Cycling Vietnam’s Backroads 13 Days

Day 1 Arrival at Hanoi

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you’ll be met and driven to your hotel. You’ll have time to relax after your journey before a ‘Welcome’ dinner at a local restaurant. You’ll spend the night in Hanoi

Day 2 Hanoi - Mai Chau (Lunch)

you will be met up with Vietnam Cycling team at your hotel in Hanoi. After a short briefing about the bike tour, you leave hotel traveling southwest Hanoi. Enjoy the spectacular scenery whist transfer. After about two hour drive, you arrive in Luong Son, Hoa Binh provinc. Load the bikes and follow a less traffic road, you start cycling in undulation. You cycle for about 30 kilomerters with uphill ride. Arriving in Cun Mountain, one can admire the superb panorama of Mai Chau surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses. Arriving at Poom Coong village, Mai Chau around noon, in time for lunch. After lunch cycle to the Thai villages, on a mix of good single track paths and undulating rough jeep trails. The views are stunning as the ride passes through many villages and across rice paddies. Stop for pictures and visit chopstick making machine. Kinder Gartens are available in the week day. Cycle back to Poom Coong village where you have dinner and spend the night (homestay).

Day 3 Mai Chau - Hanoi

A contrasting and more challenging ride today, though there is plenty of opportunity to stop, rest and admire the views. After breakfast enjoy relatively easy biking on undulating terrain for the first seven km then the trail begins to climb uphill – steep in parts, undulating in others. Rise above the valley and look down on small hamlets, feel and hear the forest surroundings as the trail snakes up and along the mountainside. Stop for a siesta in a Thai village house, a welcome relief from the heat – before tackling the last few km to the top of the pass. Cruise a final eleven km downhill all the way back to Mai Chau. Hop on bus and transfer our weary legs to Hanoi. Arrive Hanoi in late afternoon.

Day 4 Flight to Hue

Today leaving for Hanoi thence to the Noi Bai airport for flight to Hue. When you arrive, you’ll be met by our guide and driven to your hotel for check-in. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

Day 5 Cycling day (40km)- Imperial Hue (Lunch)

In the morning, your bicycles will be at your hotel ready for you to ride through Hue’s rural villages towards the Thanh Toan Bridge (roofed in Chinese style). Nearby, a local market will provide you with views of daily life and local products. You'll then return to Hue’s city centre with en-route visit the Ngoc Son Princess ‘garden house’. It has an attractive family altar and the owner is an expert on Hue’s culture and history – he will be pleased to explain the geomantic principles underpinning the building and garden’s construction.

After lunch, your route will take you past the Imperial Citadel to visit some of the garden houses in Phu Mong Kim Long village, followed by a visit to the Thien Mu Pagoda. From there, you'll cross the river by boat to ride along a country lane to one of the handicraft villages in Hue’s hinterland that specialises in a single product range of ‘Huong Tram’ (incense sticks) village before looping back to your hotel. 

In the evening, you’ll sit down for dinner in the pleasant surroundings and a comfortable atmosphere of another of the garden houses. The owner will prepare and serve a traditional meal based on the distinctive characteristics of classic Hue cuisine. You’ll spend the night in Hue.

Day 6 Cycling day (80km)- Hue to Hoi An (80km cycling) (Lunch)

A classic cycling trail for people with average fitness - taxing, but not exhausting! You’ll be driven to the coast, about 18km (or 2O minutes) beyond Hue’s city limits. The first 40km is off the beaten track along a picturesque lane shaded by coconut palms running alongside a peninsula from Thuan An beach to Vinh Loc. A pause to explore the hundreds of ancestral tombs scattered across the high sand dunes is a welcome break. 

Upon reaching the end of the peninsula, a local ferry will take you across the Perfume River’s estuary and, after reaching dry land, the route takes you a further 11km arrive at Highway 1. At this point you have two options – brave the traffic on Vietnam’s busiest road or be transferred to the start of today’s three hill climbs. Unless you enjoy following heavy juggernauts belching diesel fumes, we recommend the latter!

After the first two moderate climbs, each about 3km, a break to relax, sunbathe, splash in the azure waters of Lang Co beach and seafood lunch, you’ll be ready for the Hai Van Pass. You’ll ignore the tunnel, full of commercial traffic and noxious gasses, in favour of the 11km mountain road. Since the tunnel was built, it’s very quiet - the gradient is manageable and the views breathtaking! 

Finally, you’ll then be transferred the rest of the way to Hoi An Ancient Town, a historic old port and trading post where you’ll spend the night. 

Day 7 Cycling day (35km)- My Son (B, L, G) (Lunch)

A gentle ride westward to the World Heritage My Son Sanctuary, mostly on quiet level roads following the banks of the Thu Bon River!

Seven kilometres after setting off, you’ll cross the river to visit a fishing village. After remounting and dropping in at a local market, a further 11km takes you to Bara bridge for a break and refreshments. Revitalized, you’ll soon need to push your cycles across a couple of major roads, then it’s more back roads until you reach My Son. 

Your guide will show you the remains of the remarkable towers constructed by the Cham builders, many centuries ago - their origins and purpose have yet to be fully explained. In the afternoon, you’ll return to your hotel via your support vehicle rest of the day to do what like.

Day 8 Cycling day (47km)- Hoi An to My Lai (Lunch)

After a hearty breakfast, you’ll drive along Highway 1 to Quang Ngai and My Tra Hotel, your overnight accommodation. Your bicycles will be waiting for you. The first stage is gentle - quiet country lanes leading to the coast and fishing villages. A short 2km ascent to the top of Thien An Mountain offers striking views of the surrounding countryside with time to visit an ancient Pagoda dating back to 1650 and still an active place of worship. The monks living in the pagoda are always welcoming - have a small donation ready!

The gradient is now downhill towards the site of the infamous My Lai massacre, now a shrine dedicated to the unarmed 550 villagers, mainly women and children, slaughtered by the Americans in March, 1968. Many were raped, beaten, tortured, or maimed before they were killed. A museum and gardens commemorate the event, but the silence broken only by the sighing of the breeze in the trees is its own memorial. 

After a guided tour to reflect on the war, the quiet roads take you to the beach for relaxation and perhaps a swim. After a picnic lunch, you can loop round through the fishing villages to return to Quang Ngai or, if you’re tired, take the direct route back to your hotel. 

Day 9 Cycling day (73km)- My Lai to Quy Nhon (Lunch)

Today, the serious cycling begins, hence an early breakfast! A drive takes you to the start point, 99km south of My Lai. The first section meanders alongside the coast from Binh Duong, Tung Giang and Tuy Phuoc on a small provincial road passing many villages, far from the main highway. There’ll be plenty of time to dismount to experience the warmth and friendliness of Vietnamese people. The surface varies from reasonable to rough, so the support vehicle may have to detour to avoid hazards. Eventually, you’ll arrive at Tuy Phuoc, 9km to Quy Nhon City, your destination and accommodation. You can cycle this last stage if you wish, but you may prefer to be driven as this the section of the road is quite busy. 

Day 10 Cycling day (67km)- Quy Nhon to Nha Trang (Lunch)

Another early start and a transfer well away from the main highway! The day’s route mostly follows the lanes and tracks alongside the Reunification Express railway. The first stage will be on an isolated but well-surfaced road. The gently rolling terrain and views of the Highland foothills make a splendid backdrop for the potbellied pigs and barefooted children dashing across your trail as you pass ethnic minority and Vietnamese communities’ en-route. You’ll be quite a spectacle for the villagers, so expect plenty of offers of hospitality.

As your ‘off the beaten track’ route begins to converge with the highway, you’ll transfer to four-wheel transport and head to Nha Trang where you’ll spent the night, stopping at Dai Lanh Beach for a dip and refreshments on the way. 

Day 11 Cycling day (80km)- Nha Trang to Mui Ne (Lunch)

As usual, you’ll drive to the outskirt of the city to avoid the traffic. Once on your cycles, the route continues southward towards Cam Ranh (32 kilometres, about two hours) until you join Highway 1 and dismount. After driving to Ca Na for lunch, you’ll drive to Luong Son, where you re-mount. At 48km, (about one and a half hours) the last stage is the longest. Although the terrain undulates from time to time, the road is good quality so you can make good time. As you near Mui Ne and your hotel, the last section is hilly with high sand dunes and ocean views.

Day 12 Mui Ne free (B)

Your time will be your own.

Day 13 Mui Ne/Ho Chi Minh City Departure

Your time will be your own until your driver arrives to take you to Ho Chi Minh City. (approx. 4.5 hours) by shuttle bus for your departure flight.

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TOUR INCLUDED :  Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room, Pick-ups and transfers  air-conditioned vehicle as specified in the itinerary above, Domestic flight tickets: Hanoi - Hue, including domestic airport taxes, The services of experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary, Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme, Lunches and
dinners, as specified, in the best local restaurants, picnics where suitable restaurants are not available,  Good quality touring cycles  (Giant or Trek Marlin ) for all cycling days in the programme, Drinking water for cycling days as itinerary,  Simple first aid kit, VAT and other taxes.