Welcome to the fascinating city of Ho Chi Minh, also known by its former name Saigon, famous for ending the Vietnam War when it fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975. In addition to its historical significance, Saigon is also Vietnam’s most populated city, full of activity and home to classic examples of French colonial architecture and an innovative culinary scene.We will meet in our hotel at 3 pm for a briefing and introduction before heading out on a special night time tour of the best food Saigon has to offer. This night will delight foodies and sceptics alike, with a stop for drinks at a local cafe, tasting of a variety of specialities at two different restaurants, a visit to a coffee shop with live music, and a taste of Vietnamese nightlife at a local bar. Don’t forget to bring your appetite!
Meal: Dinner
35km cycling. This morning we’ll head to the airport for a short flight to Dong Hoi before we take to our bikes. Dong Hoi is a pleasant seaside port town with hardly a tourist in sight, and we’ll spend our morning pedalling through its bright river valley. After lunch, we’ll ride to Chay Lap where we’ll stay in the night at a farm homestay amidst towering hills and lush greenery. This is a unique opportunity to delve into Vietnamese culture in this rural setting of untouched farming land.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
60km cycling. This morning we’ll set off on our bikes to the Woman’s Temple, Banteay Srei. This 10th-century place of worship is known for the intricate carvings found in its ruins, and the ride out of town to this remote structure will provide an interesting day of cycling. Once we’ve explored the temple’s grounds, we’ll take a look at Kabal Spean and it’s ancient carvings etched out of the riverbed.
The waterway is referred to as the ‘River of a thousand Lingas’ and the water is said to be made holy as it passes over these sacred artworks.Following our river trek we’ll ride to the nearby ACCB Wildlife Conservation Centre and tour the facility. Here we’ll see enormous birds, cheeky langur monkeys, gibbons and more, and you can often hear hornbills overhead. After a full day of exploring we’ll spare your legs from the long return journey with a transfer back into town.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
30km cycling. Once we’ve taken a train ride to Hue, we’ll warm up our legs with a scenic bike ride through the countryside. We’ll pass friendly locals hard at work, a variety of animals grazing in their pastures, and the peaceful surroundings of this rural area. Pedal past the peaceful Lap An lagoon tucked into the landscape like something out of a movie! Tonight make your own way around the historical city of Hue.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
25km cycling This morning we’ll board a private boat to take us and our bikes to the Islands of the Mekong surrounding Phnom Penh. There we’ll pedal around the famous Silk Island, known for its local women who sit under their raised houses and weave silk on wooden looms. In the evening at dinner, a guest speaker from a Khmer/American Community Organisation will join us. This group of US deportees have an incredible story to tell of being deported to Cambodia, a place that their parents fled and one that most of them have never known. They are making the most of a difficult situation, working hard to create jobs for their members and find solid ways of contributing to Cambodian society.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
50km cycling. Today we’ll transfer out of Hue to the starting point of our ride. Make sure to get a good stretch in before you pedal along the Hai Van Pass. This 21 kilometer stretch of road, with 10 kilometers of steady, achievable climbing, traverses part of the Truong Son mountain range of Vietnam, and as it winds its way through the mountains, the route provides spectacular views of the coast down below.Have your camera at the ready to snap some pictures of this idyllic blue and green scenery as you rest along this climb. We’ll pedal to an ancient Buddha statue set on a headland near Da Nang City before transferring the rest of the way to Hoi An. Once in the city, we’ll take to the streets for a walking tour of the Old Town and a wonderful dinner together there.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
25-45km cycling. Early this morning you’ll have the option to kayak along the Thu Bon river as the sun rises above the city of Hoi An. If you can get yourself up, the experience is totally worth it! Later we’ll pedal across the river into the countryside, passing through small traditional villages, onto dirt pathways past family farms and rice fields, exchanging smiles with workers along the way.After renewing our energy with a snack, we’ll cycle on towards the ruins of My Son: another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Once we’ve arrived, we’ll have the chance to wander through these ruins built by the Cham people who were originally Hindu and later evolved to practice Islam. The Cham kingdom was eventually conquered by the Vietnamese and then the Khmer, but the ruins of this sacred sanctuary remain in good shape, though covered in moss. We will transfer from My Son back to Hoi An.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
50km cycling. This morning we will transfer an hour to the small, provincial city of Tam Ky before beginning our bike route that brings us back along the coast towards Hoi An. Take a peek above the handlebars, and catch a glimpse of headstones and graves that dot the landscape along the sand dunes and waterways. Once we’ve reached the Cua Dai bridge that spans the Thu Bon River, we’ll take a boat back to ancient Hoi An. Tonight let’s make the most of our last Vietnamese meal together at our farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Our tour concludes today with a transfer back to the Da Nang Airport.
Meal: Breakfast