Cycling Vietnam South to North

Arrive in Tan Son Nhat international airport, meet with the local guide there then transfer to the hotel for check-in.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Please note: Hotel check-in time is at 14:00. Early check-in is subject to availability and not included.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Transfer: 2 hours Cycling distance up to: 52km Difficulty: Medium

After breakfast, transfer by road to My Tho, the gateway to the Mekong Delta and the start of this cycling journey. Travel through the heart of the delta along narrow paths, past fields of sugar cane, fruit plantations and lush green rice paddy fields. Enjoy watching the activities of the locals and soak in the atmosphere while pedalling along the waterways to Tra Vinh.

Overnight in Tra Vinh.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 1 hour Cycling distance up to: 80km Difficulty: medium

After a tasty breakfast, head off along the roads lined with Khmer temples and fascinating river scenes all the way to Can Tho. Stop along the way to rest and visit peaceful temples and observe the local farmers. The journey is flat and picturesque through this part of the delta.

Overnight in Can Tho.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 3 hours Cycling distance up to: 40km Difficulty: Easy

After enjoying an early breakfast, weave through the bustling morning market and cycle along the banks of the active riverfront. Continue on a narrow paved road to Phong Dien floating market and absorb the sights of endless cottage industries, timber merchants, coconut shredders, and small docks loading and unloading rice. The next stretch of the journey follows a narrow lane to explore the hidden backwaters of the Delta and the towns of O Mon or Binh Thuy. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Can Tho. Check out of the hotel and return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Spend the morning at leisure until the transfer to the airport to catch noon flight to Hoi An. Upon arrival in Danang, drive 40-minutes to Hoi An.  

Hoi An is a destination with two sides – the charming, old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses and the beach with its new resorts and long stretches of white sand. In keeping with Hoi An’s heritage as a trading port, the town’s tiny shop-houses now host a range of craft shops and artisans including some of Asia’s best bespoke tailors. Despite the passing of 200 years and the ravages of weather and war, the centre of Hoi An remains much the same as it was in its heyday. 

Take a walking tour around the ancient town centre to visit former merchants’ houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese communal hall and the colourful market. 

Overnight in Hoi An.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Transfer: 1 hour Cycling distance up to: 45km Difficulty: medium

This morning, ride out of town to visit My Son, the ancient centre of Cham civilisation. The ride is worth the effort in itself and is arguably one of the best cycling routes. Transfer out of town to avoid the highway before cycling along scenic country backroads pass through rice fields, eucalyptus forest and many scenic villages. The road climbs away from the coast offering stunning views. 

Set out for a challenging ride from the outskirts of Hoi An on a quiet back road to the famous Cham Towers of My Son. My Son was an imperial city during the Cham dynasty, between the 4th and 12th centuries, and more than 70 towers and temples remain rising majestically from the rice paddies. The ride is through a remote area surrounded by stunning views and a place where very few tourists venture. Arrive triumphant at these most wonderful ancient towers and enjoy a picnic lunch before transferring back to Hoi An. 

Spend the late afternoon at leisure to explore the ancient town. 

Overnight in Hoi An. 
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 1 hour Cycling distance: 100km (60km if not over Hai Van pass) Difficulty: medium to hard

This is probably the toughest ride of the tour but also one of the most rewarding. Take a short transfer out of Hoi An to the start of our ride along the beach to Danang. Danang used to be the R&R destination for American troops during the Vietnam War. 

Time to change gears and start the climb up Hai Van Pass, a steady and moderately challenging uphill ride with exhilarating views of the coast. From sea level, climb up to 480 m before zipping down a long and smooth descent. 

After lunch, venture away from the main highway and cruise on a coastal road for 44 km to Hue, the old capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Overnight in Hue.
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 1 hour Cycling distance: 30 km Difficulty: easy

This morning, enjoy a relatively easy cycle on the back roads of Hue through lush countryside on a mix of footpaths and quiet country lanes. Hue was the seat of the thirteen Nguyen Emperors from 1802 to 1945. Start the day of cycling with a visit to the Imperial Citadel. After exploring the ruins of this grand monument to the emperors, ride the backstreets along the banks of the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, the official symbol of the city. Scattered throughout the countryside of Hue are royal tombs from the Nguyen emperors, continue to Ming Mang mausoleum and loop back across the river to Hue via the funerary monument to Khai Dinh.

In the evening, transfer to Hue railway station to catch an overnight train SE 20 (21: 33 - 09:56 +1) to Ninh Binh

Late checkout at hotel in Hue at 18:00. Overnight on train (soft sleeper berth on sharing cabin, 4 berths per cabin.)
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 1 hour Cycling distance: 30km Difficulty: easy

Arrive in Ninh Binh station at about 09:56 (train schedule is subject to change without prior notice)

Following a short transfer to the local restaurant for washing up and an early lunch , start cycling through spectacular karst mountains towering over a blanket of rice paddies to the ancient city of Hoa Lu, the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the afternoon it's back on the bikes to ride a bit off road amongst karst cliffs to a small pier. We board a boat for a leisurely cruise on the Ngo Dong River, and float through three natural caves, the largest of which is 125 m long. Sit back, relax, see rural Vietnam from a different perspective and take in the dramatic limestone karst jutting out from the green rice fields. We disembark and cycle back through the karst cliffs to visit Thai Vi Temple, one of the oldest temples in Vietnam, built in the 13th Century.

Overnight in Ninh Binh. 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Transfer: 2.5 hour Cycling distance: 40km Difficulty: meidum

After breakfast, we  continue cycling to explore Ninh Binh. The route follows numerous rivers as they lead out toward the coast. Pass by very rural communities while pedalling toward the sea. After a local lunch, loop back to Ninh Binh with a stop to visit Phat Diem Church. Notice the scenery changes while pedalling from the flat plains of the delta to the Limestone Mountains of Tam Coc, also known as Halong Bay on Land. In the afternoon, transfer back to Hanoi.
 

Overnight in Hanoi

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Spend the day free at leisure until a transfer to the airport for the flight home. 

Please note: The hotel checkout time is 12:00, late checkout is subject to availability and not included.

Inclusions: