Published:  00:00 Friday - February 19, 2010

On a fine Sunday morning, a group of people unhurriedly cross Long Bien bridge on vintage bicycles. They are members of the “Now and Then Bicycle Family”.  

From “Tuan, the junk-dealer”…

“Tuan, the junk-dealer” is the nickname of Nguyen Van Tuan because he often stores secondhand goods. He lives in a lane in Nguyen Truong To street He stores all types of secondhand items in his 25.2 sq.m room. People who don’t know Tuan think he is a junk-dealer. Five members of his family and his 7 bicycles huddle in this small space.

Tuan says his hobby originated from childhood memories. His parents were poor and had many children. Only after many years of saving did they have enough money to buy an old bicycle to go to work. To them it cost a fortune so they did not allow him to touch the bike, let alone ride it. Tuan looked at it hungrily and wished to buy one for himself after he saved enough money. However, after getting married, he had to work hard to support his family and this dream was forgotten. When his life improved, the childhood dream revived and he rushed out to hunt for vintage bicycles.

Tuan likes to collect French-made vintage bikes because they are light and good-looking. These bicycles are no longer produced, so he must buy spare parts to assemble into a full bike.

Pointing at a Mercier bike in a corner of the room, Tuan says, “Once I saw a junk-dealer with a frame of a bike of this type. I liked it very much and paid VND 150,000 Dong for it. After that I had to hunt for spare parts to assemble into a Mercier bike”. He had to pay 1.2 million Dong for the tiny bell. He said this hobby was rather costly. Sometimes he had to buy an old bike to take out one or two spare parts to put into his bike. He even asked his friends from other provinces to hunt for some lacking spare parts.

Tuan said each bike reminded him of many memories and its value could not be measure. Some friends offered him 20 million for a newly restored Mercier. But he refused to sell it. Besides the Mercier, Tuan also owns a Follis, Sterling, Jopholip, Youth, Ficado and Marina bike.

After collecting some vintage bicycles, Tuan often rode one around West Lake for his morning exercise. He met Water Hung, Fat Hung, Fan Hung and Cuong Jon who had the same hobby. They decided to establish a club of like-minded people.

To “Now and Then Bicycle Family” club member

The club members agreed to name their club is “Now and Then Bicycle Family”. From just 10 members three years ago, the club has grown to 42 members.

The club leader, Mr. Nguyen Hop Ngoc says he often travels around Hanoi by bicycle. He only uses a motorbike when he goes out of the city. He maintains that bicycles are suited to the narrow streets in Hanoi, and bicycle travelling is environmentally friendly and helps improve the rider’s health.

Ngoc suffers from diabetes which has resulted in rheumatism. He used to walk with crutches. After riding a bicycle for sometime, his diabetes has eased and his health has improved. Ngoc was born into a well-off family in Hanoi. His father owned a tailor shop in Hang Bai street. His parents took good care of their new bike and did not let anyone borrow it. Ngoc was the eldest son in the family, but his parents only allowed him to clean the bike.

Ngoc still keeps a Mercier designed for women which was a gift of his father to his mother. His father had to sell a vegetable garden in Thanh Nhan village to buy it. Somebody once offered a price of US$ 2,000 for the Mercier, but Ngoc refused to sell. Ngoc’s other bikes are worth between US$ 1,000 and US$1,500.

The membership of the bicycle club includes pensioners and state employees such as Phan Phi Hung of Thuy Khue street. Hung owns more than 10 bikes, including a Marina built in 1936. This bicycle is of very valuable because its parts are all original. In the past, Hung suffered from serious gout. After joining the bicycle family, his health has much improved. The oldest member of the club is 89-year-old Nguyen Danh Dien. Dien was a professional bike racer during the French colonial period. He owns three bicycles. Bicycles have been an important part of his life. He often takes his bikes to the second floor to clean them before putting them behind his bed. Despite his age, he still pedals around with the group.

Hanoi is about to celebrate its millennial anniversary. The “Now and Then Bicycle Family” will organise special outings to promote the message, “Let’s do what we can to make Hanoi ever green, clean and beautiful”.