Vietnam: Cycling, Hiking and Kayaking from Hanoi to Saigon

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Hanoi

   Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter

   • Repas du soir
   • Nuit : Hanoi
   Détail du jour 1

   Your trip starts at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), north of the city, where we meet you and drive you to a central hotel near the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. 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

   Temps libre : Afternoon free to rest before the welcome dinner

2. Jour 2 : 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

   • Environ 2.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Mai Chau
   Détail du jour 2

   We start at the Temple of Literature as it opens, before the tour coaches. It was founded in 1070 to honour Confucius and later held the Imperial Academy, and its courtyards of old trees and stone stelae are quiet at this hour. Then we drive south-west out of Hanoi, about two and a half hours through Hoa Binh, climbing to the Thung Khe pass at the edge of the hills. Here the bikes come off the support vehicle and you ride the last stretch of about 20 km, mostly downhill and then flat, into the Mai Chau valley, with the rice fields opening out below. 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. 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)

   Option plus facile : Ride only the flat last 10 km on the valley floor, or stay in the support vehicle.

   Activité : Riding: about 20 km, mostly downhill and flat on paved road; the support vehicle follows.

   

3. Jour 3 : 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
   Détail du jour 3

   A full day in one valley, with no packing. 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. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Ride the shorter 15 km loop on the flattest lanes, and skip the hike.

   Option plus active : Add an extra 15 km out-and-back to the end of the valley with your guide.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free at the lodge for anyone not hiking

   Activité : Riding: about 30 km on flat lanes and dikes with short rises. Hiking: about 6 km with about 300 m of climbing on farm tracks.

4. Jour 4 : 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

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Ninh Binh
   Détail du jour 4

   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. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Ride in the support vehicle to Bich Dong and join the boat.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Tam Coc

   Activité : Riding: about 20 km on flat paved lanes.

   

5. Jour 5 : 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

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Lan Ha Bay
   Détail du jour 5

   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. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Skip the Mua Cave climb and sleep in; stay on the boat deck instead of kayaking.

   Activité : Mua Cave: about 500 steep stone steps. Kayaking: about 1 to 2 hours in double kayaks on sheltered water; kayaking depends on the weather and sea state.

6. Jour 6 : A morning paddle, then fly to Hue

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

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Hue
   Détail du jour 6

   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. 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

   Temps libre : Evening free in Hue

   Activité : Kayaking before breakfast is optional and depends on the sea.

7. Jour 7 : 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

   • Environ 2.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Hoi An
   Détail du jour 7

   We are at the Imperial City as it opens, while the courtyards are cool and nearly empty. Hue was the capital of the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945, and its monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site; your guide explains what was lost in the fighting of 1968 and what has been rebuilt since. On the way out of town we walk through Dong Ba Market, Hue's main market on the river. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Ride up in the van and cycle only the descent, or stay in the van over the pass.

   Option plus active : Ride the full climb from sea level at Lang Co and continue along the bay towards Da Nang.

   Activité : Riding: about 25 km with about 10 km of climbing on a 5 to 8 percent road to close to 500 m. Anyone can join the van at any point.

   

8. Jour 8 : 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
   Détail du jour 8

   A gentle day after the pass. 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. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Ride in the support vehicle to Tra Que and back.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free; dinner on your own in the Old Town

   Activité : Riding: about 25 km on flat lanes.

   

9. Jour 9 : Hoi An at dawn, then fly to Saigon

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

   • Environ 45 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Ho Chi Minh City
   Détail du jour 9

   Set an alarm for this one. At about 6 am the Old Town is almost empty, and the Japanese Covered Bridge, built at the end of the 16th century and reopened in 2024 after a long restoration, and the yellow merchant houses take the early light. Your guide walks the lanes with anyone who wants to come, before the shops open. 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. 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. 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

   Option plus facile : Sleep in and meet the group at breakfast.

   Activité : Walking: about 3 to 4 km in the afternoon heat, with stops in the shade.

   

10. Jour 10 : Into the Mekong Delta at Ben Tre

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

    • Environ 2 h de route
    • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
    • Nuit : Ben Tre
    Détail du jour 10

    We leave Saigon at about 7:30 am, ahead of the worst traffic, and drive about two hours south-west across the Mekong to Ben Tre, a province of islands, rivers and coconut palms where the river splits into its branches on the way to the sea. Here the delta becomes the trip, not a day trip. The bikes come off the vehicle and we ride about 20 km on narrow concrete lanes, often only a bike's width, between orchards, coconut groves and small canals, crossing on little bridges and stopping at family workshops where coconut is turned into sweets, rope and mats. 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. 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

    Option plus facile : Ride half the distance and join the support vehicle, or walk the first village lanes.

    Temps libre : Evening free in Ben Tre

    Activité : Riding: about 20 km on flat, narrow concrete lanes; some bridges need you to walk the bike.

11. Jour 11 : Ben Tre: orchards, river and a farewell dinner

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

    • En traversier
    • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
    • Nuit : Ben Tre
    Détail du jour 11

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

    Option plus facile : Ride a shorter 15 km loop and take the boat back with the group.

    Option plus active : Add an extra 15 km on the river dike roads with your guide before lunch.

    Temps libre : Afternoon free

    Activité : Riding: about 30 km on flat lanes and dikes.

12. Jour 12 : Back to Saigon and home

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

    • Environ 2 h de route
    • Petit-déjeuner
    Détail du jour 12

    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. 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

    Activité : Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm.

Faune et météo : February to April is the driest, most comfortable time for riding the whole length of the country; the north can be grey and misty in February and March, which keeps the riding cool. Saigon and the delta are hot all year and hottest in April and May. Hue and Hoi An carry most of their rain, and the risk of typhoons, from September to December, so autumn departures run only with a wet-weather plan for the Hai Van ride.

• Hanoi1 nuit
• Mai Chau2 nuits
• Ninh Binh1 nuit
• Lan Ha Bay1 nuit
• Hue1 nuit
• Hoi An2 nuits
• Ho Chi Minh City1 nuit
• Ben Tre2 nuits