11 bikers ride thousands of kilometers to strengthen Indonesia-Vietnam friendship

Eleven motorists arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday night (September 24) after traveling around 750 km from Vientiane, Laos. Overall from their starting point in Johor Baru, Malaysia to Hanoi, they have traveled more than 3.000 km.

The Indonesian Ambassador in Hanoi, Ibnu Hadi on September 25 received a group of 11 Indonesian motorists who were part of "The 1st Wonderful Indonesia Motorbike Touring (WIMT)" participants who toured 4 countries in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

In the series of motorbike tours that took place from 13 to 27 September 2019, Vietnam was the final destination. The Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi supports the tour by facilitating the group to obtain vehicle permits from the Vietnam Ministry of Transportation and arranging meetings with Vietnamese motor clubs in the cities visited by the motorists, namely Vinh and Hanoi.

Motorists promote Indonesian tourism through interactions with the bikers community in the countries they visited. In a friendly gathering held at the Indonesian Promotion Center - Umah Indo, Indonesian bikers met with their fellow bikers of motorbike lovers in Hanoi, namely Harley Davidson Hanoi and BMW Motorrad Hanoi. 

The meeting not only provided an opportunity to promote Indonesian tourism but also became an arena for the motorcycle communities of the two countries to share stories about their hobbies and exchange souvenirs as a sign of friendship.

Indonesian Ambassador Hanoi Ibnu Hadi expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the touring participants who had traveled thousands of kilometers to be able to promote Indonesia to Vietnam. Furthermore, Ambassador Ibnu Hadi considered that this touring activity had an important meaning as an opportunity to strengthen friendship between the two countries at people-to-people level.

"The similarity in hobby, namely the love of motorbikes, can be a potential capital to strengthen friendship of people from both countries. The Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi encourages and supports Vietnamese bikers to also be able to have motorbike touring to Indonesia”, he said.