Hello, I'm Luke and for those of you who don't know, I've been living and working as an English teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the last year.

So I've decided that with another 19 of my fellow expatriates to cycle from Vietnam's capital Hanoi (right up in the north of the country) to Ho Chi Minh City (right down in the south). The event is better know as 'H2H', which will take place in April, 2014.. The journey is about 1,200 miles and will take 27 days to complete! I'll be cycling through the Vietnamese countryside, through dirt roads and up mountains and staying in small towns along the way, backpacker and tourist territory will be a long way away. For those of you who know me well, exercise is not something that I have been familiar with until quite recently so this will be quite a big challenge for me. I'll also be taking a month off work unpaid, and will be covering ALL of my own expenses, so 100% of the money you kindly donate will go straight to the charities we're supporting.

Our main partner this year is Saigon Children's Charity. The SCC aims to help disadvantaged children in Vietnam to reach their full potential through receiving a quality education relevant to their needs. The SCC is distinguished for giving scholarships, building schools, running a vocational school in Saigon and working with other, smaller organizations that focus on children with disabilities. They enable over 3,000 children to go to school everyday in Vietnam! Its area of operation is in the south of Vietnam, around HCMC, the Mekong Delta and extending to the Cambodian border.

Another charity that we're supporting is The Children’s Initiative which is dedicated to improving the lives of children in developing countries through strategic, long-term investments in community-based projects and programs. TCI works in partnership with local communities to help them realize their aspirations for their children. Its area of operation is in the north of Vietnam, based around Catdang village near Hanoi.