French cyclists reminded of home on tour of Viet Nam

      A group of European cyclists say they chose Viet Nam as a destination because of its French-built structures and traditional customs that still linger despite years of change.
Christian Serniclay, one of 28 tourists travelling across the country for 26 days by bicycle, said Viet Nam reminded them of France.
The cyclists, all of whom are French except for two from the Netherlands, are members of the Federation Francaise de Cyclotourisme, which organises cycling tours in France and Europe as well as Viet Nam.
Christian said they were especially fond of cities in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) and the hilltop town of Da Lat, which contains many villas built by the French.
The buildings in the Hue City and the historic houses in Hoi An town as well as the capital city of Ha Noi are often European tourists’ favourites.
"We love cities that still keep the traditional traits of the country," he said.
Their final destination across 14 cities and provinces is HCM City, where they visited French-built structures, including the building that now houses the City’s People’s Committee, the HCM City Opera Theatre and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Christian said that while HCM City was a modern city it had kept its soul.
"The city at night is beautiful and we love to have a night walk around it," he said.
However, Christian thinks the city could lose tourists because there are too many motorbikes and automobiles and virtually no bicycles.
Friendly locals
Of the group of bicyclists, only Christian has previously visited Viet Nam.
"We have met many friendly and open people who have always welcomed us and helped up when we had trouble along the way," Christian said.
When they first came to Viet Nam, they hoped to interact with local people.
"That’s why we love to visit markets, where we can easily talk with locals," said Christian, adding that many people in HCM City had been friendly and warm.
His group became friends with a Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thanh Nga who had helped them with their trip.
In return, they taught her some French words and invited her to visit France.
"Nga can have a wider view of France and Europe through meeting us," Christian said.
Cycling tours
Despite encountering difficulties, including hot weather and bad roads, the cyclists have had a good trip.
As a representative of the Federation Francaise de Cyclotourisme, Christian said he wanted to organise cycling tours across the country and hoped the local press and internet would publish news about the federation’s cycling tours and locally owned Viet Nam Adventure.