Saigon man takes pet cat on trans-Vietnam vacation

Mai Do Minh, 29, holds his cat while sitting on a cliff in Ha Giang Province, around 300 kilometers from Hanoi. He found the cat lying under a tree on a rainy day last year while he went to present gifts to the homeless in Ho Chi Minh City, the former epicenter of the fourth coronavirus wave that began in April.
Seeing the cat in a pitiful state, he took it home.

Minh’s cat is on Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai. Discovering that his cat is very brave and capable of going far, Minh came up with the idea of taking the animal from south to north on motorbike. Earlier this year, Minh and two of his friends began the trans-Viet journey of over 20 days.
Departing from HCMC, the group went to Binh Thuan, Dak Lak, then Dak Nong. However, when returning to Dak Nong in the Central Highlands, one of his two friends fell from his bike and could not continue the journey. Both his friends returned to HCMC.

Minh then bought a motorbike to move on to Da Nang and south-central provinces like Phu Yen, Quang Ngai, and Quang Nam. After Da Nang, he sold the motorbike and chose to take a bus from Da Nang to Hanoi.
Then, Minh and his cat moved from Hanoi to northern provinces like Ninh Binh, Lao Cai and Ha Giang by bus. This photo was taken in Ha Giang Province in the northern highlands.

Many drivers in Vietnam tend to refuse to carry cats because they are considered bad luck and could lead to traffic accidents.
Minh said the most difficult thing during the long journey is finding drivers who agreed to transport his cat.

The cat in Phu Yen Province in the south central coast.

People in Ha Giang play with the cat.

The cat is in style over a pass in Ha Giang Province.
Minh said this is probably the first cat in Vietnam to travel through the country.