Vietnam: Cycling, Hiking and Kayaking from Hanoi to Saigon

Arrive in Hanoi

Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter

• Repas du soir
• Nuit : Hanoi

Soir

Rest after the long flight; nothing is planned until the early evening. At about 6 pm you meet your See Sight Tours guide and the rest of the group for a short briefing on the days ahead: how the riding works, what the support vehicle carries, how e-bikes are booked and what to bring on the boat. Then we walk through the Old Quarter to a street food dinner together, with bun cha, crisp spring rolls and fresh herbs at low tables, and your guide shows you how to cross a street full of scooters calmly. Bike sizes and saddle heights are taken tonight so each bike is set up before the first ride. If your flight lands too late for dinner, we meet you at breakfast instead.

Compris

• Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
• Welcome briefing and bike fitting notes
• Street food dinner in the Old Quarter with your guide

Temple of Literature, then ride into Mai Chau

Hanoi to the Thung Khe pass by van, then by bike down into the Mai Chau valley

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Mai Chau
• Environ 2.5 h de route

Après-midi

Lunch is in the valley. In the late afternoon we walk through Lac or Pom Coong, villages of the White Thai people, whose wooden houses stand on stilts above the fields. We stay two nights in a stilt-house lodge; the standard we require is a private room with its own bathroom, hot water and mosquito nets, not a shared floor, and we confirm the lodge when your dates are set.

Soir

Dinner is cooked at the lodge.

Compris

• Temple of Literature at opening
• Cycle from the Thung Khe pass into the Mai Chau valley, about 20 km
• Walk through a White Thai village
• Two nights in a stilt-house lodge (private rooms with own bathroom required, confirmed with your dates)

The Mai Chau valley by bike and on foot

A loop of the valley floor and the villages, then a walk into the hills

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Mai Chau

Matin

We set off on the bikes after breakfast while the air is still cool, on a loop of about 30 km along quiet lanes and dikes between the rice fields, through White Thai villages where looms sit under the stilt houses and families dry rice and maize in the yards. The terrain is flat, with a few short rises, and we stop often: at a village to watch weaving, at a stream, and for coffee.

Après-midi

Lunch is back at the lodge. After a rest through the heat of the day, those who want to walk take a guided hike of about 6 km on farm tracks and village paths up the valley side, for the view back over the fields in the late light; the walk has a steady climb of about 300 m. Anyone who would rather rest can stay at the lodge, read on the veranda or borrow a bike for a slow ride on their own.

Soir

Dinner is at the lodge again.

Compris

• Guided bike loop of the Mai Chau valley, about 30 km
• Guided afternoon hike on the valley side, about 6 km

Mai Chau to Ninh Binh, by bike and sampan

Mai Chau to Ninh Binh by van, then the lanes of Tam Coc by bike and the Ngo Dong river by rowing boat

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Ninh Binh
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

We leave Mai Chau after breakfast and drive about three hours east, through limestone hills and sugar cane country, to Ninh Binh, with a stop for coffee on the way. Ninh Binh is the inland karst country south of Hanoi, and its Trang An landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Après-midi

Lunch is in Tam Coc. In the afternoon we ride about 20 km on flat lanes between the rice fields and the karst towers, to Bich Dong, a pagoda built into a cliff in three levels, and through small villages where farmers still work the fields with water buffalo. In the late afternoon, when the midday boats have gone, we board small rowing boats on the Ngo Dong river at Tam Coc. The rowers, often local women, row with their feet, and the boats pass through three caves cut through the limestone.

Soir

The evening is free in Tam Coc, a small village with plenty of places to eat.

Compris

• Bike ride through the Tam Coc lanes to Bich Dong Pagoda, about 20 km
• Tam Coc rowing boat on the Ngo Dong river, late afternoon

Mua Cave at first light, then Lan Ha Bay

Ninh Binh to the Lan Ha Bay pier by van, then a night on the boat

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Lan Ha Bay
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

An early start for anyone who wants it: Mua Cave is a short walk from Tam Coc, and at first light the climb of about 500 stone steps to the dragon on the ridge is cool and almost empty, with the view over the Tam Coc river loops and the rice fields below. Back for breakfast, then we drive about three hours east to the coast and on to the pier for Lan Ha Bay, south of Ha Long Bay and part of the same UNESCO World Heritage Site since the listing was extended to the Cat Ba archipelago in 2023.

Après-midi

We board the boat around midday, and lunch is served as we sail out among the karst islands. In the afternoon we take kayaks from the boat into the quieter lagoons and around the foot of the cliffs, at an easy pace with your guide, and swim when the water is warm.

Soir

The boat anchors among the islands for the night, and dinner is on board.

Compris

• Mua Cave at first light (optional, early)
• Overnight boat in Lan Ha Bay in a private cabin with its own bathroom
• Kayaking from the boat with your guide, weather permitting

A morning paddle, then fly to Hue

Lan Ha Bay to Noi Bai International Airport by van, then a flight to Hue

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Hue
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

The bay is at its calmest early, so anyone who wants to paddle again takes a kayak out before breakfast while the light comes up behind the islands. Brunch is on board as the boat sails back to the pier, which we reach in the late morning. From there it is about three hours by road to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, with a coffee and snack stop on the way, and a flight of a little over an hour south to Hue, the old imperial capital on the Perfume River.

Soir

This is the longest travel day of the trip, and it is the trade for skipping the overnight sleeper train most north-to-south trips use: you sleep in a hotel bed tonight, not a shared berth. Your guide flies with you. We reach the hotel in Hue in the evening, and dinner is your choice, either near the hotel or on the river walk, where small places serve bun bo Hue, the city's spicy beef noodle soup.

Compris

• Early kayak from the boat (optional)
• Domestic flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Hue (HUI)
• Transfer to your hotel in Hue

Hue, then the Hai Van Pass by bike to Hoi An

Hue to Lang Co by van, over the Hai Van Pass by bike, then on to Hoi An

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hoi An
• Environ 2.5 h de route

Après-midi

Then we drive about an hour and a half south to Lang Co, a fishing village between a lagoon and a long beach, for lunch. In the afternoon, the climb: the Hai Van Pass rises to close to 500 m where a spur of the mountains runs into the sea, about 10 km of steady climbing from the Lang Co side, then a long descent towards the Bay of Da Nang. The support vehicle stays with the riders the whole way. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide times the ride on the day.

Soir

We reach Hoi An by early evening.

Compris

• Hue Imperial City at opening
• Walk through Dong Ba Market
• Lunch in Lang Co
• Cycle over the Hai Van Pass, about 25 km with the support vehicle

Hoi An countryside ride

A loop through rice fields and Tra Que vegetable village, then the Old Town in the evening

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hoi An

Matin

We ride out of Hoi An after breakfast on a loop of about 25 km on flat lanes through rice fields, past water buffalo and family graves in the paddies, to Tra Que, a village known for its herbs and greens.

Après-midi

A farmer shows you how the beds are worked and fertilised with river weed, then we cook and eat lunch together with a family in the village. We ride back along quiet lanes towards the coast and into town by early afternoon, and the rest of the afternoon is free: rest, swim, or have clothes made at one of the town's tailors.

Soir

In the evening your guide walks you into the Old Town, a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, when the lanterns are lit along the Thu Bon River and small boats carry candles out onto the water. Dinner tonight is your choice in town.

Compris

• Guided countryside bike loop, about 25 km
• Tra Que village visit with a cooking lunch
• Evening walk in Hoi An Old Town with your guide, Old Town entry included

Hoi An at dawn, then fly to Saigon

Hoi An to Da Nang International Airport, then a flight to Ho Chi Minh City

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Ho Chi Minh City
• Environ 45 min de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive about 45 minutes to Da Nang International Airport and fly south, about an hour and a half, to Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by most of the people who live there.

Après-midi

In the afternoon, after check-in, we walk the old centre with your guide: the Independence Palace, where a tank broke through the gates on 30 April 1975, the French-era City Hall on Nguyen Hue, and the Central Post Office under its iron roof.

Soir

In the evening we go out together for a street food dinner in one of the city's busy food streets.

Compris

• Dawn walk in Hoi An Old Town (optional, early)
• Domestic flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
• Independence Palace and a walk through the old centre
• Street food dinner with your guide

Into the Mekong Delta at Ben Tre

Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre by van, then the canals by bike and sampan

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Ben Tre
• Environ 2 h de route

Après-midi

Lunch is in a family's garden, with Mekong dishes rolled at the table with herbs and rice paper. In the afternoon a local rows us in a sampan along a canal shaded by water coconut palms, the quietest part of the day.

Soir

We stay two nights in Ben Tre, so the evening is free to rest.

Compris

• Guided bike ride through the Ben Tre canal lanes, about 20 km
• Sampan along a water coconut canal
• Lunch in a family garden

Ben Tre: orchards, river and a farewell dinner

A ride through the orchard islands and a boat on the river, back to Ben Tre

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Ben Tre
• En traversier

Matin

The light is soft and the lanes are cool early, so we ride straight after breakfast. Today's loop is about 30 km through the orchard villages, where pomelo, rambutan and durian are grown in raised beds between small canals and nurseries raise fruit trees and ornamental plants for the rest of the country. We cross the wide river by local ferry, as the people who live here do, and stop for coffee and fruit with a farming family.

Après-midi

A boat brings us back along the river to Ben Tre by late morning, and lunch is together.

Soir

The afternoon is free, with no packing, so you can rest, take a slow ride on your own or walk the riverside in the evening. Tonight is the farewell dinner, with the group and your guide, after eleven days from Hanoi in the north to the delta in the far south.

Compris

• Guided orchard bike loop, about 30 km, with a local ferry crossing
• Boat back along the river to Ben Tre
• Farewell dinner

Back to Saigon and home

Ben Tre to Tan Son Nhat International Airport or central Ho Chi Minh City

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

The last morning is slow. Breakfast at the hotel, and for anyone who wants one more ride, your guide leads a short loop of about 10 km along the river before the heat; everyone else packs at leisure. Late morning we drive about two hours back to Ho Chi Minh City, and you choose the drop-off: Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) or a hotel in the centre if you are staying on.

Après-midi

We usually reach the airport in the early afternoon, so please book a flight leaving after about 3 pm. If you are staying longer, the Cu Chi Tunnels, the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market are good ways to spend another day, and we can book extra nights in Saigon at the group hotel. Your guide sees you to the airport or the hotel and checks your onward plans before saying goodbye.

Compris

• Short morning ride along the river (optional), about 10 km
• Drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) or a central Ho Chi Minh City hotel