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Cycle clubs in Vietnam are seeing their memberships swell and an ever increas-
ing number of women are helping to make up the ranks
T
he Saigon Dong Tay (Saigon-
East and West) cycling club now
counts nine women among its
40 members. One of them, Le
hi Sen, 47, an officer at the local Peo-
ple’s Committee, says she chose cycling
to improve her heath and because of
her love for sports: “I love climbing, but
I don’t have much time to travel and
climb, so I decided to take up cycling.”
Sen started by cycling every weekend,
but now she saddles up almost every
day and it has become an integral part
of her life.
Another member, 35 year old
Huynh Minh Thuy, a hospital worker,
has been cycling for over a year. “I
started cycling at my friend’s sugges-
tion. The few first times I was very tired
and I couldn’t keep up,” she says, “but
then I got some instruction from other
members and now I am much better.”
For Sen and other female bikers, a
major drawback of cycling is the sun.
“We avoid the sun by cycling early in
the morning or in the late afternoon.
On long journeys, we protect our skin
very carefully as our health and beauty
is very important to us.”
Another member, Vuong Khanh
Giang, says time management is a top
concern for many women as they have
so many responsibilities: “We have to
arrange time to take care of families,
perform well at work and follow other
interests at the same time.”
Thuy has a six year old daughter,
so there is plenty to juggle alongside
her hobby. “We usually cycle very early
in the morning, so after practicing I can
go back home to take care of the fam-
ily,” she says.
Each of the cyclists from the Sai-
gon-Dong Tay club cycles around 25km
per day on average. Sometimes they
arrange long journeys to rural areas
to explore new places and undertake
charity work.
“Our charity club was established
more than a year ago,” says Sen. “Since
then, we have arranged three charity
journeys to help students and the poor
in some southern provinces, such as
Tien Giang and Vinh Long.”
People often perceive cycling as ex-
pensive, however, Giang says it does
not have to be – cheap bikes are avail-
able and bring all the health benefits
of more costly models. “You can start
with a normal bike first, then when you
decide to continue cycling you can con-
sider upgrading,” says Sen.
Saigon-Dong Tay’s women do not
worry about technical problems since
other members are very willing to help
and share their experience. “We have
very few female members, so the men
take good care of us. They are our
brothers who give us advice and help
us repair the bikes. We are like family,”
Sen says.
Sen, Thuy, and Giang all agree
that Vietnamese women have very lit-
tle time for themselves as they are too
busy working at the office or taking
care of the family.
“Women should choose a sport and
become healthier. Sport helps us ease
our souls, live happier and work better,”
says Sen. Thuy agrees: “You have to have
a sport, no matter what it is. I chose cy-
cling as it really eases me. The feeling of
travelling by bike to new places is very
different from just sitting in a car.”
CYCLE ADDICTS
HOBBY
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