20,000 km of empathy: a Spanish cyclist's journey to Da Nang

On the morning of Dec. 25 Marino Izquierdo pedaled into Da Nang City, marking the end of a 20,000-kilometer odyssey.

The trip, which took him to 20 countries and territories, began on Feb. 7 in his hometown in Spain.

To finance it, he sold his car and personal belongings and relied on the support of friends to keep him moving through various destinations like Germany, Greece and China.

He finally reached Vietnam on Dec. 7, also the 16th anniversary of his father's death.

For Marino, the ride was never about the physical challenge. It was a tribute to his father and a way to raise funds and cancer awareness.

Though he had planned to continue on to Cambodia and Laos, he felt a connection to Vietnam and chose to end his journey in Da Nang. Here, with his son Jordi's help, he was connected with a French charity called La Goutte d’Eau (The drop of water), which partners with a hospital in Da Nang.

Marino Izquierdo receives flowers on arriving in Da Nang on Dec. 25, 2025. Photo courtesy of Marino Izquierdo

While volunteering, he met a family in which two children had recently lost their mother to cancer.

Seeing the father's grief and the son's struggle to return to school reminded Marino why he started.

"I didn't go there as a tourist, but as a friend who wanted to share and understand," he says.

In Da Nang, Marino donated his bicycle to the Yeu Go Noi (Love Go Noi) Fund to be auctioned. Phan Nhat, the fund’s co-founder, said the proceeds would go toward buying rescue boats and life vests for Go Noi, an area that suffered damage during the cataclysmic floods in November.

The two men formed an instant bond, both having lost their fathers.

Marino Izquierdo is welcomed in Da Nang. Photo courtesy of Marino Izquierdo

Marino's trip had often been difficult due to bad weather, breakdowns and a medical emergency in Hue. But he was overwhelmed by the kindness he encountered, from the doctors who treated him to a stranger who handed him cakes during a storm just to say, "Welcome to Vietnam."

Over 10 months he says he received help everywhere, even when he had nothing to offer in return.

Before he left Spain some people had doubted if he could complete the trip, but that only made him more determined, he says.

"Even when no one believes in you, continuing forward is the strongest answer."

Marino plans to travel through Vietnam for two more months before returning to Spain, but is certain he will visit again, especially with the waiver of visa requirements for Spanish nationals making travel easy.

He explains: "Vietnam is no longer just a country I cycled to. It is a country full of people and stories I want to return to."