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Having successfully completed four legs of its marathon journey through Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with the reliable new "T135" and a motto of "Safety First," the PAN-ASEAN TOURING event began its fifth leg on April 1, which will be a 15-day tour through Vietnam. Starting from the nation's capital of Hanoi in the north, the ASEAN riders are scheduled to cover roughly 2,600 km over the coming two weeks in a southward journey to Ho Chi Minh City.
The capital city of Hanoi is well known as the political and cultural center of Vietnam, while Ho Chi Minh City is the country's largest commercial center. The touring course connecting these two metropolises runs mainly along the country's east coast and will include stops at beach resorts and three sites registered under UNESCO's World Heritage program. This is sure to make for a truly enjoyable tour, rich in natural and cultural beauties. It will also be interesting to see the topographic and climatic variety the riders will encounter on this long north-south journey through the highly varied terrains that Vietnam is famous for.
This PAN-ASEAN TOURING event has been organized by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) as a launch promotion for the new "T135" sporty moped that will be marketed in the six ASEAN nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The total distance covered by the tour thus far in the first four countries is 9,420 km. Here in Vietnam, the T135 will be marketed with the model name "Exciter."
The tour's riders from the five participating ASEAN countries gathered in Hanoi on March 31, and at 2:00 in the afternoon on April 1, everyone assembled at the Hanoi Horison Hotel for a press conference and tour launching ceremony. The conference began with a speech by Mr. Takahiko Takeda, Representative Director of Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd. (YMVN), the host company for the Vietnam leg of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING, and it was immediately evident from the flood of flashes from the press photographers how much attention this event is attracting here in Vietnam.
The unexpectedly large turnout of 39 media companies included two TV stations and 37 newspaper, magazine and Webzine publications, and staff had to hustle to find enough seating for everyone. The press was given a detailed outline of the touring course by Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Bao Tri, the Marketing Manager from YMVN who took part on the Malaysian leg of the tour. Mr. Tri has been involved in the planning and preparation stages of the Vietnam leg and knows the course well. This was followed by a lively Q&A session for the press with Mr. Tri, Mr. Takeda and other representatives including YMVN's Mr. Yoshitaka Atsumi and Mr. Tetsuo Oonishi from YMC answering questions.
Next, YMVN's Vice General Director, Mr. Trinh Van Cuong, presented the participating ASEAN riders with commemorative gifts, after which all the riders gathered on stage for a group photograph to end the press conference. Then a meeting was held for the riders and their riding gear fitted and handed out.
The riders for the Vietnam round of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING will include the Indonesian riders Hardi Fadhillah and Roy Adrianto, who have been with the tour since it started in Indonesia last November, Thai riders Chuchat Sohmanee and Choiyong Prayonghorm, the Malaysian riders Chye Beng Teh and Rosdi Bin Kamis and the Philippine riders Lester Dizon and Maico Buncio. Participating as riders from the host country, Vietnam, are Tran Ngoc Thang and Le Huy Hoa, who have been with the tour since the Malaysian leg. These riders are also joined by two Japanese representatives from YMC, Daiji Matsuoka and Kazunori Sei, bringing the total number of riders to 12. Of these riders, Hardi and Roy from Indonesia and Chuchat from Thailand have been riding since the PAN-ASEAN TOURING started and are aiming to complete the entire six-nation tour. The flag-off ceremony to start the Vietnam leg of the tour will be held at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow in front of the Hanoi Opera House.
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PAN-ASEAN TOURING enters Vietnam, its fifth nation
The press conference was attended by film crews from two TV stations and journalists and photographers from 37 print and Web media companies. Extra seating had to be found for the unexpectedly large press turnout
The press conference venue was the Hanoi Horison Hotel. The tour riders and staff from the ASEAN countries had gathered here in Hanoi the previous day, March 31
All the riders together for a photograph. They include several new riders and three who are out to complete the full six-nation course. Everyone's motto is "On to Ho Chi Minh City with Safety First!"
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