RacingThePlanet Vietnam

Trip Start Jul 20, 2004

125

151

Trip End Jul 20, 2012

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Flag of Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Sunday, February 24, 2008

Yep, I did it again - joining the RTP team as a volunteer; this time in Vietnam. It was a muddy event but the breathtaking landscape and the warmth of the people in Sapa made up for the rain and the mud. We were a close team of volunteers consisting of Simone, Cindy, Nicole, Nam, Bernd, Larry, Allan, Jeanne, Don and John.

To get to Hanoi was relatively easy and cheap; flying to Nanning and then getting a bus to Hanoi and vice versa.

Here are some quick facts about the race:

- Competitors from 22 countries will be represented at RacingThePlanet: Vietnam 2008 including Angola, Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
- A team from Vietnam is competing for the first time in a RacingThePlanet event - the team is from the Black H'mong tribe
- The largest contingent of competitors are from the United States followed by Hong Kong
Approximately half the field reside in Asia
- Five continents are represented: Asia, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, North America and Europe
- The race location, Sapa, is an area which is home to IndoChina's tallest mountain, Fansipan, at 3143 meters
- RacingThePlanet will be passing through a special WiMax zone developed by Intel in the rural village of TaVan in Vietnam
- RacingThePlanet: Vietnam will feature the long stage ever in a RacingThePlanet event with a stage of more than 100 kilometers
- An international staff of 30 will support the competitors and a local staff of 50
Seven competitors in the field have completed the 4 Deserts (Six stage, 250 kilometer footraces across the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica)..

Camp Life - All the flags

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Camp Life - Black Hmong	Camp Life - Black Hmong kitchen	Camp Life - Black Hmong team member	Camp Life - Eric
Competitor check-in - Nam and me	Competitor check-in - Staff and Steph	Competitor check-in - Staff picture	Competitor check-in - Zac and gang
First check point - farmer's fields	First check point - farmer's fields2	First check point - farmer's fields3	First check point - farmer's fields4
First check-point - meeting the locals - smoking	First check-point - meeting the locals - smoking2	First check-point - meeting the locals - smoking3	First check-point - meeting the locals - smoking4
First check-point - meeting the locals - smoking5	First Village - cafe - Don and Cindy	First Village - cafe - John and Andrea	First Village - cafe - John and Nam
First Village - cafe - Nam, Simone, Don, Cindy	First Village - cafe - Yummy Food	Hanoi - Competitor check-in (Larry, Jean, John)	Hanoi - Competitor check-in (Simone, Nam, Allen)
Hanoi - Competitor check-in (with Jean)	Hanoi impressions	Hanoi impressions - with Nam and Bernd	Hanoi impressions2
Hanoi impressions3	Hanoi impressions4	Hanoi impressions5	Hanoi impressions6
Hanoi impressions7	Hanoi impressions8	In Lao Cai, waiting to board the train to Hanoi	Staff and Volunteers picture
With some of the gang