Hmong teenagers cycle hundreds of kilometers

Despite their lack of fluency in Vietnamese and having never traveled before, they set out on their trip to the capital. They pedaled past the residence of Ha Van Chuan in Mai Chau district, the northern province of Hoa Binh, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Noticing the boys’ exhausted and hungry state, along with their blistered and swollen feet, Chuan, together with his wife, welcomed them inside for a meal, a bath, and a haircut before notifying the Mai Chau district police.

Chu (L) and Hinh after being discovered by locals and transported to the Mai Chau district police station on April 18, 2024. Photo courtesy of Mai Chau district police

Bui Van Duy, a district police officer, reported that the boys were unable to recall their full names. The older boy identified himself as Chu, age 15, and the younger boy Hinh, age 13. Their neighborhood’s name escaped them, and they only mentioned originating from "Muong Cha," which is believed to be the Muong Cha district in the northern province of Dien Bien.

"We’ve only been able to obtain minimal information since the boys belong to the Hmong ethnic group, have never attended school, and struggle with the Vietnamese language," Duy said.

The bicycles ridden by Chu and Hinh on their journey – possibly as far as from the northern border province of Dien Bien hundreds of kilometers away – towards Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Mai Chau district police

The police brought the brothers to the station that same night to secure lodging and arrange a health examination. An officer proficient in the Hmong language was also assigned to assist the boys and help in gathering further information to locate their families.

By Friday morning, with their physical health and mental had state improved, Chu revealed that they had set out for Hanoi roughly two weeks ago after an acquaintance, whose identity remained unknown, gave them two old bicycles.

Lacking knowledge of the route to the capital, they chose to follow the main road and ask for directions along the way.

The Mai Chau district police have reached out to the police and education department of Muong Cha district to confirm details and trace the brothers’ family, but no progress had been made by Friday afternoon.

The officers estimated that if the brothers truly started their journey from Muong Cha district, they would have covered over 400 km by the time they arrived at Chuan’s place in Hoa Binh.