Vietnam Cycling Holiday
- Biking
- 7 Days/6 Nights
- Vietnam
Number of Cycling Days: 5 Days | Total Cycling Distance: 265 Km |
Accommodation: Included | Bike Hire: Included |
Single Supplement: Supplement Charge | Tour Code: VN – VCH |
Next departure: 08 March 2024 | Difficulty: Moderate |
Experience the true beauty on our 7-days Vietnam Cycling Holiday from Sapa to Dien Bien Phu. Cycle through the stunning mountainous landscape to reach Heavens Gate, the highest stretch of off-road terrain in Vietnam.
Journey through over 20 unique minority villages found only in the Northwest region, passing remote picturesque villages and breathtaking rice paddy fields. Capture stunning photos that can only be taken on this exclusive biking path. Your journey ends in the historically famous town of Dien Bien Phu.
DATE | AVAILABILITY | TOUR CODE |
08 – 14 March 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
05 – 11 April 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
10 – 16 May 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
11 – 17 June 2024 | Guaranteed to departure | VN – VCH |
02 – 08 July 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
05 – 11 August 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
08 – 14 September 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
11 – 17 October 2024 | Guaranteed to departure | VN – VCH |
09 – 15 November 2024 | Available | VN – VCH |
19 – 25 December 2024 | Guaranteed to departure | VN – VCH |
VIETNAM CYCLING HOLIDAY
- DAY 1: Hanoi City Tour – Overnight Train to Lao Cai
- DAY 2: Sapa – Supan Valley
- DAY 3: Sapa – Ta Phin Loop
- DAY 4: Sapa – Tam Duong (Phong Tho) – Pa So
- DAY 5: Pa So – Sin Ho – Lai Chau (Muong Lay)
- DAY 6: Pa So – Sin Ho – Lai Chau (Muong Lay)
- DAY 7: Dien Bien Phu City Tour – Hanoi
Day 1: Hanoi City Tour – Overnight Train to Lao Cai
In the afternoon, our local guide will meet you at your hotel in Hanoi city for a brief walking tour to explore the city and to give an evening trip briefing. Later in the evening, we will drive you to the train station for an overnight train to Lao Cai. Lao Cai, located at the end of the train line on the Chinese border, is a major hub for travellers journeying between Hanoi, Sapa (38km away), and Kunming. The border crossing was closed during the 1979 war between China and Vietnam and reopened in 1993.
Overnight train | Dinner | None |
Day 2: Sapa – Supan Valley
We’ll arrive in Lao Cai early in the morning then transfer to Sapa for breakfast. After a short rest, we will fit your bike for your first day ride on our Vietnam cycling holiday for a 20km cycle trip into the Sapa Valley. Sapa, the Queen of Mountains, sits regally overlooking a beautiful valley with lofty mountains towering over the town on all sides. It was built in 1922 as a French hill station. Overnight stay in Sapa.
My Gallery Boutique Hotel & Spa | Lunch, Dinner | 20 Km |
Day 3: Sapa – Ta Phin Loop
After breakfast, we cycle off-road to the village of Ta Phin. The ride will gradually become more challenging as you scale steep and forested hillsides. The scenery here is spectacular with farms and minority villages lining the paths we’ll take. Overnight stay in Sapa.
My Gallery Boutique Hotel & Spa | Lunch, Dinner | 30 Km |
Day 4: Sapa – Tam Duong (Phong Tho) – Pa So
Today, we start with a short uphill warm-up cycle to the Tram Ton Pass, before beginning a long descent ride to Binh Lu. Then, we will take a truly off-the-beaten-track route (jeep track) mixed with hard-pack gravel and clay to Tam Duong and Pa So. We will spend the night in Pa So.
Local Homestay | Lunch, Dinner | 80 Km |
Day 5: Pa So – Sin Ho – Lai Chau (Muong Lay)
After breakfast, we continue our Vietnam cycling holiday to embark on a challenging ride to Lai Chau and Sin Ho, with truly spectacular views as a reward. The ride is uphill and downhill on a mix of gravel and hard-pack clay, on the main road. We will spend the night in Lai Chau.
Local Hotel | Lunch, Dinner | 45 Km |
Day 6: Lai Chau – Tuan Giao – Dien Bien Phu
This is the most challenging cycling day of the tour. We will ride to Tuan Giao and Dien Bien Phu on a rough tarmac terrain for 90km, but will be rewarded with stunningly beautiful scenery and untouched remote villages. We will spend the night in Dien Bien Phu.
Mường Thanh Grand Dien Bien Phu Hotel | Lunch, Dinner | 90 Km |
Day 7: Dien Bien Phu City Tour – Hanoi
Your Vietnam Cycling holiday officially ends today.
After breakfast, we will take a half-morning tour of the historical sites of Dien Bien Phu. In the late morning, we will either fly back to Hanoi or take a minivan to Hanoi, depending on your preference.
Own arrangement | None | None |
Destinations | Vietnam | 265 km Total cycling distance |
Tour Meets | Hanoi | |
Tour Ends | Dien Bien Phu | 40 km Avg distance/day |
Fly in to | Noi Bai International Airport | |
Fly out of | Noi Bai International Airport | |
Group Size | 2 – 16 riders | 300 m Avg climbing/day |
Minimum Age | 14 ( on scheduled departures) |
TRIP PROFILE
Experience the true beauty of Vietnam on a 7-day cycling adventure from Sapa to Dien Bien Phu. Cycle through the stunning mountainous landscape to reach Heavens Gate, the highest stretch of off-road terrain in Vietnam.
Journey through over 20 unique minority villages found only in the Northwest region, passing remote picturesque villages and breathtaking rice paddy fields. Capture stunning photos that can only be taken on this exclusive biking path. Your journey ends in the historically famous town of Dien Bien Phu. Discover the peaceful side on this Vietnam cycling holiday.
What’s Included
| What’s Excluded
|
Guides
Your trip will be led by our local cycling tour guide. For a group less than 5, one English speaking cycling guide plus driver. A group of 6 or more, a Cycling Tour Leader, plus English-speaking cycling guide, drivers and assistants. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you.
Bikes & Repairs
The bikes you will be riding are well-known makes of hybrid or mountain bikes (depending on the tour.
Our guide carries a good tool kit and will help to fix any bike problems so all you normally need to carry is a daypack, for your camera etc. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be equipped for all repairs, so if you are bringing your own bike on the tour you must ensure that it is in good working order. If in doubt, have it fully serviced by a bike shop before you travel.
Support Vehicle
You will at all times have the security of a back-up vehicle. The vehicle will carry your luggage (we transport your main baggage by support vehicle from each overnight stop to the next) and yourself if you want. The backup van will be with us throughout the day stopping around every (15km).
Safety
We recommend you to wear a helmet all our biking adventures and is non-negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour guide is well trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree, you must be responsible for your own safety while riding.
Terrain
The terrain of our Vietnam cycling holiday is varied, mainly flat and hills and follows by the mixture of tarmac roads and dirt roads passing the countryside & rural village. You will cycle on back roads with lovely open landscapes and leisurely with plenty of stops in every 15km to enjoy snack and drink or taking photos. Our guides can also easily accommodate any type riders, in case you would not be able to complete the distance you would be able to jump into the support vehicle.
Fitness level
This Vietnam cycling holiday is tailor-made to suit cyclists of all levels of experience, fitness, and all ages with different backgrounds. Asia Cycling Tour requires all of the cyclists to enjoy the challenges but should respect everyone’s limits of cycling. The tours are designed so everyone can go at their own pace, and bear in mind that this is not a race.
Health & Medical Conditions
Due to the physical nature of our trips, it is extremely important that you are of good physical health and therefore able to fully participate in group tour. Prior to the start of your tour and at every trip stop during your tour, every traveller is required to provide details of any pre-existing medical conditions or to inform the tour guide if he/she feels unwell. Disclosure of this information is extremely important so as to ensure that we can act effectively in the case of an emergency.
Eating special diet
Most meals are included in your trip price apart from on non cycling days and some other exclusions. Please check the itinerary for full details. If you have a special dietary request, please advise us at the time of booking. Most diets can be catered for, but it is always important to advise us in advance.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are local and feature noodles, rice, curries, and soups. Cambodian cuisine is a mixture of Thai, French and Chinese dishes and we make sure you can sample a wide variety.
Drinking
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere but is NOT included in the price.
Extra Expenses
Most of the things are included in the package tour, you might want to budget for food and drinks if you choose to head out at night, or additional activities. The cost of the activity depends on what you want to do. We would recommend you to bring a small cash of US$30 for incidentals.
Money
The official national currency is the Vietnam Dong, but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the Dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.
Solo Traveler
We have a wide mix of cyclists on our Vietnam bike tours from couples, friends to solo travellers. Our prices are based on twin shared accommodation. If you sign up for one of our tours as a solo traveller we will twin share you with another person of the same gender in your group. If you prefer to have your own room this is an option on most of our tours for an extra charge.
Passport & Visa
Whilst we endeavour to provide correct and relevant information obtained directly from the relevant Embassies, High Commissions and Consulate Generals – this information is subject to frequent changes, without warning and at very short notice. Due to this, we cannot be held liable for any errors in the information provided on this site. We strongly advised you to check all information with the relevant embassy for details on your visa/passport requirements.
You must be in possession of a valid passport and visa. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after date of arrival or 1 month after expiration of visa.
British and Thai passport holders do not need a visa if they stay in country less than 14 days. For information relevant to the country for which you hold a passport, check with your local Vietnam embassy for up to date advice. Your visa must be applied for in advance. You can arrange for a visa on arrival in advance of the trip and our agent can provide you with a travel document that will permit entry to Vietnam for issue of the visa. There is a £10 admin charge for this. The visa fee is payable at Noi Bai airport, Hanoi.
Insurance
It is mandatory that you are well-insured for the full duration of the tour. This must include personal injury, medical expenses, death, repatriation, helicopter or aircraft rescue, loss of luggage or equipment, cancellation or curtailments.
You should also ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities included in your tour. Any claims concerning matters for which you are insured must be directed to your insurers. We strongly recommend that you take out insurance at the time of booking your trip to ensure that you are covered in the event of cancellation.
Climate
Vietnams weather is split into two distinct weather patters Tropical and a temperate zone. The average temperature ranges from 22 to 27 degrees all year round but in the South temperatues can stay almost the same. The Southern part of Vietname has 2 distincted seasons. The cold season is from November to April and the hot season from May to October. Whilst in the North there are 4 season with distinct difference between them. It can get cool in the winter but very warm in the summer.
The best time to visit North Vietnam is October to April, this is predominately a dry season with very pleasent temperatures.
Deposit
Once the tour is confirmed, we do require 30% deposited to secure the booking with us, the other 70% will be required one month before departure date. For the tours less than a month to the departure date, we will require full amount of the total tour cost.
Balance
The remaining balance must be paid 30 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
Final Tour Confirmation
Our team will send you the final tour confirmation of our Vietnam cycling holiday package, which are included personal details you provided us (including your flight information), visa application advice, a packing suggestion list and a detailed tour itinerary. It will also include a checklist to ensure you get everything ready for your holiday.