Tacoma native and Vietnam vet stuck in Da Nang by pandemic tries to help bike safety

While some people spent their quarantine at home with their kids or working from home via Zoom, Tom Tennent, 75, spent the time riding a bike around Vietnam.

Tennent, a life-long Tacoma resident and a veteran of the Vietnam War, intended to return to the United States in May after a six-month trip. But, like many travelers, his flight was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he got an extension on his visa and set out to find something to do to pass the time.

Tennent’s time in Vietnam as a senior combat correspondent with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade ended nearly 52 years ago on July 4, 1968. He started visiting the country as a civilian nearly 15 years ago.

“It’s my favorite country in the world,” Tennent said. “These are the happiest people on the planet despite everything they’ve been through.”

Tennent is an active traveler and carries a foldable bicycle everywhere he goes. He said it’s the best way to see any city, especially in Vietnam where the traffic is chaotic.

Lots of people use a bicycle as their main mode of transportation, Tennent says, but what concerned him was the number of people riding around in the dark without any sort of reflective clothing or tags.

“Most bikes I see look more than 25 years old and are pedaled by older women,” Tennent said. He added that it was rare to see a cyclist with the sort of reflective lights that are standard in the United States. “We’re talking about thousands of bikes, operated by seniors, in the dark. It’s frightening to think about.”

Tennent found a place in China that makes self-adhesive, highly reflective tape. He ordered a few hundred yards of the material and cut it into 1 ½ inch squares. Now, he pedals up and down the streets of Da Nang every morning looking for bicycles to tag.

“Every day the temperature is 100 degrees or more,” Tennent says. “So, I can only go out for about three hours early in the morning.”

Tennent estimates he’s tagged about 3,500 bicycles to date. His goal is to do 5,000 before his return trip.

After his first flight was canceled, Tennent scheduled another return trip for August. He said he now plans to stay until at least November.

“I’m afraid to come home,” Tennent said. “I’m at an age where I’m at a high risk for contracting this disease. I am much safer from the coronavirus here than I would be at home.”

This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 12:00 PM.