Cycling Vietnam- Premium Adventure

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly known as Saigon, is an exciting and absorbing city where bicycles battle with lorries and temples stand defiantly alongside modern developments. Devastated by the Vietnam War, Saigon is now a bustling free market city where anything goes. The Ben Thanh Market and Notre Dame Cathedral are within walking distance from our hotel and are highly recommended.

This evening there will be a welcome briefing with your leader followed by a group welcome dinner where you can try local Vietnamese specialties.
Premium accommodation: The Odys Boutique Hotel, Saigon (4 star)

After an early breakfast we head out of Saigon by bus and then start cycling towards the coast. We hit the backroads and head through tropical fruit and rubber plantations also passing some small fishing villages as we make our way closer to the coast finishing our ride in time for lunch. We then transfer approx. 3 hours to Mui Ne, a tranquil white sand beach where we can witness our first sunset over the Eastern Sea. We spend approx. 4-5 hours on the bus today. 

Premium accommodation: Sea Links Beach Hotel, Mui Ne (4 star)

Today's ride is predominantly undulating and approximately 30km downhill through pine forests and paddy fields as we descend nearly 1,500m travelling through the Bidoup Ba National Park. This area is home to rare pine forests as well as small villages inhabited by the ethnic minority people of the central highlands.

Once we arrive at the coast, we head by bus (approx. 1.5 hours) to the coast near Nha Trang before boarding a boat (approx. 10 minute transfer) to our tropical island paradise of MerPerle Hon Tam Resort where we will be for the next two nights. Dinner tonight is included at the resort's Sea Breeze restaurant which offers stunnning views of the ocean and surrounding islands.

Today you can cycle up to 100km according to preference.
Premium accommodation: MerPerle Hon Tam Resort, Hon Tam Island (5 star)

We set off early in the morning and first take a short boast transfer from Hon Tam Island back to the mainland. We then transfer through Dai Lanh & Ca Pass before setting off on our bikes at Vung Ro Bay where we ride along the coast to Tuy Hoa and O Loan Lagoon to Chi Thanh.

In Chi Thanh, we stop for lunch and a short rest before continuing to ride to La Hai where we complete 90km of cycling today. From La Hai, we then transfer 1 hour to our hotel in Quy Nhon. 

(Approx. 2 hours in the bus today).

Premium Accommodation: Seagull Quy Nhon Hotel, Quy Nhon (4 star)

This morning we take a guided walking tour of Hoi An to explore some of the structures of historical significance in the Old Town, including bridges, temples, wells and houses. Those less interested in architecture can cycle the 5km to the lovely Cua Dai beach or cycle to the Marble Mountains, which are 19km from town. These five marble hills, formerly islands, contain many caves, some of which were used as Buddhist (and Viet Cong) sanctuaries.

Also nearby is My Khe beach, a famous US R & R spot in the war, and Da Nang, where there is a Cham Museum, which despite being in poor condition, is very interesting. It is also possible to visit My Son, one of the most important Cham temple sites in Vietnam where Cham kings were buried as early as the fourth century. Although wartime bombing has destroyed much of the site, there are a number of interesting stone towers and sanctuaries.
Premium accommodation: Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa, Hoi An (4 star)

Hue is often claimed to be the cultural and historic centre of Vietnam and there is plenty to see.

Today we take a guided tour of the city and surrounding tombs. The most memorable site is the citadel, with walls six miles in length: inside are the palaces and halls of the Mandarins, and the remains of the Forbidden Purple City, where only the emperor and his eunuchs and concubines were allowed.

We then take a boat along the Perfume River to the elaborate tombs of the Nguyen emperors, who ruled Vietnam from Hue. Tu Duc's Tomb is very elaborate and set in beautiful gardens. Along the way we will visit the famous Thien Mu Pagoda. The pagoda was a centre for anti-government protests in the early 1960s and it houses the Austin car that transported a monk, Thich Quang Duc, to Saigon in 1963 where he burned himself in protest against the president. The photograph of his self-immolation was printed in newspapers all around the world.

Later, in the evening we will board the Reunification Express for the overnight ride to Hanoi, 688km to the north. 
Accommodation: Overnight Train (4 berth cabin)

We continue to cruise around Ha Long Bay this morning before returning to port.

Your leader will then introduce your group to the Ha Long Women's Association in the Hon Gai township, a local sustainable initiative that is committed to cleaning up waste in Ha Long Bay and upcyling any waste where possible into items of value. Here you'll meet the local women and witness how they upcyle rubbish materials into beautiful handcrafted products and also may have the chance to try your hand at upcycling as well.

We then drive back to Hanoi for our final evening together with a farewell dinner at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a well-established training restaurant for disadvantaged youths where you'll be served a blend of Vietnamese and South-East Asian foods.

Premium accommodation: La Belle Vie Hotel, Hanoi (4 star)