Fostering Indonesia-Vietnam friendship through the love for motorbikes

"I am certain that doing something out of love will always be successful because it is done wholeheartedly," stated Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi on August 1 at the Indonesian Embassy as he welcomed the arrival of Indonesian bikers who had just completed their 2^nd WIMT.

After successfully holding WIMT for the first time in 2019, 18 members of the Indonesian Motor Association travelled across five countries – Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam – starting on July 18.

On July 31, they arrived at the Cau Treo international border with Laos in Ha Tinh province and were greeted by members of the Hanoi Motorbike Club.

18 members of the Indonesian Motor Association travelled across five countries

Tran Anh Tuan, 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 Cau Treo border. He was impressed that they rode their motorcycles well and successfully navigated the challenging tracks to the Cau Treo international border.

In his response, head of the 2022 WIMT Delegation Joel Deksa Mastana said, "Vietnamese bikers are amazing. It was a very memorable journey and they escorted us from the border all the way to Hanoi."

The journey from the Cau Treo border to Hanoi is around 390km and took almost 10 hours.

Joel added that WIMT 2022 encountered many hardships including the delayed arrival of the motorbikes, breakdowns in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and accidents.

However, he hopes this 4,500km journey can benefit the countries greatly, particularly strengthening the relations between people, including the brotherhood of the biker community in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Luyen Thi Hong Hanh, deputy director of the International Cooperation for the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, expressed her appreciation for the WIMT 2022 team, who also brought various Indonesian products to be introduced to the Vietnamese bikers in Hanoi. She hopes that this activity can further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

WIMT 2022 also carried a special mission of promoting tourism and Indonesian MSMEs. In this regard, the bikers exhibited Indonesian products, especially motorbike parts and accessories from brands such as Axson Lube, Rob1 (clothing, footwear, and mufflers), RSV Helmet, Maxxwire (booster devices), and SDP (safer driving products), as well as sports tourism products from Indonesia.

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