North Vietnam Cycling 10 days/9 nights

Embark on this 10-day tour of "North Vietnam Cycling" through the northern part of Vietnam, which provides you opportunities to meet the locals and experience their culture in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

10 days days

Vietnam

Cycling Tours

Overview

Vietnam has become one of the best destinations for cycling in Indochina. Our cycling tour through North part of Vietnam provides you opportunities to meet the locals and experience their culture in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

You will start your tour in the capital of Vietnam, which is renowned due to its tranquil lake settings, French-colonial architectures, ancient temples, delectable cuisine and as the resting place of the revered former leader, Ho Chi Minh. It is really an unforgettable experience when trying the great feeling of exploration this city by a bicycle. Leaving the noisy city for a traditional village, you will cycle and cross the famous Red river to spend one day in Bat Trang ceramic village. It is well – known for its ever ceramic and pottery products of quality. Upon arrival, you will get off your bike for walking around to visit the temple, the communal house, the work shop and learn the steps to make a complete pottery. More interestingly, you can make a vase, a glass, a bowl by your own and bring home for remembrance.

After 3 days of exploring Hanoi and its surrounding village, we will transfer to Mai Chau – a northwestern mountainous district by a car. This place belongs to Hoa Binh province, located about 135 km from Hanoi, considered as a land of stunning scenery with green mountains, heavenly waterfalls and a home to almost Thai ethnic minority. Reaching here, you have a chance to take part in many exciting activities. In addition to cycling around the villages, meeting the local hill tribes, you also can get fully exploration of their traditionally cultural interests by staying as a homestay guest, enjoying the Thai dancing performance at night.

We continue our trip to Hoa Lu – Ninh Binh, the former capital of Vietnam during King Dinh and King Le dynasties in the 10th century. Next, it is on to the Trang An Grottoes, which covers an area of 1,500 hectares including limestone ranges, valleys, caves and rivers considered as a great rock – garden locating in a vast lake.

No trip to the Northern Vietnam is complete without visiting one of the World Natural Heritage of Halong bay. Leaving your bike behind, then embarking an overnight cruise, you will feel lost in a legendary world of limestone islands jutting out of jade waters and atmospheric grottoes here. Enjoying the seafood, kayaking to visit the floating village of fishermen are the highlights for 2 days in Halong bay.

Highlights:

Experience the cycling in the highlight areas of north Vietnam
Visit Hanoi city with many monuments and take cyclo tour in the old quarter.
Cycling along Red river to visit Bat Trang, the ceramic and porcelain village.
Discover the valley of Mai Chau and overnight in house on stilt.
Take Cycling the beautiful area of Hoa Lu and take boat trip in Trang An
Take cruising and kayaking in Halong Bay.

Itinerary

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Arrival in Hanoi airport and pick up and transfer to hotel. Afternoon we will take a traditional Cyclo tour in 90-minute tour in in the Old Quarter “36 streets of 36 wares” and Hoan Kiem Lake. Tonight enjoy a traditional water puppet show and then briefing with cycling tour. Overnight in Hanoi.

Today we take cycling tour to visit the highlights of Hanoi, including: the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh and the Presidential Palace and visits to the serene One Pillar Pagoda, Quan Thanh and Tran Quoc pagodas, and the Fine Art Museum. Lunch in local restaurant. Afternoon visit the Temple of Literature, the site of Vietnam's first university and a shrine for Confucian worship, founded in the year 1066, and continue cycling trip to Museum of Ethnology. Before return to hotel you will start to check carefully your bike with assists of our mechanic to make sure that everything will be going for the journey and your bike. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

Morning start cycling and crossing the red river on the Paul Doumer bridge – was one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the French colony and a showpiece of colonial infrastructure. Continue riding along the dyke for short distance before joining a small biking trail that furrows among popcorn, vegetable, and fruit gardens. You mostly cycle on the back roads amidst the wild nature. Passing the villages, you can see a lush green rice fields, cornfields, and vegetable and fruit plantation areas. This is the biggest vegetable and herbs area of Hanoi. Arrival in Bat Trang village after about two hour cycling, take rest and lunch. Afternoon you will have a short walk to visit the village, discovering the village ceramic market, the Bat Trang temple, Bat Trang communal house. Then you stop at local workshop where you learn all the steps of making a pottery. You have the opportunity to make your own pottery then enjoy two more hour cycling back to Hanoi in a different way. Take boat trip cross the Red River and then continue riding along the dyke back Hotel. Overnight in Hanoi.

Morning depart by vehicle for Mai Chau , we will drive through picturesque scenery with stunning views of the northwestern mountainous area., Mai Chau located in Hoa Binh province, approximately 135 km from Hanoi is surrounded by a green valley with a patchwork of rice paddies and stilt houses. The area is home of many ethnic minorities, including the Muong and the Thai. Afternoon, we get familiar with the bike and start 2 hour easy cycling tour through the beautiful valley of Mai Chau. We will have a lot of chance to see the local hill tribes pursuing their daily routine, such as planting/harvesting rice, herding buffalos or building houses. Tonight enjoy dinner at the lodge accompanied by a traditional local Thai dance performance. Overnight in homestay.

Morning we start cycling through the beautiful sceneries and different villages to reach Van Village. The first 7 Km are on the main road along the starting point of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail. And we will continue our cycle another slightly more challenging 12 km on dirt road before reaching Buoc village of the Thai ethnic minority people. Stop for lunch and continue to ride to the deep heart of Mai Chau valley. Arrive at Van village, check in the homestay and relax. Walking or play footfall with the village boys. Overnight in homestay.

In the morning, after breakfast we say goodbye to the family in Mai Chau and we take our vehicle to Man Duc where we start biking journey with combination of driving to Hoa Lu as we savor the beautiful scenery along the way. We have lots of opportunities to visit and take photos at the villages along the way. Arrival in Hoa Lu, visit the famed Dinh and Le Temples upon arrival in the citadel town of Hoa Lu, an early capital of Vietnam. Transfer to hotel. Time free and overnight at hotel in Ninh Binh.

Morning transfer to visit Trang An between the rocky peaks, mysterious caves, the green landscapes and lazy river that flows in the rice fields … It is hard to ask for more when you’re in the middle of the Ha Long Bay inland! Under the expert of boatmen, the boat slips in this beautiful landscape, you can enjoy the full beauty of this pearl. Here are women who row the boats with the traditional manual: rowing with their feet. And drive to Hai Phong, en route, stop and hop on the bike to visit some villages in Thai Binh and visit the Keo and Dau Pagodas on the way (Arrive Hai Phong late in afternoon, check in hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Haiphong.

Morning after breakfast start cycling from Hai Phong to Halong Bay we will cross 2 ferries boat and arrive in Halong around noon. Leave our bikes behind and board a traditional wooden junk and begin an exploration of magical Halong Bay, one of Southeast Asia’s premier tourist destinations. An excellent, fresh seafood lunch will be served on the boat while cruising to the first point, a floating village of fishermen. We’ll have safety instruction before get on our kayaks. Paddling for 2, 5 hours through the most dramatically limestone formation, giant cave, beaches and hidden lagoons. Relax on a small beautiful beach upon on arrival. Dinner overnight onboard.

Morning wake up early in the morning to enjoy the aquamarine water of the bay at its best. After breakfast and early swim, we slip on our kayaks again for 2 hours paddling to an isolated beach, floating village of fishermen. Meet our Junk at lunch time and motor back to the harbor in Halong. Transfer back to Hanoi by vehicle. Farewell dinner at a restaurant in town and overnight at the hotel in Hanoi.