THE Covid-19 situation in Ho Chi Minh has led to an exodus of people leaving the metropolis and neighbouring provinces for their hometowns.
But with limited transportation available, some have resorted to extreme measures, just to escape the onslaught of the virus in the city.
Some provinces have also arrange special transportation to bring home their residents.
However, one family decided to cycle 1,300 km from the southern Dong Nai province to their hometown in central Nghe An to ride out the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dong Nai province neighbours Ho Chi Minh City.
According to a Vn Express report, the family of four set out on two bicycles on July 9 on their long journey home.
The four are Vo Thanh Binh, 28, his 51-year-old mother, 30-year-old sister and a young nephew.
The family had moved to Dong Nai's Trang Bom district five years ago to work in a factory.
But the Covid-19 pandemic since last year made things harder for them and in April this year, they found themselves unemployed.
As Dong Nai province ordered a two week period of social distancing starting July 9, the family decided to head back home.
Binh told VnExpress that he carried his mother on the bicycle while and his sister carried her child.
"We cycled at a very slow speed. On average, we travelled 30 km a day."
Binh said his family ate and slept on the street. Along the way, people who learned about their situation helped with food and fruits.
Others gave money and officials at Covid-19 checkpoints carried out the screening and other checks as smoothly and quickly as possible so that they can carry on with their trip.
"During our journey I started to realise that my family is not in the worst situation. At least my family has bicycles to travel. We saw many other people walking long distances home while carrying heavy backpacks."
When they reached a Covid-19 checkpoint in Ninh Phuoc district in the central Ninh Thuan province, officials there learned of their journey only after going through their declarations.
They then gave the family VND1 million (US$43.44) and plenty of food and drinks.
They had travelled some 300 km by then and the family had another 1,000 km to travel, which could have taken another 40 days.
After learning about their journey, officials at the checkpoint shared the family's story online, and soon people came to meet the family on the street.
With the help of some benefactors, they were driven to a railway station and train tickets were bought for them to return to Nghe An province.
They took the train home on July 20.