The journey of an Estonian man walking from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

4 years, 22,000 km, 22 countries

This seemingly "crazy" journey lasted 3 months and 17 days. However, the walk from Hanoi to Saigon was only a very small part of his actual walking adventure. By the end of 2018, Meigo had walked a total of 20,000 km in 22 countries over 4 years and 3 months. And Vietnam was the 19th country he visited on this enormous journey! The trumpet player from Estonia shared that Vietnam was the second longest-stayed country after India and one of the places where he received the warmest welcome from the people.

The 29-year-old said he was inspired by people around the world who had traveled like that, and felt compelled to go, because "if you have a passion, you have to do it." With a passion for travel since childhood, Meigo Märk began his incredible journey in May 2014 in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. His homeland is a country in northern Europe, seven times smaller than Vietnam and with a population of only 1.3 million people.

Meigo planned his round-the-world trip on foot six months in advance. He packed a small backpack with two raincoats, a waterproof sleeping tent, a small pocket camera, a voice recorder, and a few changes of clothes, and set off to explore the world. He started his journey with only 15 euros (about 300,000 VND), two bottles of water, and some pre-prepared vegetables.

As a strict vegetarian and tent sleeper, Meigo's food and living expenses weren't excessive. A year after his journey, Meigo sold his small house to fund his continued travels. He also earned additional income from selling his music, photographs, and organizing online fundraising to further his dream.

A memorable trip to Vietnam

In December 2016, Meigo arrived in Vietnam after a long journey of 15,240 km. From the Lao Bao border gate, he followed National Highway 9 to visit Cua Viet beach in Quang Tri. There, Meigo bought his first paper map and then followed the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Vinh, and then to Hanoi. In Hanoi, he volunteered to teach English and was given accommodation in empty rooms in many people's homes. Initially, Meigo planned to travel north from Hanoi to China, but he couldn't get a visa, so he stayed in Hanoi for a month before changing his plan and heading south.

Leaving Hanoi, Meigo traveled to Hoi An, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, then to Kon Tum, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, and continued on to Da Lat before descending to Ho Chi Minh City. Each day, he typically walked 25-50 km in 5-11 hours, totaling over 3,000 km on foot in Vietnam.

In February 2017, Meigo's mother flew to Da Nang for his birthday. Meigo and his mother had two very special weeks there. "Since I was only walking, my mother and I bought a bicycle, loaded our belongings onto it, and she cycled while I ran. That's how we traveled almost 200 kilometers from Da Nang to Quang Ngai," Meigo shared. He and his mother passed through many small villages, visited Ly Son Island, and after she returned home, Meigo sold the bicycle and continued his walking journey.

Due to health issues, he paused his journey in August 2018 after continuing through Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Shortly afterward, the Estonian man returned to Vietnam and proposed to Nguyen Thi Sam, a Vietnamese woman he had been in love with for two years while living in Hanoi.

The wedding was held in October 2018 in the bride's hometown in Thai Binh, and seven members of the groom's family attended. In March of this year, Meigo and his wife welcomed their first child, a very cute baby girl named Maria Mai. Currently, Sam continues his work as a software engineer, while Meigo writes, sells photos, and shares videos of his journey. They are planning to continue their journey as a group of three and will set off again when their baby is older.

"We will travel at least another 20,000 kilometers to fulfill my dream of 40,075 kilometers – the length of the Earth's equator," Meigo said, holding his wife's hand.

My Tong