Ultimate Vietnam Bike Tour & Cycling Holiday

ITINERARY

Brief Itinerary

* with shuttle
Day	Place	Casual Inns	Duration	~ Cycling Distance
1	Hanoi	Silk Path Boutique Hotel	1	Walking Tour
2	Halong City	Halong Plaza Hotel	1	50km / 30mi*
3	Cat Ba Island	Little Cat Ba	1	30km / 18mi
4	Hanoi	Silk Path Boutique Hotel	1	Kayaking
5	Hué	The Scarlett	1	25km / 15mi
6 – 7	Hoi An	Hoi An Travel Lodge	2	70km / 42mi
8	Quang Ngai	Sa Huynh Beach Resort	1	70km / 42mi
9	Quy Nhon	Seagull	1	80km / 48mi
10	Tuy Hoa	Cen Deluxe	1	60km / 42mi
11	Nha Trang	TTC Michelia	1	50km / 30mi
12 – 13	Da Lat	Du Park Hotel	2	60km / 36mi
14	Saigon	Cinnamon Boutique	1	Walking Tour
15	Tra Vinh	Coco Riverside Lodge	1	60km / 36mi
16	Can Tho	TTC Premium	1	70km / 42mi
17	Departure			30km / 18mi

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi

Arrive and settle into your hotel. Post-lunch, walk the busy streets of Hanoi visiting some of the cultural and historical highlights of Hanoi. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, which was constructed nearly a millennium ago, and is delicately elevated in a pond. Also visit the Temple of Literature, dating back close to a thousand years, is a wonderfully preserved piece of ancient Vietnamese architecture and stands to honour the scholarly achievements of the country’s academics and philosophers. Continue exploring the area around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, old quarter including Ngoc Son Temple, which sits perched on a little island in the lake. In the evening, we convene over dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Halong City – Red river delta trail

Ride past the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta before taking a shuttle to Halong City. The river rises in Yunnan province, and flows across the Tonkin region, through Hanoi, and enters into Gulf of Tonkin. We criss-cross the rivers, and ride over multitude of bridges.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: 50km / 30mi*

Day 3: Halong Bay: Cat Ba Island – boat & Island loop

A quick ferry journey amidst spectacular limestone mountain scenery brings us to Cat Ba Island. After lunch, get on the bike for a loop around the island. Enjoy the stunning sunset over the limestone mountains.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: 30km / 18mi

Day 4: Hanoi – kayak and overnight train to Hue

After hearty breakfast, get onboard a smaller boat and take a journey to the more remote and secluded parts of the Lan Ha Bay waters and islands. Trade your boat with a kayak and explore the lagoons, the coral reef, beaches and limestone peaks.

Ferry back at Hai Phong and shuttle to Hanoi. Later take an overnight train to Hue.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance cycled: 30km / 18mi

Day 5: Hué – Hue Loop

The UNESCO World Heritage town of Hué is your gateway to Vietnam. Our guide meets at station and then transfered to your hotel for check in (check in time 2:00pm, early check in is available depends on hotel’s availability). Today take your bicycle out for a leisurely loop around the imperial town of Hué. Ride past the Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda, Mausoleums and the merchant’s houses along the banks of the Perfume River and through quiet lanes with lush gardens. This is your first tryst with Vietnamese way of life.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 25km / 15mi

Day 6: Hoi An – Hai Van Pass

After a hearty breakfast, we take a short transfer out of Hue to the coast. Begin riding off the beaten track along a picturesque, narrow peninsular road. Cross the estuary of the Perfume River and from here, challenge yourself by cycling up the Phuoc Tuong Pass then take a short transfer to Lang Co and have lunch by the gorgeous lagoon.

Later, ride along the Lang Co Bay with spectacular views of winding paths, wooden fishing boats, waterfalls, mountains and forests and bike on over gradual hills to climb Hai Van pass for views of this splendid bay. This rugged pass is the final section of the Truong Son Range stretching to the sea. From the pass, go downhill to the base and shuttle to Hoi An, a delightful old trading town and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 50km / 30mi*

Day 7: Hoi An – Rest Day

Enjoy the day at leisure and plan the day as per your own interest. Provides ample of shopping opportunities.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Quang Ngai – My Lai and rural trail

Ride past network of lush rice fields and narrow interior rural trails. Break for lunch at Tam Ky and then transfer for about 1hr. Ride from here through corn and vegetables plantations with our first true view of cow herds. We end the ride with a visit to My Lai Massacre Memorial. During the Vietnam War, a company of American soldiers brutally killed the majority of population of My Lai. Transfer from here and end the day at Sa Huynh. The Sa Huỳnh culture, flourished between 1000 BC and 200 AD, were most likely the predecessors of the Cham.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 65km / 40mi*

Day 9: Quy Nhon – Tropical trail

Today bike in the tropical countryside, past tree-canopied rice farms and lush green mountains. The ride is largely flat with mountains looming in the backdrop all throughout. Stop off at a Cham tower – built by the Champa civilisation who ruled the southern Vietnamese area for over a millennium up until the early 1800s. Later take a short transfer to Qui Nhon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 70km / 42mi*

Day 10: Tuy Hoa – Mountain views trail

Today is a beautiful rolling route. A short transfer takes us off the highway and to the remote area where we start biking with the view of gorgeous forests and hills. The biking is through undulating terrain past beautiful villages and mountain views. After lunch, continue riding towards the main highway and then transfer to Tuy Hoa.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 50km / 30mi

Day 11: Nha Trang – Delightful coastal trail

Another good day at saddle. Ride past network of lush rice fields which blanket the valley. Admire the ocean view around the Vung Ro bay before meeting the pass which is natural border between the provinces. Descend down to stunning Dai Lanh beach and take a break for swim and lunch.

After lunch, continue riding along the coast and then turn on to the Hon Gom peninsular road for the final leg. This is our last day of riding along Vietnamese coast and it’s a long ride. Enjoy it to the fullest.

Before arriving at Nha Trang, visit the famous Po Ngar Cham Towers, built between the 7th and 12th centuries and still actively used for worship.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance Cycled: 50km / 30mi

Day 12: Da Lat – Mountain trail

A long mountainous ride today takes us to Da Lat, jewel of the central highlands. The region is dotted with lakes, waterfalls, pine trees and infinite flowers, making for a picturesque cycling adventure. Take in some spectacular views as we ride along Da Lat’s pine-forested hills and picturesque flower farms.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance Cycled: 60km / 36mi*

Day 13: Da Lat

Enjoy the day at leisure. Da Lat is a beautiful town to walk around, known for its cool climate. If you have a flair for vegetables, do try tasty local produce here, including strawberries, avocados and artichokes.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 14: Saigon

Get up early today for a short flight to Saigon.

The morning is free for you to explore the city. Post-lunch, 2:00pm, our guide meets you at your hotel for a walking tour to explore some of the most popular sites (Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Opera House, Continental Hotel, The Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office, The War Remnants Museum). This walking tour gives an excellent introduction to the city’s history and provide you with plenty of opportunities to soak up the unique mix of chaos and tranquility that is modern-day Saigon.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 15: Tra Vinh

A short shuttle transfer brings us to Ben Tre province, outskirts of Saigon.

Ride past the pristine hamlets nestled in the orchards and coconut plantations to the culturally diverse Tra Vinh, most pretty town in Mekong. Along the way, see farmers working in nursery fruit tree gardens.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 50km / 30mi

Day 16: Can Tho

We go more deeper into the delta. We ride past numerous rice fields, rivers and canals, and over multitude of bridges that may offer views of floating villages. It’s long ride today through the interior parts of Mekong Delta as we try to ride all the way to Can Tho. Set on the southern bank of the Hau River, it’s known for its network of canals and nearby floating markets.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 70km / 42mi

Day 17: Departure

Experience early morning Cai Rang floating market on a boat ride and later ride to Phong Dien floating market. The life here is brimming with hustle and bustle of local vendors selling agricultural produce, household and working tools, and various other products including some awesome Vietnamese food.

Later shuttle to Saigon for extension here or for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Distance cycled: ~ 30km / 18mi
Transfer: ~ 3.5-4hrs

REVIEWS

from our friends

a fantastic experience from start to finish. Our guide was superb, very good while we were cycling and very knowledgeable when we were visiting cultural sites. He was also very funny and keen to make sure nothing got in the way of a good time. Our itinerary worked very well, with manageable amounts of riding each day. It was a very hot time of year and we were fairly exhausted at the end of the day. But, there was always a cold beer ready in the van when we finished riding.

Accommodation was great, loved the boutique hotels. And the cuisine was always good and mostly excellent. We loved the whole experience, and made some new friends in the process.

Peter F

Tony was our Tour Guide and Hiro was our driver. We could not have had better people to travel with, they were so caring, considerate and super informative but also (very important to us) great fun! Our trip was unique as it was just my husband and I on tour and so we were able to tailor our journey day by day based on how we felt with the heat but I feel that the Art of Bicycle Trips would look after anyone and everyone as best they could. The accommodation was amazing, and far superior to anything we expected for a cycling tour (but very gratefully received at the end of a long, hot day). We would recommend the Art of Bicycle Trips to anyone.

Leonie M

An amazing trip, an amazing guide, and an amazing country!

The company allowed us to customize the trip because we were four people traveling together. The bike routes took us on roads that only a local could discover, through villages, fertile farmland, mountain climbs, and breathtaking coastal vistas. We felt that we really saw the country and the people close up, and Phuc was very informative in addition to being a calm and competent bike guide. He handled small mishaps, such as a minor collision between one of the bike tour participants and a local on a bicycle, with grace and a steady hand. He was always well organized and worked very well with the driver, who I must say, handled the busy and sometimes arduous roads with great skill. I cannot speak highly enough about Phuc, our driver, and the company.

Sue L

We really enjoyed the Vietnam cycle trip. I found the company online, and they were quick to respond to my emails, and incredibly helpful. Our guide Tony was superb throughout the trip, giving us interesting information, cycling at just the right speed, making sure the trip was tailored to us in terms of the distance, and making sure we always had enough water :) Our driver Chot was also super smiley and helpful. The cycle routes were great, we got out into the countryside which was beautiful and cycling up the Hai Van pass gives you awesome views.

Georgie