Bicycle trip in Vietnam

Airfare is not included in this tour, so you are responsible for arranging your own transportation to and from Vietnam. The first day is unscheduled, allowing you to arrive in Hanoi at your convenience. The group will meet together with our Norrøna Adventure team at our charming hotel in the historical downtown of Hanoi. In the evening we have dinner at one of Hanoi's many exciting restaurants. And speaking of dinner, we have a lot of extremely good things in store for the next few weeks. Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the best in the world!

Today we will spend the whole day exploring Vietnam's capital, and try to familiarize ourselves a little with the country's culture, ethnic groups and history. We will visit the Temple of Literature, which is the country's oldest university with roots dating back to the 13th century, we will see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, and visit the women's museum. After lunch, we visit the ancient Tran Quoc Pagoda, located on the shores of Ho Tay Lake, before taking a deep breath and plunging into the labyrinth of small shopping streets that make up the Old Town, with its distinctive architecture and lots of craft shops, and buildings from the colonial era alongside modern concrete blocks. In the evening we go to the railway station and board the night train south.

Our train arrives in the early morning at the central station in the imperial city of Hue. Here our local guides warmly welcome us and transfer us to our hotel, our home for the next two nights, where we settle in, stow our belongings, and change into cycling attire. Next, we acquaint ourselves with the bicycles that will accompany us on our journey for the following eight days. After ensuring everything is in proper working order, we embark on a leisurely excursion to the nearby local market. Here, amidst the bustling Vietnamese daily life, we marvel at the vibrant array of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish. Our exploration continues with a visit to a traditional garden house in the charming village of Phu Mong Kim Long, before venturing through the ancient districts of Hue toward the awe-inspiring Imperial Citadel, a revered UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening, we enjoy dinner in a serene garden setting, where the owner treats us to a traditional meal showcasing the timeless flavors of Hue cuisine.

After breakfast we are driven to a quiet place where our bikes are ready. The cycling tour starts for the day, and we will take in the mighty mausoleums of two of the great emperors along the way. We cross the river both via a floating bridge and a local ferry. After lunch, we continue cycling along a country road to one of the craft villages in the area, which specializes in incense sticks. We are back at the hotel in the afternoon, and have dinner together at a nice restaurant in the evening.

After breakfast, we cycle from the hotel, through Hue's country outskirts and green rice paddies in the direction of the Chinese ornate Thanh Toan Bridge. Then towards the Truong Ha Bridge located by the beautiful Tam Giang Lagoon. We stop along the way in a village that specializes in mushroom cultivation. This part of today's stage is known as the most spectacular rural area in all of Vietnam. We cycle along the coast road through small fishing villages, stopping at a huge, fantastic cemetery known as the "City of Ghosts", and at a village that makes fish sauce. After a good morning leg on the bike, we meet our bus which takes us past a busy stretch to Lang Co beach where we have lunch. We take a break with the opportunity for some relaxation, sunbathing, and a splash in the azure water on Lang Co's beaches before we set off on the Hai Van Pass, an eleven kilometer long mountain road that is now almost free of traffic thanks to the new tunnel. The stretch is completely manageable, and the view is absolutely fantastic! We use our bus for the last stretch to the old town of Hoi An, a historic port and trading post where we spend the next three nights. This city is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and has many good restaurants at all price levels.

Today we have a relatively easy bike ride west to the My Son World Heritage Site, a complex of thousand-year-old Hindu temples. We ride mainly on quiet and flat roads along the banks of the Thu Bon River. After seven kilometers we cross the river with a local ferry, and take a break with refreshments a little before we are half way. At the start of the next stage, we have to cross a couple of busy main roads before we follow quiet back roads to My Son. Along the way, we stop for some snacks with a local family and see how they make a living from making rice paper - you can try it yourself if you want! We eat lunch in a private home, where all the lunch ingredients are sourced from an area of 2 kilometers from their home - here we are really talking locally sourced food! Incidentally, the owner here was a Vietcong soldier during the Vietnam War - or the American War, as they say here. After lunch, the guide shows us the wonderful towers that were built by the Cham people many centuries ago - we still do not fully know the origin and significance of these. In the afternoon we take our bus back to Hoi An.

Today, we take a break from the saddles of our bicycles. You have the freedom to spend the day as you please, whether you prefer relaxation or further exploration of Hoi An - or perhaps a bit of both. Here's a tip: consider visiting one of the city's renowned tailors for a memorable experience and a custom outfit.

Today we start from the hotel and cycle south. We stay along the coast today, and have lunch on the beach - with a dip for those who wish. After today's cycling stage, we are picked up and driven to the scene of the infamous My Lai massacre, where 550 villagers, mostly women and children, were killed by American soldiers in March 1968. As of today, this is a museum and a memorial to the atrocities, where silence prevails. In the afternoon we are driven to our hotel in the city of Quang Ngai..

Today the intense cycling starts, so there will be an early breakfast! We first drive our bus to the starting point, about ten miles south of My Lai. The first leg takes us along the coast from Binh Duong on a country road through small villages, far away from the busy main roads. There will be plenty of opportunities to get off the bike and experience the hospitality and curiosity of the Vietnamese. The roads can be quite bumpy, so it is not certain that our escort bus can follow us all the way. Finally we arrive at Tuy Phuoc, 9 kilometers from our final destination Quy Nhon. You can also cycle the last stretch if you want, but it's just as well to hop on the bus as the road is quite busy here.

Another early breakfast and bus transfer away from the busy main road. We start cycling from a point about 20 kilometers north of the town of Tuy Hoa, which we pass through. We then cross the river Da Rang via an old bridge that can only take cars or minibuses, but is perfect for cycling! We continue through small settlements and villages with vegetable gardens and flowers, while piglets and kids run across the path on our way. The sight of us is probably as exotic to them as they are to us, so we will probably receive many hospitable invitations. The last stage is great, but quite tough with some steep uphills. Here you have a fantastic view of the sea on the left and the mountains on the right. We end up in Vung Ro which was a secret port for the ZERO vessels used to transport food, weapons and ammunition from the North. As we approach the highway, we jump in our bus and drive towards Nha Trang where we will spend the night.

We get an early bus transfer out of town to avoid the worst of the traffic. We cycle south for two hours, and reach Vinh Hy (approx. 30 km) after some hilly terrain. We have lunch by the coast, before jumping back on the bikes for a final leg through grapefruit plantations and sheep pastures. We retire from our bike seats after about sixty kilometers, and drive the last stretch to our final destination, Mui Ne, which has one of Vietnam's most beautiful beaches. Here we check into our beach front hotel for a well earned rest.

Our accommodations rest snugly along the sandy shores of Mui Ne, renowned for its vast sand dunes embraced by swaying palm trees and seaside eateries. Here, you're invited to unwind, take a dip in the azure waters, and savor the delights of numerous beachside restaurants - indulge in whatever your heart desires.

We have the day at our disposal until our driver picks us up at the hotel for a roughly 4-hour bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City. Here we will spend the evening strolling about the charming hustle and bustle of one of Vietnam's most exciting and vibrant cities.

After breakfast we get half a day sightseeing in Vietnam's largest city, where we visit the War Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office (designed by none other than Gustave Eiffel), the Imperial Temple and the huge Ben Thanh Market before being transferred back to our hotel where we say goodbye to Vietnam and all the new friends we have made along the way. Participants then have the freedom to organize their onward journeys, whether it is on the way to the airport and home or going to yet another exotic destination. You can be sure we have plenty of suggestions to get you inspired!