Here’s the story of Nguyen Hoang Anh, who took his 911 Dakar on a 33,000 km overland adventure from Vietnam to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
When Porsche first unveiled the 911 Dakar in late 2022, it was widely touted as being the adventurer’s 911. With its jacked up suspension and standard all terrain tyres, this limited run variant was after all a supercar that was meant not just for the tarmac, but off it as well.
That said, it was always to going be the case that the most challenging surface 99% of 911 Dakars will ever see is a manicured gravel driveway at a golf club. Thankfully though, there was nevertheless at least one example out there that has been on a proper overland adventure truly worthy of its name.
Buried within Porsche’s press releases on its media site, there is a story about Nguyen Hoang Anh, a logistics company owner from Vietnam, who took his 911 Dakar on a staggering 33,000-kilometre overland journey. Over 75 days, he traversed punishing terrain, blistering heat, freezing cold, and some of the most remote landscapes on Earth in said Porsche, traveling from Vietnam to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and back again!
Now the full story of this epic adventure is available on the Porsche media site linked here, and is totally worth the full read on it for the complete experience, especially considering it is written by the overlander himself. But for those who need just a little more convincing, here are some jaw-dropping excerpts from one of the greatest road trips in a Porsche 911 ever undertaken:
“The first time you start up a Porsche engine is always a unique experience. Especially if that Porsche is a 911 Dakar. The world begins to vibrate, along with me in the centre of it.”
That moment marked the start of an unforgettable adventure as Nguyen Hoang Anh pulled out of his garage in Ho Chi Minh City, bound for the Gobi Desert.
“I ordered my car in GT Silver Metallic, one of 2,500 worldwide, a year ago. I didn’t modify the vehicle at all before the journey – it’s already designed for extreme situations. However, my 54-year-old body is not. In preparation, I did a two-day test-drive through Vietnam, covering 2,000 kilometres. And now I’m embarking on a journey into the unknown in my 911 Dakar. The dream is alive and well and appears to be coming true, which means I’ve already achieved my first goal.”
This incredible 911 Dakar overland adventure began in Vietnam and took Nguyen Hoang Anh through Laos before crossing into China. The landscapes transformed as he climbed onto the Tibetan Plateau:
“Located on the Tibetan Plateau, the crystal-clear Chaka Salt Lake in Qinghai is an absolute highlight. The surface reflects the blue sky, which feels so close here at an elevation of around 3,100 meters.”
Pushing further north meanwhile, the terrain got more extreme as the Dakar finally met the desert sands:
“We encounter the Gobi Desert’s first patches of sand and rolling hills in Xinjiang. It’s time to take some serious off-road excursions with the 911 Dakar. The opportunity to navigate this sports car through demanding terrain is a revelation.”
And then, in true overlander fashion, a moment of unexpected cultural immersion:
“We manage to reach our intermediate destination, the home of the Kazakh Beken family, which practices the Mongolian tradition of eagle breeding deep in the mountains. I feel humbled when they show us the majestic animals. What an extraordinary sight.”
But the adventure wasn’t without its challenges. The brutal Mongolian landscape took its toll on the car:
“I’ve underestimated the terrain, which has large, sharp stones that sliced two of our tires open. Fortunately, we have two spares with us.”
“The rear bumper hit some rocks when I accelerated too quickly in a riverbed two days ago. Now we have to go to a repair shop in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. Once we arrive, I’m more than surprised to discover that the mechanic is Vietnamese, apparently like many others here. It’s wonderful to be able to talk to people from my home country who don’t belong to our travel group, which makes the repair shop a welcome stop for more than just the 911.”
Even the icy north of China proved a proving ground for the 911 Dakar:
“The forecast is correct, and we’re greeted by thick snowflakes as we reach the terrain in northern China again. We finally have the opportunity to drift with the 911—but not for long. The roads are extremely icy, and it’s dangerous.”
When traffic ground to a halt three days later, Nguyen Hoang Anh and his team made a bold decision:
“The long wait interferes with our plans to such a degree that we decide to take the risk and go off-road, allowing us to pass all of the vehicles stuck on the road. A short time later, the video of this daring manoeuvre generates more than two million views on social media.”
As his journey gained traction online, his fame spread beyond just automotive circles:
“At some point, a friend from China sends me some videos of our journey that his son had found on social media. And suddenly, we are even accompanied by a film crew; the hashtags ‘Vietnam911’ and ‘VietnameseUncle’ have been causing quite a sensation on Chinese social media for some time. My Porsche and I — we’re famous. We enjoy the attention, the many acquaintances, and inspiring encounters.”
By the time he returned to Vietnam, the car had more than earned its adventuring stripes, and its owner had become something of a legend:
“Once home, I’m overjoyed and elated by all the impressions and the 911 Dakar, which loves sand dunes just as much as it does frozen mountain lakes, snowy roads, demanding slopes, and empty highways.”
And in a fitting epilogue to this whole story, Nguyen Hoang Anh had the opportunity to meet the engineers behind the 911 Dakar in Stuttgart, bringing his incredible journey full circle.
As he puts it: “After all, this wasn’t our last adventure. Someday we’ll travel around the whole world, all the way to Stuttgart. Me and my 911 Dakar. My eagle.”
