's hard to relax on the side of the road.

At 2pm, I ran 39.1km and checked into a hotel in Ngi Son. I went into town to buy some groceries, which added 3km to the round trip.

The hotel looks nice, but it's quite old. It has air conditioning and a refrigerator, so I'll call it a day.

About 1,500 yen a night is about the price of a room without meals at a youth hostel in Japan back in the day of 1980s.

I'm feeling a bit exhausted from the heat.

*Today's driving distance: 39.1km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 228km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY6 Ha Trung- Thanh Hoa

DAY6 started at 6AM.

It was 20 degrees in the morning, and rose to 28 degrees during the day.

Today, I headed south mostly on the Asian Highway.

It was an uncomfortable run on the highway in a buggy, but some cars honked their horns to encourage us, and some motorbike riders gave me a thumbs up when they passed them on bikes.

There are lots of nice people in every country and place. I hope to continue meeting each and every one of them every day.

The Asian Highway was chaotic as usual.

Occasionally, a very long freight train ran along the tracks.

One old man asked if he could take a photo of me.

Most people look at me with a strange (suspicious) look when they see me pushing the buggy.

Some children even say hello to me.

We are an Asian family, we are all earthlings.

I went to a restaurant and cafe along the highway and enjoyed the local food.

The accommodation and food are cheap here, so even if I eat, drink, or shop during the trip, it feels like a good deal.

Around 9 o'clock, I ordered soy (Vietnamese-style steamed rice) for the first time at a local restaurant along the highway.

It cost 15,000 VND, about 90 yen.

I rarely go into cafes or restaurants on normal travels, but in Vietnam, if there are tables or chairs in any shop, I don't hesitate to go in, and it's interesting because I make unexpected discoveries.

After 10 o'clock, I ran 22 kilometers and took a break at a roadside cafe. It's currently 27 degrees and humid.

I like to drink strong green tea with a very sweet taste of Vietnamese coffee.

Tea included is 20,000 VND = about 120 yen. The owner gave me a souvenir of iced green tea as a service. Thank you!

I take a break in the shade frequently to avoid losing concentration due to the heat, but I'm really weak in humid heat.

Today I took out an aluminum folding chair and took a rest in the shade.

After running for an hour during the day, I sweat a lot. The humidity is tricky. It's best to take a break before I run out of energy.

6km to go. Stopped off at Winmart on the way.

One of the most famous local supermarkets that is sure to be found in any big city. You can also use your card.

The mooncake-like thing I bought here had sweet potato paste in it and was very tasty. About 70 yen each.

Just before 2pm, I checked into a hotel 13km south of the center of Thanh Hoa.

2.5 million VND per night = 1,800 yen.

It's not exactly nice, but the owner is very friendly and he likes Japan so much.

It's a little off the highway, so it's quiet and the air is a little cleaner.

*Today's driving distance: 35.3km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 188.9km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY5 Ninh Binh-Ha Trung

Woke up at 4am.

I went to bed before 9pm last night, but morning came in the blink of an eye.

Time speeds up when I'm traveling.

If today is the end, then one tenth of the journey will be over.

It's just begun, but it's definitely coming to an end.

It would be a waste not to enjoy it.

Checked out of the hotel at 6:10am.

Covered some distance in the morning.

Today's temperature ranged from 15 to 28 degrees. It was cloudy and cool in the morning. There was haze all around. Could it be the effect of the Indonesian volcanic eruption?

This morning, too, I was on the Asian Highway 1, and the intersections and large roundabouts were nerve-wracking.

When the light turned green, I sprinted through. It was difficult to avoid the noise, exhaust fumes, and aggressive cars.

After running 20km, I entered a quiet country road. I had to cross a mountain pass about 100m above sea level, but the gradient wasn't that steep.

This was my first mountain pass in Vietnam. Last year, I experienced a lot of ups and downs on the Camino de Santiago, but this time in Vietnam, it was mostly flat.

After running 8km, I returned to the Asian Highway.

I met up with a cyclist from Hanoi named Puong.

He also seemed to be heading south. We talked for about 10 minutes. 

It was quite interesting to see travelers meet up with other travelers.

There were almost no places to rest today either. I have a folding chair with me, so tomorrow I have to try to rest whenever I can in the shade of a tree and a little way off the road.

After running 38.7km, I checked into a hotel in Ha Trung, 17km north of Thanh Hoa just before 2pm.

It was humid and I was feeling exhausted. I drank too much water.

Sweat and dust were sticking to me... I wanted to take a shower soon.

I bought some steamed meat buns! White ones and yellow ones.

The white one contains quail eggs and vegetables, the yellow one contains braised pork and other ingredients.

They are so good and I'm full after eating two.

But it's okay because I've burned a lot of calories today.

*Today's distance: 38.7 km 

Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 153.6 km

*Today's Photo Album

*YouTube Movie Play List

DAY4 Ha Nam-Ninh Binh

On Day 4, I woke up at 4am.

I'm not that tired.

What's great is that the roads are flat every day.

Last year in Spain and Portugal, there were steep hills every day.

When climbing, the fatigue is concentrated in the arms, shoulders, back and upper body.

On the way down, I have to support the buggy with my legs to prevent it from going out of control, so my lower body get damaged.

Today I will run 44 km to Ninh Binh.

Yesterday, while I was running, local people sometimes called out to me, but I didn't understand Vietnamese so I just greeted them with "Xin Chao."

Yesterday, a boy in elementary school (around the lower grades) spoke to me in English.

It was a mundane conversation like "Where are you from? Where are you going?"

I only talked for a few minutes, but he left with a satisfied smile.

I started at 6:20am.

It was cloudy and the sky was hazy. It was cool and easy to run.

For a while, it was a quiet road along the river. 

The mooncake-like sweets I bought yesterday are so delicious!

They contain goji berries, walnuts, and almonds, so they probably have a lot of calories...

I don't eat much Vietnamese food, but it's fun to find ingredients that aren't available in Japan at the supermarket.

At the entrance to Phu Ly, two people gave me two bottles of water each.

One was a truck driver, through the car window.

The other was a young girl at a street stall.

Their smiles gave me energy. Thank you!

I ran 12 kilometers and got back on Asian Highway 1.

There was also a huge roundabout, which was full of thrills.

I sprinted through the roundabout, but the light turned red and a large truck honked its horn at me (lol).

One wrong step and it's a hellish highway! (lol)

I ran silently and there were only 18 kilometers left.

Monotonous roads are the kind of roads where I can lose myself and just keep running.

Apart from the dust, noise, danger and bad air, it was quite comfortable (lol).

14km left, it was getting hot so I took a rest at a street stall.

I was recommended a Red Bull, so I tried it.

I was glad they put ice in it.

My whole body was covered in dust while I was running.

I think my lungs would be damaged if I stayed on the road all day.

I can't take off my neck gaiter, even though it makes it hard to breathe.

If I run 30km in the morning, I feel a little better in the afternoon.

If I run 50km, I run 20km in the afternoon, and if it's the distance of a full marathon, I run about 12km in the afternoon.

On hot days, I especially want to extend my distance in the morning.

After 2:30pm, I arrived at the hotel in Ninh Binh after running 43.1km.

It was quite hot and I was feeling a bit exhausted.

It seems that my body is not yet used to traveler mode and the heat.

Three-quarters of the journey today was on the Asian Highway.

I still have a long way to go to get to know Vietnam.

I had pho at a restaurant a short walk from the hotel.

It was my first time eating pho since coming to Vietnam, and it was very refreshing and delicious.

Next, I moved to a cafe for a Vietnamese coffee. The sweetness of condensed milk was a great way to soothe my tired body.

*Today's distance: 43.1 km Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 114.9 km

*Today's Photo Album

*YouTube Movie List

DAY3 Hanoi-Ha Nam

Today I'll cover 45km to Ha Nam.

Temperatures are between 15 and 28°C.

The road is mostly flat, and the wind isn't too strong. I hope the traffic will thin out a little.

It'll be much easier without the noise and exhaust fumes.

Take an early break and drink plenty of water and salt.

No need to endure or sacrifice anything.

Run how I want, travel how I want, and live how I want.

At 6:15, I thanked Choi, the hotel owner, and set off.

I encountered a group of runners in Vietnam!

Hoan Kiem Lake Park near the Water Puppet Theater.

This is a no-car zone.

It's a little quiet and the air is clean.

I thought there might be some kind of marathon event going on, but it seems that's not the case.

I ran 20km and entered the Asian Highway again.

I could hardly find a place to rest.

Along the way, I came to a place where the road was blocked by a barricade, so I unloaded my luggage from the buggy and carried it ahead of me, then picked up the buggy and passed through.

28km to go. The heat is still better. I want to run on a quiet promenade...

10km to go, and finally I found a park! I took a rest on a bench in the shade.

Just after 4pm, 44.3km from Hanoi city.

Checked into a hotel in Ha Nam.

First of all, it was a small town where no Japanese people would likely ever come.

At the end, I continued on a quiet offroad along the river.

It was a peaceful road with no motorbikes or honking horns.

I was so grateful and moved to have reached the finish line safely again today!

*Today's distance: 44.3km  

 Total Distance from Noibai Internat'l Airport: 71.8km

*Today's photos 

*YouTube video playlist 

DAY 2 Day Off in Hanoi

Woke up at 6am. Day 2 in Hanoi was sunny with a temperature of 15 degrees.

Motorbike horns were honking from early in the morning. The alleys were narrow so cars couldn't get in, but motorbikes were driving around freely.

I didn't have much muscle pain, but I felt a bit like I had a mild case of heatstroke. I was drinking a lot of water.

Today was my day off, so I went for a walk around town, planning and preparing for the next day.

Left the hotel around 8am and went for a walk.

Had breakfast at a back alley stall used by locals.

Noodles with pork and coriander(Photo above). 

The noodles themselves were instant noodles, but they were light and refreshing. About 300 yen per bowl.

Afterwards, had a rest at a cafe.

It's true that stores or restaurants used by locals are cheaper. Those which are targeted at tourists are stylish and beautiful, but the price is higher.

Vietnamese coffee for 120 yen per cup was too sweet. It's sweet like coffee flavored with lots of condensed milk.

When I pay with cash, the shopkeeper will show me Vietnamese banknotes and tell me, "This is all you need."

Or they may show me the amount on a calculator screen or a piece of paper written the price.

There are no coins in circulation, so they only take banknotes.

Most items are over 10,000 VND, so on the menu they are expressed as 20K (1000 K is 20,000) or 50K.

Someone chats with the shopkeeper while on motorbike. 

Someone shops while on motorbike. This caused traffic jams.

The motorbike engines are loud, so people naturally speak louder.

The traffic jams gets worse, and horns start honking everywhere.

Thus, the constant traffic jams and noise create chaos in the markets of Hanoi (lol).

There is no need to carry so much water or food, as there is so much in the city.

When it comes to snacks to eat while running, they need to be light, high in calories, and won't spoil, so nuts and dried fruits are ideal.

I bought dried bananas, apricots, power bars, peanut nougat, etc.

Next week the temperature is expected to rise to over 30 degrees.

In the afternoon I also did some shopping and walked around town a bit.

I wasn't looking to see anything in particular (so-called "sightseeing"), I just wanted to "observe" the town.

In Vietnam, towns are supported by independent shops. It was the same in Japan during the Showa era.

But before we knew it, large corporations were weeding out the independent shops and becoming huge.

The number of merchants (people who sell things) decreased and the number of company employees (people who create systems to sell things) increased.

What was called "commerce" in the Showa era has now been replaced by the name "business."

*Today's distance: 0km  Total Distance from Noibai Internat'l Airport: 27.5km

*Today's photos 

*YouTube video playlist 

DAY1 Noibai Internat'l Airport to City Center Hanoi

Woke up at 5:30am. Had breakfast at a cafe. Banh mi (baguette sandwich) and latte were delicious.

Worked online and checked out at 9:30am.

Assembled the buggy and left. 20 minutes struggling to find the exit for the airport.

I managed to find my way out, but the busy city of Hanoi was chaotic.

There were a lot of motorbikes and cars honking everywhere.

Someone was driving a motorbike with one hand on the handlebars while looking at their smartphone, and another was riding with a mountain of about 10 cardboard boxes.

There were also three girls around middle school age riding on it.

Running while being careful of exhaust fumes, noise, and rough drivers is quite tiring. 

I ran more careful than when I drive a car.

There were lots of detours on the four-lane road that was a bypass. 

Sometimes I had to go around several hundred meters to cross to the other side.

I always got to be careful of cars and motorbikes when crossing intersections. 27.5km is not a long distance, but it was hot (max 25°C) so I drank a lot of water.

Yesterday it snowed in Tondabayashi, Osaka, but now it's summer here (max 25°C) and my body is probably surprised.

Around 4pm, I arrived at the hotel in a market near the old town. Even the narrow alleys of the market were crowded with motorbikes and pedestrians.

It reminded me of the feeling of sprinting through Osaka station during rush hour while trying not to hit people (lol).

I'm taking a day off tomorrow to prepare for the trek to Ho Chi Minh City and to enjoy city tour. I'll re-start running the day after tomorrow, the 22nd.

*Today's distance: 27.5km

*Today's photos 

*YouTube video playlist 

DAY0 Osaka to Hanoi, Vietnam

March 19, 2025

Left KIX, Osaka at 3:30pm for Hanoi, Vietnam.

6 hour-flight, very boring, no Wi-Fi, no movies, no power outlet.

I was just sitting on a seat with my eyes closed.

At 7:15pm Vietget 931 arrived at Hanoi.

Warm enough. This morning we had some snow in Osaka.

 Found a capsule hotel inside the airport. Than I checked in.

Tomorrow I will run to another hotel in Hanoi, about 30km south.

Everything is new to me here. I got to get used to so many things.

*Other photos

with my wife Morimelom and her son Ryota