Touring Report

Apr. 2,
The first day, a tour to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay

This morning a "flag-off ceremony" was held to launch the fifth round of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING event, the tour through Vietnam. The ceremony began at 8:00 a.m. on a special stage set up for the occasion in front of the Hanoi Opera House in central Hanoi, which is a remnant of the French colonial period. On stage, the Vietnam National Army Band performed, after which Mr. Yoshitaka Atsumi of Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd. (YMVN) took to the stage to say that the tour would be run in the spirit of Safety First. Next, Mr. Nguyen Van Jhu, Deputy Director of Opera House, got up to offer words of greeting to the ASEAN riders. Then it was time to start the tour. On stage, a group of women in traditional Vietnamese ao dai dresses performed a dance that symbolized a wish of safety and success for the tour that was about to begin.
At 8:20, as the ASEAN riders lined up on their T135 bikes with flags of their respective countries in hand, Mr. Bui Dinh Binh, Vice-Deputy Director of Saigon Tourist Travel Service and Mr. Atsumi waved the starting flags to send them off one after another to parade out into the streets of Hanoi. The ASEAN riders followed the tour marshals for about 30 minutes through the crowded streets of the city, brimming with motorcycles, bicycles and cars. Then they were on the road toward this day's destination, Ha Long Bay.
With a stop along the way for refueling and a short rest, the caravan reached the city of Ha Long just after noon and stopped by the Saigon Ha Long Hotel to check in and have lunch at a restaurant on the 14th floor overlooking the bay. After lunch, everyone headed for the beach to participate in a Yamaha's Green Campaign event donating garbage bins to help keep the beautiful beach area clean. This event made clear the fact that the PAN-ASEAN TOURING program is not aimed simply at promoting the new Yamaha T135 moped model but also providing opportunities to focus attention on the broader issues of the environment and health. At the presentation ceremony, Mr. Katsumi Tamura, who is one of the planners of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING program from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd (YMC), made a speech about these intentions, and he was answered in a speech by Mr. Nhy Dinh Do, Chairman of Quang Ninh Tourism Association, who thanked Yamaha for the donation of garbage bins and vowed to use them to help preserve the environment and health of the Vietnamese people.
After the ceremony, the tour members got on a ferry and crossed the bay to Hong Gai to visit a promotional event being put on by local Yamaha dealer at the Hong Gai Square and then visit the dealership. Then everyone boarded a tour boat at Bai Chay harbor for a sightseeing tour of the World Heritage site, Ha Long Bay. After it was registered under the UNESCO World Heritage program in 1994, Ha Long Bay became internationally famous for the roughly 2,000 interestingly shaped rock outcroppings that dot the bay. Over half of these rocks are said to have names and legends. The ASEAN riders enjoyed the tour, taking plenty of pictures of the fascinating scenery.
This first day of touring in Vietnam turned out to be a busy one with the 146 km of riding, sightseeing at a World Heritage site and participating in two events as well. Tomorrow's schedule calls for a tour of just under 300 km to Thanh Hoa.

The first day, a tour to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay

The "flag-off" ceremony began at 8:00 a.m. in front of the Hanoi Opera House in central Hanoi. This historic building was completed in 1911, when Vietnam was a French colony

The Deputy Director of the Hanoi Opera House, Mr. Nguyen Van Jhu, welcomed the ASEAN riders and wished them success and safety on their tour

The moment of the flag-off, beginning what will be a 2,612 km tour through Vietnam. Waving the starting flags are Mr. Bui Dinh Binh, Vice-Deputy Director of Saigon Tourist Travel Service, and Mr. Atsumi of Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd. (YMVN)

The first day's destination is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay. The day's riding began with a parade through the streets Hanoi, starting from the Opera House

During the tour there were places where the wind stirred up clouds of dust and all the roads were full of traffic of cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, bicycles and animals that kept the riders alert and careful