17 days Grand Cycling Vietnam Hanoi to Saigon via Mekong Delta

Day 1: HANOI ARRIVAL (D)
Welcome by Danang Travel upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport and transfer to the hotel. Depending on your arrival time, a city tour including Temple of Literature, Museum of Ethnology and a pedicab ride around Hanoi’s old Quarter will be arranged. Welcome dinner and stay overnight in Hanoi after the Water Puppet Show.

Day 2: HANOI – HOA BINH – MAI CHAU (160km) (B, L, D)

Leave Hanoi with a support vehicle for Hoa Binh to our starting point, this really depends on how fit you are, so we can choose the best terrain that suit you, 20 km before Hoa Binh town, and 50 km before Mai Chau valley. Have dinner and stay overnight in Thai’s house on stilts.

Day 3: MAI CHAU – CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK (120 km) (B, L, D)

Breakfast and ride about 20 km of small trails around Thai and Muong villages. Lunch break in Mai Chau. Afternoon, get on your own vehicle as we travel to Lac Son, and we will then cycle 40 km to Cuc Phuong National Park. Have dinner and stay overnight in Cuc Phuong national park.

Day 4: CUC PHUONG – NINH BINH (~ 60 km) (B, L, D)
Morning visit the Primate Rescue center where you could have much joy with funny languor species and admire the eco-loved scientists working here. We then rode 20km through Cuc Phuong forest to the park center, tea break, then a 3 hours round trip to the Tetrameles nudiflora (Sequoia) 1,000 years tree. Transfer out of Cuc Phuong in the afternoon then ride through rice fields, limestone rocks to Ninh Binh. Have dinner and stay overnight in Ninh Binh.

Day 5: NINH BINH – HANOI (~ 100km) (B, L)

Biking from the hotel to Hoa Lu, the first capital of Vietnam, dates back from the 8th century. Visit the temples and climb some hundred steps to the top of a mountain for a great view over the “Halong Bay on the rice field”. After here we bike through an amazing area of limestone mountains uprising on rice paddies. After 1 hours riding we reach Tam Coc. Lunch in a local restaurant and then enjoy an interesting rowing boat trip on the river to explore Halong Bay on the rice paddies.
After that, we head back to Hanoi for your leisure evening. Arrive at your hotel in Hanoi late afternoon. Free at leisure for your own dinner. Stay overnight in Hanoi.

Day 6: HANOI – HALONG OVERNIGHT ON BOAT (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we leave Hanoi at around 08.00 for Halong Bay, a World Heritage site with thousands of limestone and dolomite islands and islets. It will take you roughly 3.5 hours to arrive Halong with stops en route for your refreshment.

Upon arrival in Halong, check-in the Deluxe Junk where you will spend your 2-day-1-night trip. Enjoy a lunch of fresh seafood while the boat goes about an unusual seascape with thousands of picturesque rocks and islets, beaches and hollow islands.
Within your time on the boat, you will enjoy the visit to karst grottoes, swimming, and other activities as well as the magnificent sunset on Halong Bay. Have dinner and stay overnight on the boat with peaceful time sounds at night.

Day 7: HALONG – HANOI – LATE FLIGHT TO HUE (B, L)
The Vietnamese call the “Great Cua Dai” by a point-oriented name “Eastern Sea”, so you may guess how miraculous seeing the sunrise over the islets of the Bay. Our boat will continue to cruise in marvelous areas, where almost each islet has its own name, adopting its shape or reminiscent like Sail island, Fisherman’s head rock, Butterfly rock or Turtle islet etc. Enjoy the brunch onboard before going back to Halong Wharf and take your car straight to Noi Bai airport to catch the late afternoon flight to Hue.
Welcome by your new tour guide upon arrival Hue and being transferred to your hotel in the city center for checking-in. At leisure for your own dinner and relaxation. Overnight in Hue.

Day 8: EXPLORING HUE ON A BIKE (B, L)

Starting the day at around 08:00am, we cycle to visit the Hue Citadel and Imperial City, which will take us about 2 hours and a half. Then we bike upstream the legendary Perfume River to visit Thien Mu pagoda. Continue to the rolling hills of the surrounding countryside where we find the Royal Tombs to the Nguyen Emperors. We visit Tu Duc and Khai Dinh tombs. After having viewed the splendid landscaped gardens and ornate architecture of the kings’ final resting places, return to your hotel for relaxation. Evening at leisure for your own dinner. Stay overnight in Hue.

Day 9: CYCLE TO THANH TOAN TILE ROOFED BRIDGE – HUE – HOIAN (B)
After breakfast, leave the center of Hue and its historic buildings for a bicycle ride through the rice fields and the bucolic Vietnamese countryside to the Thanh Toan Village, located eight kilometers away. The village shelters a covered bridge dating back more than two centuries; offered to the villagers by the wife of a high ranking Mandarin. Cycle along the river bank dotted with temples. At the edge of the river banks, you might see the mothers washing their linen while their children are biking back home from school, many of whom will be astonished to see Westerners lost in this corner of countryside.
Back to Hue for checking out and your own lunch break before we head South via beautiful Hai Van Pass for Hoian ancient town.
Depending on your interests and health condition, we can do another round up to Hai Van Pass – a legendary Pass in the center of Vietnam (20km cycling up and down) from the 14th century.

Stop at Lang Co beach – one of most beautiful beaches in the Central part of Vietnam for sightseeing. We would have two more stops at Cham Museum and Marble mountain before arriving at Hoian for checking in. At leisure in the evening for your first discovery and dinner. Overnight in Hoian.

Day 10: HOIAN – MY SON – HOIAN (B)
Morning ride to My Son world heritage to visit the most concentrate and impressive combination of Cham Towers, 45km from Hoian town, where you can learn much about the Cham culture that once brightly developed in the location of present Central Vietnam. Visit the sites and cycle back roads to reach highway No1, where you will be transferred back to Hoian.

This afternoon, you can choose to cycle with your guide to the beach, which is around 4km from the center of the town and leisurely relax on the beach or explore Hoian ancient town to visit the Japanese Bridge, Chinese Assembly Halls, Trading Houses, and the local market located by the Thu Bon river. This is also a wonderful town to shop for lanterns, soft silk, raw silk, or order your clothes to be tailored within a day. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11: HOIAN – DANANG – NHA TRANG (B)
After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy some free time in Hoi An before cycling along side roads via the Marble Mountains to Danang. A short, afternoon flight transfers you to the white sandy beaches of Nha Trang. Relax and enjoy the sun and sand.

Day 12: NHA TRANG BEACH RELAXATION (B)

Whole day at leisure for your beach relaxation. Stay overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 13: NHA TRANG – DA LAT (~200km) (B, L)
This morning, transfer past the busy traffic of Highway No1 to the Po Klong Garai Cham towers for the starting point of today’s uphill ride. The road is quiet and shady for the most part as you pedal steadily upwards, ascending more than 1000 meters! As you near Dalat, the journey is rewarded as the temperatures begin to cool and lush green fields and hills fill your vision. Check-in hotel and free to relax after the long ride or explore the town on your own. Stay overnight in hotel Dalat.

Day 14: DA LAT – SAIGON (~300km) (B, L)
Rise early for a not-to-be-missed Dalat cycling loop. Pedal the quiet back roads in the shadow of Langbiang Mountain, stopping en route to visit a flower farm, and enjoy stunning views of Dalat.

Then, let the fun begin with the ride to Ho Chi Minh City – downhill all the way and lunch on route- arriving Saigon late this afternoon! Check-in hotel for relaxation. Stay overnight in Saigon. (Today’s ride is about 80km)

Day 15: SAIGON – CAI BE – TRA ON OVERNIGHT STAY ON BOAT (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we leave Saigon for Cai Be. It will take you roughly 2.5-3 hours driving there with stops en route for your refreshment and photo opportunities.
– 10.00 boarding the Mekong Eyes boat. We start exploring the lively Cai Be floating market then taking a short walk to visit the handicraft villages of the local people, pay a visit to a local family and sample various tropical fruits.
– 11.00 Return to the boat as it’s heading to Can Tho via Cho LACH and TRAON. Enjoy your first lunch on boat.
– 13.00 onward: Disembark Cho LACH village for a pleasant biking on the footpaths of the countryside to discover tropical fruit orchards and the daily life of local people.

The cruise continues to Tra On. Enjoy the magnificent sunset on the river. Isn’t it a wonderful afternoon relaxing on the sundeck, enjoying picturesque ferry crossings over Mekong River branches? Have dinner and stay overnight on board in Tra On. Accommodation: Twin-shared basis on Mekong Eyes Cruise (Joining basis).

Day 16: TRA ON – CAN THO – SAIGON (B)
– The noise as a sign of the floating market wakes you up early in the morning. Enjoy the magnificent sunrise on the river. After breakfast, the cruise continues to Can Tho. Leisurely cruise up the BASSAC river while enjoying the beautiful scenery

– Upon arriving at Can Tho, a shuttle boat will take you to explore the Cai Rang market, one of the most bustling floating markets in Mekong Delta with hundreds of wholesaler and retailer sales boats, local habit of sales, and barging, amazing and bustling activities among boats. After the floating market, we continue further through the palm-shaded creek to see local houses and green orchards.

– 10.00 Disembark. End of the trip with Mekong Eyes Cruise Mekong Delta.

Your private vehicle is waiting for you at the pier for a short city tour of Can Tho and your own lunch break before driving you back to Saigon.

Arrive at your hotel in Saigon in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Saigon.

Day 17: SAIGON DEPARTURE (B)

Depending on your schedule, this day is open to your schedule. You can either:

–    Take your vehicle to the airport for the departure flight leaving Vietnam.

–    Choose a half day or full day city tour to explore Saigon, the most bustling and biggest city of Vietnam.

–    Extend your holiday with us to Phu Quoc or Mui Ne or other beach destinations to recover after a trip filled with adventure activities.