Mr. Nguyen Trung Phuong is the owner of an irrigation equipment business in Ho Chi Minh City and also a travel enthusiast. Recently, he completed a cross-country trip from Ho Chi Minh City to the North and back.
On this journey of over 5,000km, he was accompanied by his life partner and their Isuzu mu-X, as well as friends driving two Ford Rangers.
Choosing a different route to enjoy life
– Hello sir. Congratulations on completing a cross-country trip of over 5,000km in just 17 days in December 2023. What inspired this memorable journey at the age of U70?
I have been passionate about travel since I was young. Every time I have the opportunity, I travel. I travel with the means I have at that time, by motorbike, train, bus, car. With cars, I have been traveling for 20 years. I have been to many places by car, including foreign countries like Laos and Cambodia. I have traveled so much, but I still want to travel more.
I travel a lot. So for this trip, I estimated that it would take about 17-20 days. In the end, the trip was successfully completed in 17 days.
Many people ask me why there are so few toll fees on my trips? The toll fees during the trip amounted to only 1,080,000 VND, through 17 stations. In contrast, many one-way travelers pay nearly 2 million VND.
The secret is actually very simple, it’s all about choosing the routing. I have a habit of choosing coastal routes. Those roads are wide, long, and almost toll-free.
Of course, taking these roads adds about 20-30km, sometimes 50-60km, compared to the national highway. But when using diesel cars, going a bit further doesn’t increase fuel consumption by much. On these roads, you can comfortably travel at 60km/h without having to slow down to 40-50km/h when entering urban areas. Moreover, there are no toll booths, which offsets some of the fuel costs.
When returning, I also only take routes like Dong Truong Son, Ho Chi Minh Road… I believe that it is unnecessary to take the national highway when there is Dong Truong Son Road crossing through many provinces like Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Buon Me Thuot. This road is fast, with good road surface quality, few toll booths, and only about 50km longer than the route via National Highway 14. Using this road is not stressful, no crawling, no clinging.
Of course, experience is also needed to choose the right route. In addition, you need to have confidence in your own vehicle. Because the roads I choose to travel sometimes go dozens of kilometers without seeing any other vehicles. Eating and drinking are more difficult. There are few establishments due to the fewer people, so you have to take advantage of them. For example, if you pass a restaurant at 11 am, you should stop by it instead of expecting other restaurants on the way.
– Can you share some memorable experiences from this cross-country trip?
The scenery of the country is beautiful wherever you go. No film, no camera can capture its full beauty. You can only go and experience it yourself.
The scenery is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful. Almost everywhere we went, we encountered kind-hearted people.
I intended to stop at other places, but when we reached Vuc Hom, the local people were so enthusiastic, so we decided to stay there. In Thung Nai, Hoa Binh, the road was impassable due to congestion. We also decided to stay and were warmly welcomed by the local people. People in remote areas are very generous and lovely. Those are memories that are hard to fade away.
The trip was well prepared. But once we set off, we realized that, despite thinking everything was in place, there were still some things missing. That is the human touch. Wherever we went, we received that “touch”. It is difficult to capture this in each frame of film. You can only go and experience it. That is why even though I have been to many places, I still want to go again whenever I have the opportunity.
This year, I am already over 60, and I often say to my wife that I don’t know how long we can keep traveling like this. My wife is a great travel companion. I have a talent for night driving. But she always stays awake with me on every night trip, even though I urge her to go to sleep. My wife is also a great teammate, she understands what I want without me having to say a word, just by reaching out her hand.
Used many types of cars before reaching the most underappreciated car
– On this trip, you used the Isuzu mu-X. It is not a popular choice among Vietnamese users. But surely this car has many advantages that made you decide to use it instead of a more popular model. How did fate lead you to this car?
I have used many different types of cars. Before the Isuzu mu-X, I had used many different cars such as the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest… many of them.
Of all the cars I have driven, the Toyota Fortuner is one of the cars I have used the longest, over 200,000km. Although I liked it very much, after driving it for so long, I wanted a change. In 2018, I decided to switch to the Isuzu mu-X.
One of the reasons I chose this car was that at that time, Isuzu introduced a locally assembled model with a 5-year/200,000km warranty, depending on which condition is reached first. At that time, other brands usually offered a 1-2 year warranty, at most up to 100,000km.
A car is like a second wife. Does anyone not praise their “wife”? But in reality, after using it for nearly 5 years, I am still satisfied with my decision.
Until now, the car still consumes little fuel, the engine is still durable, and the driving experience is exactly what I want. The car doesn’t have many minor issues, even though I have my own maintenance “policy”. The manufacturer recommends changing the oil every 10,000km. Friends suggest 5,000-8,000-10,000km, everyone has their own opinion. But I still decide to maintain it the way I have always done, which is changing the oil and filter every 20,000km.
– SUV and pickup truck are two different types of vehicles, both of which accompanied you on this cross-country trip, so do you notice any differences?
The Isuzu mu-X has a small drawback when traveling long distances because it only has rear-wheel drive. Compared to all-wheel drive vehicles like the Ford Ranger, rear-wheel drive vehicles are often not as efficient on steep and rough roads. But some friends who use all-wheel drive vehicles admit that they rarely have to use the “all-wheel drive” function. Therefore, I still feel that a rear-wheel drive vehicle is very good. If the road is bad, I can rely on my driving experience to compensate. If going straight is not possible, I will go diagonally. If I can’t go any further, I will turn.
Many people want to use a car for long-distance travel and add a sleeping area or additional luggage on the roof. But with the Isuzu mu-X, you only need to fold down the rear seat to have a double bed immediately. Combined with a tent at the tail of the car and lowering the window a bit for ventilation, you have a comfortable and relaxing space.
In addition, I have a business. Normally, the Isuzu mu-X can be converted into a pickup truck for transportation. With the amount of goods I need to transport, it would require two pickup trucks, but with just one Isuzu mu-X, folding down the two rear rows of seats gives you double the cargo space of a pickup truck.
– Do you plan to switch to another car?
About a year ago, I wanted to change my car. My way of thinking is that usually when I have traveled 100,000km, I sell the car, and if I use it for a long time, I want to change it when it reaches around 200,000km. But my wife told me that this “little wife” is really good. I listened to my wife, so I didn’t change it anymore. After the recent cross-country trip, I told my wife that not changing the car was the right decision.
If I do change, I will still choose the Isuzu mu-X. Because the car serves both of my needs, it is suitable for travel and can also transport goods.
If I only want a car for leisure, I would choose a pickup truck like the Ford Ranger. The ground clearance is much higher, it is equipped with all-wheel drive, and the front seats are very comfortable. If considering safety, a Volvo car is a good choice. But it is not as suitable for off-road travel.
– Is there anything about the Isuzu mu-X that you hope the manufacturer will improve?
I have replaced the screen because the “stock” screen was too small. I prefer a large, clear screen. In reality, I’m not completely satisfied with the new screen, but it is acceptable.
Also, because I like traveling at night, I always replace the lights in any car I buy. The same goes for this Isuzu mu-X. I find that the “stock” lights of mid-range cars are usually not bright enough at night. The light is a bit dim. Apart from that, I always keep the car in its original condition.
Maybe because I like simplicity, but since buying a car in 2018 until now, switching to the Isuzu mu-X still feels good. Of course, if Isuzu could add some additional features such as automatic locking, remote engine start, or a partition in the middle like the Kia Sedona, it would be great. But these features are nice to have, and it’s okay if they’re not available.
What I hope Isuzu can improve the most is a very small detail. That is the folding center armrest to make it easier to access the third-row seats. Many of my passengers have difficulty using it. Therefore, even though I am in the driver’s seat, I still have to get out of the car to assist.
– Thank you for your sharing. I wish you safe travels and continue to have meaningful trips in the future!
