GRO is a group of adventure enthusiasts and vintage car lovers from the UK. In their journey this year, they chose Vietnam as the starting point, went to Myanmar and returned to Vietnam before shipping the cars back home.
On the first day after the cars arrived at the port, the whole team was escorted through Da Nang, over Hai Van Pass, and stopped here because there was too much curiosity from the local people as well as tourists passing by.
Tanya Barrow, a member of the UK vintage car convoy, said that the first day of driving was for getting acquainted with the roads. Prior to that, the group had visited Hanoi, Dien Bien, went up to Sa Pa and finally traveled south to pick up the cars at the port.
“We didn’t have any problems with driving on the right side of the road in Vietnam because, as you know, Myanmar also switched from left to right-hand driving, while the steering wheel remained the same, so it’s reversed. They are used to it,” the team member happily shared with us.
The official journey began on the second day, moving from Hoi An to Kon Tum for a 6-hour drive. Along the way, the group had the opportunity to admire kumquat trees, which are not always seen outside of the Tet holiday.
The third day became more interesting because the GRO group learned a different driving style in Vietnam. In the UK, flashing headlights means giving way to oncoming vehicles, while in Vietnam it’s completely the opposite: flashing headlights mean asking for the right of way.
The second lesson was to move when surrounded by many motorcycles. They reminded themselves that the motorcyclists would know how to avoid them, and they shouldn’t stop because stopping would cause the whole convoy to be stuck.
On this day, the group moved from Kon Tum to Buon Ma Thuot – a journey of over 200 km.
On day 4, GRO left Buon Ma Thuot and headed to Da Lat. It would be a waste if the vintage cars didn’t come to visit Da Lat – the most romantic city in Vietnam.
Over the next three days, the vintage cars went to visit Ke Ga Cape, took a whole day’s rest, and then went to Can Tho. During this journey, the team encountered some minor engine problems, but they were quickly resolved.
Troubles continued to come to the team leader when some road sections were not updated on the map. Meanwhile, other members had a sweaty experience with Vietnam’s traffic, from motorcycles to buses, trucks, as they had to pass through Saigon – one of the busiest cities in the country.
Then, they safely reached Can Tho. After a tiring day, the 27 vintage cars from the UK had the opportunity to rest and be maintained. Some engines were not in good condition and had been running hundreds of kilometers, so they continued to experience breakdowns. The experts in the team had to lend a helping hand.
The eighth day was the stage to Ha Tien. The road was more challenging with many dirt sections, and the cars encountered malfunctions. In the end, the trip ended well in Vietnam just before the new year to continue the journey through other Southeast Asian countries.
Here are some other images from the journey:
Photos: Minh Duc, GRO
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