A 72-year-old man has arrived in Hanoi after walking nearly 2,000 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City over a two-month period so he could visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Ho Ngoc Khiet, from the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, arrived in Hanoi on May 19, finishing his journey to coincide with Ho Chi Minh’s 121st birthday.

Khiet said he had already made a journey from HCMC to Hanoi last year by bicycle.

“And this year, I wanted to make the journey again, but on foot,” he said.

Khiet said he wanted to reflect the image of Ho Chi Minh’s soldiers, who could cross any mountain and get through any forest.

Before departure, he spent a month practicing by walking over 12 kilometers a day, he said.

He also had to save money from selling bonsai trees, because his family objected to his journey and said they would not provide him with any financial support.

He set off from the Reunification Palace in HCMC at 4 a.m. on February 27, only bringing a soldier’s backpack, two army uniforms, a hammock, a blanket and a mosquito net.

He also brought some medicine, a blood pressure meter, a cell phone and a camera.

But he said the most precious thing in his luggage was his diary, which he used to make daily records and to write down comments from people he met on the way.

He walked an average of 30 kilometers a day, usually beginning in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the harsh sun.

The journey was not always smooth.

When reaching the central province of Quang Binh, Khiet got cooking poisoning because he had drunk an expired can of Bird’s Nest drink and eaten a stale loaf of bread.

Fortunately, he was helped by local residents and was able to proceed on his journey.

Khiet said he never thought of giving up during his long journey, nor had he hitchhiked at any point.

“I always bear in mind that it’s better to fail with glory than to succeed with dishonesty,” he said.

His name Khiet means “purity” in English.

Source: Tuoi Tre