VietNamNet Bridge – After spending two days exploring Son La and stunning views of the nation’s northwestern upland, we arrive at the first stop of our journey to conquer the country’s westernmost point, A Pa Chai military checkpoint, at 11:30 p.m., and take a rest there. A Pa Chai welcomes us with heavy rain at 5 a.m. the next morning. Yet the rain, plus cold winds, does not stop us from the trip ahead.

The team struggles to climb the mountain

We leave the checkpoint at 7:30 a.m. for the journey. At first, we intend to travel by car for the first nine kilometers but we get stuck due to the rugged and muddy road. Therefore, we opt to go there on foot.

“We come to A Pa Chai to conquer the westernmost summit and we will nail it no matter what happens,” a member says as an encouragement for the team.

After walking for nearly 90 minutes, we come across two road workers on their motorbikes. We are so happy when they give us a ride for VND50,000 a person. Suddenly, rain gets heavier, making the road very slippery.

Despite fear, we do not give up. We climb up the mountain in excitement. Our journey actually consists of a four-kilometer ordeal including passing through the forest and climbing up a number of slopes. Even though it sounds very difficult, we do not flinch because we want to ride out this challenge in the first place.

The author stands next to the westernmost point of Vietnam

After more than three hours, we cannot reach the destination. We all look exhausted. However, our determination remains strong.

At 2 p.m., we finally reach A Pa Chai border T-junction of Vietnam, Laos and China. From there, we could see the incredibly stunning views of immense forests, and the blue sky and white cloud around the mountain.

All the members of the team happily shout: “We made it.”

Annie Tran

SGT