HÀ NỘI – A team of 18 bikers drove across Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos and reached Việt Nam on July 31 in the 2nd Wonderful Indonesia Motorbike Touring 2022 (WIMT 2022).

Members of the Hanoi Motorbike Club greeted the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI) members at the Cầu Treo international border in Hà Tĩnh Province.

"I am certain that doing something out of love will always be successful because it is done wholeheartedly," said Indonesian Ambassador to Việt Nam, Denny Abdi, at a reception on Monday at the Indonesian Embassy.

Trần Anh Tuấn, Chairman of the Hanoi Motorbike Club and Vice President of the Vietnam Bicycle and Motorcycle Federation (right), hands a gift to Joel DeksaMastana, the Head of the 2022 WIMT Delegation. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

Ambassador Denny Abdi appreciated the Hanoi Motorbike Club welcoming the 2022 WIMT group.

"I remember the first time I met Trần Anh Tuấn to convey the plan for WIMT 2022. He was very excited and conveyed his full support immediately," he said.

Trần Anh Tuấn, Chairman of the Hanoi Motorbike Club and Vice President of the Vietnam Bicycle and Motorcycle Federation, recalled his first meeting with Indonesian bikers at the Cầu Treo border. He was impressed that the Indonesian bikers rode their motorcycles well and successfully passed challenging tracks at the Cầu Treo border.

In his response, Joel DeksaMastana, the Head of the 2022 WIMT Delegation, said, "The Vietnamese bikers were amazing. They escorted us from the border to Hà Nội. It was a very memorable journey." The journey from the Cầu Treo border to Hà Nội, covering around 390km, took almost 10 hours.

Joel added that WIMT 2022 encountered many hardships such as the delayed arrival of the motorbikes, motorbikes breaking down in Thailand, Cambodia, and Việt Nam, as well as accidents.

The team at Cầu Treo Border. Photo courtesy of the embassy

However, he hopes this 4,500 km journey can benefit the countries greatly, particularly strengthening good relations between the peoples, including the brotherhood of the biker's community in Indonesia and Việt Nam.

Luyến Thị Hồng Hạnh, Deputy Director of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Việt Nam, expressed her appreciation to the WIMT 2022, who also brought various Indonesian products to introduce to the Vietnamese bikers in Hà Nội. She hopes that this activity can further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Apart from touring, WIMT 2022 also carried a special mission for promoting tourism and Indonesian MSMEs.

In this regard, the bikers exhibited Indonesian products, especially motorbike' parts and accessories, namely Axson Lube, Rob1 (clothing-footwear-muffler), RSV Helmets, the Maxxwire (booster device), safer driving products, as well as sport tourism products from Indonesia. VNS