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More than 30 million Vietnamese can’t be wrong – handle-bar height gives you the best view of Vietnam! Our cycling tour through this mesmerising country provides opportunities to meet the locals and experience their culture in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. So come with us and get active as we travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, down country lanes and over spectacular mountain passes. And, of course, all the exercise gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in delicious Vietnamese cuisine.
Start: Hanoi, Vietnam
Finish: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Type: Cycling Adventure
Fitness: Moderate
Duration: 14 days 13 nights
Did you know that we have a dedicated support crew throughout the trip? If you need a break from cycling, no worries. Hope in the air-conditioned bus, take a break and when your ready to start cycling again, let the support crew know
Early Bird AUD$2,300 per adult in a twin share room. Early Bird needs to be fully paid before 31st December 2019.
AUD $2,800 per adult in a twin share room.
Want your own room? From an extra AUD$850 (excludes homestay and overnight train).
BRIEF ITINERARY:
Day 1: Hanoi – Arrival
Day 2: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Day 3: Halong Bay – Hanoi
Day 4: Hanoi – Mai Chau
Day 5: Mai Chau – Pu Luong
Day 6: Pu Luong – Ninh Binh
Day 7: Ninh Binh – Phong Nha
Day 8: Phong Nha
Day 9: Phong Nha – Hue
Day 10: Hue – Hai Van Pass Challenge – Danang
Day 11: Danang – Hoi An
Day 12: Hoi An – Saigon
Day 13: Hoi An – Saigon
Day 14: Saigon – Departure
Location: Hanoi
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Xin Chao! Welcome to Vietnam.
On arrival at bustling Hanoi airport, The Great Vietnam Bike Ride Team will greet you. You will then be transferred to our hotel where you will be able to relax. Feeling adventurous, you can explore bustling Hanoi at night.
Location: Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Accommodation: Cruise ship (4 star)
Ride Distance: None
This morning, enjoy an International Buffet Breakfast.
We will then check out and make our way to the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Ha Long Bay. This is truly one of the most exquisite locations in the world!
On arrival, we will be greeted with welcome drinks before having an authentic Vietnamese buffet lunch.
In the afternoon, you can enjoy one of the many exciting activities such as visiting the stunning Sung Sot cave, energetic kayaking or visiting a pearl farm.
In the evening, a European-style buffet will be served. After dinner, you might like to try your hand at squid fishing or just relax with a few drinks by the bar, drinking in the stunning views.
Location: Ha Long Bay – Hanoi
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distancen: 10km
Wake up today and enjoy the breath-taking sunrise over Ha Long Bay. After breakfast, we continue exploring the sights of Ha Long Bay. We then return to port, say farewell to Ha Long Bay and make our way back to Hanoi. Tonight, we will embark on a food tour of Hanoi by bike.
Location: Hanoi – Mai Chau
Accommodation: Homestay
Ride Distance: 57km
Saddle up this morning as your cycling adventure kicks into first gear. Leave Hanoi behind and travel by bus to Hoa Binh (approximately 2 hours). When you arrive you’ll jump on your GT Mountain Bike and cycle 38 kilometres to Cao Phong, through small ethnic Thai villages, enjoying the tranquility of the paddy fields and interacting with the local people. Limestone peaks climb in the background and banks of green line the road, and you’ll take regular stops to admire the view across the lush valleys. After arriving you’ll take a short 30-minute bus ride for the next section, stopping for lunch at Man Duc.
After you fuel up, the bus will take you to the Da River Reservoir. Stretch your legs again cycling along the Da River, passing spectacular karst cliffs, through paddy fields, and admiring the lush panorama of the Mai Chau valley on the way (approximately 19 kilometres). The peaceful town of Mai Chau is situated in a stunningly beautiful valley surrounded by verdant green mountains and is famed for its breathtaking scenery and friendly hilltribe peoples. Tonight you’ll enjoy local hospitality in a simple stilt-house homestay in the village of Poom Coong. Your amicable hosts will cook up a fabulous home-cooked meal, and there may even be a chance to sample some of the local rice wine produced in the region.
Riding distances:
Ride 1 – approx. 38kms/24 miles, uphill with approx. 330m/1080ft of elevation gain.
Ride 2 – approx. 19kms/12 miles, mostly downhill with approx. 80m/260ft of elevation gain.
With ‘Homestay’ experience, your overnight accommodation is provided by a local family in their traditional house-on-silts. There’s no privateroom and you’ll sleep on the floor in a large communal area. The sleeping corner is set up with a single mattress (thin, but adequate), blankets, pillow and mosquito net. The restroom is at international standard and a few steps from the main house.
Location: Mai Chau – Pu Luong
Accommodation: Eco-lodge
Ride Distance: Approx. 40km
After breakfast, say goodbye to our hosts and have a quick transfer to the entrance of Pu Luong Nature Reserve. We start cycling across the nature reserve from West to East on a small road first followed by easy trails. The total ride is about 50km and offers beautiful views of the valleys and terraced rice fields. We will go through villages and won’t miss an opportunity to share some time with locals. Lunch will be served ata local restaurant en-route.
We arrive in the afternoon at the Pu Luong ecolodge, nested between two streams at the foot of a limestone mountain. Spend the rest of the day enjoying the cascades and natural pools all around your private bungalow.
Pu Luong ecolodge (aka Les-Bains-de-Hieu) is located in the heart of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve and only accessible by foot or motorbike ride so it’s advisable to travel light with just a day pack. The lodge has only 3 traditional bungalows, each has private veranda but no air-conditioner. There’s no attached toilet but you’ll share a stylish rest room a just few steps away.
Location: Mai Chau – Pu Luong
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: 30km
The program today is flexible. The ride can range from 10 to 40 kilometres. So take it easy and tell your guide if you’d rather spend an easy morning at the eco-lodge, taking a short trek to a waterfall nearby or more cycling.
Take an early lunch at the lodge then we make our way to Pho Doan, where we get back in the car and drive to Ninh Binh. The arrival time will depend on your choice of morning activity, but usually would be around 6pm.
Location: Ninh Binh – Phong Nha
Accommodation: Overnight Train (First Class)
Ride Distance: 30km
We start biking along the dyke of Van Long and the beautiful Krast scenery where the film Kong Skull Island was filmed. Amazing mountain on one side and flat rice field on the other. We ride through some villages and experience the local daily life.
We ride to Hoa Lu, the first capital of Vietnam before it moved to Thang Long (Hanoi today). You have the chance to explore some relics of the ancient capital and the temples of the first dynasties as you learn about the history of Vietnam.
Lunch is served in the local restaurant.
Continue riding in the middle of Trang An, recognized as a world natural heritage site in 2014.
Finishing the bike ride at Thung Nang we take a rowing boat among amazing karsts. Thung Nang is one of the most beautiful spots in the Trang An rarely visited by tourists.
Board the overnight train to Phong Nha.
Location: Phong Nha
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: Rest Day
The train arrives to Quang Binh at approx. 6 am. We then transfer to the Phong Nha resort for check in. Today is rest day. If your feeling up for it, we will hike and visit some caves including Paradise Cave and Tra Ang Cave. Bring your bathers because there is an opportunity for a swim.
Hiking duration: Approx. 2 hours
Location: Phong Nha – Ho Chi Minh Trail – DMZ Hue
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: 70 to 90 km
After breakfast, the bus transfers us about 1.5 hours to the starting point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Ho Chi Minh trail facilitated the movement of soldiers and war supplies from the North Vietnam to battlefields in South Vietnam.
Pay your respects with a visit to the National War Cemetery – home to over 10,000 soldiers killed during the war along Ho Chi Minh Trail. Pedal along the country roads through the rubber plantations, stop for a break under the shadows of the rubber trees.
Continue cycling on the 17th Parallel – Ben Hai river, DMZ of Vietnam from 1954 – 1972. Lunch en route. More uphills and downhills on the single road. We Will stop at the Vinh Moc tunnel; – known as the legendary “underground city” during the war in Vietnam. Local people stayed underground for nearly 2,000 days without sunlight in order to remain in their homeland. There were 17 children born during that time, all of them underground. After, you will be transferred to Hue for the night.
Location: Hue – Danang
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: 40km
After breakfast, we transfer to the Lap An lagoon, also known as “the Venice of Vietnam” before climbing 11kms and descending 11kms along the Hai Van mountain pass. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear praised it as “a deserted ribbon of perfection — one of the best coastal roads in the world!” We will stop to take photos and have some ice-cream on the summit. Now enjoy the thrilling descent with spectacular views of the modern beach city of Danang.
After lunch, we cycle another 10 km along Nam O beach, where the first American Marines arrived in 1965 and the Vietnam-American War started. Check in to the beach hotel and a beer with the seafood BBQ.
Location: Hoi An
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: 40km
In the morning we ride through the rice fields of Tra Que vegetable village. End the bike ride with a BBQ Lunch at An Bang Beach. Check in to your hotel in the late afternoon before enjoying the area at your leisure.
Hoi An is a destination with two faces – the charming, old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses, and the beach with its new resorts and a long stretch of clean white sand. In keeping with Hoi An’s heritage as a trading port, the town’s tiny shophouses now host a range of craft shops and artisans, including some of Asia’s best bespoke tailors. It was listed as a UNESCO site in Dec 1999. Being such an idyllic destination, it is certainly worth protecting for years to come!
Location: Hoi An
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: 40km
Start the morning by visiting the sites of Hoi An such as the Japanese bridge, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall and Old House of Tam Ky. In the afternoon we cycle around Hoian, riding through villages, across rivers and seeing the locals farming. Lunch in the local restaurant and cycle back to the hotel.
Location: Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: Optional
Today is free leisure in Hoi An. In the afternoon we transfer to the airport and depart for Saigon. We check into our hotel before an evening of fine dining.
Location: Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Accommodation: Hotel (4 star)
Ride Distance: None
Today is free leisure in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). Optional tours can be arranged:
• Reunification Palace
• War Remnants Museum
• Cu Chi Tunnel Experience
• Mekong Discovery.
We finish the GVBR with dinner on a river cruise for dinner before boarding your return flight home.
