DAY 1: ARRIVAL HANOI (D)
Arrive into Hanoi and transfer
to the hotel. Your tour leader
will meet you at the hotel where
a trip briefing will be held at
5.00pm. This will be followed by
dinner in a local restaurant and
an opportunity to sample
specialty dishes of the north.
Dinner included
DAY 2: HALONG BAY (B,L,D)
Depart Hanoi for Ha Long Bay
approximately three hours away.
En route we have a short stop at
the Sao Do arts and crafts
centre run by handicapped
children. Upon arrival at Ha
Long Bay (approx. midday) we
will board our luxury junk boat,
the Jewel of the Bay for a
delicious seafood lunch. After
lunch we have the chance to
explore some of the limestone
caves dotted around the bay.
Then our captain will find a
secluded spot for swimming and
sun bathing before dinner. Enjoy
another seafood feast for dinner
and for the night owls - there
is an option of night fishing
DAY 3: HANOI -TRAIN TO HUE (B,L,D)
Rising to the lapping waters of
the bay we have time for an
early morning dip followed by
breakfast. This morning we
continue to cruise around the
bay to find more secluded areas
to either swim or kayak. The
kayaks are lightweight and easy
to use. All guests will be
issued with water buoyancy vests
and the junk will be near us at
all times serving as a back up
vessel. At midday we will return
to the main harbor before
transferring to our awaiting
vehicle for a 3-hour journey
back to Hanoi. We should be back
in the capital at around 4pm. We
have a couple of day rooms at
the hotel to freshen up dinner.
In the evening we transfer to
Hanoi train station for our
overnight train journey on the
Reunification Express southwards
to Hue. The overnight
accommodation aboard the train
is four person cabins where we
sleep in comfortable berths
swaying to the timeless rhythm
of the railroad.
DAY 4 : ARRIVE HUE (B,L,D)
Upon arrival in Hue, Asiana
Travel Mate crew will be waiting
to introduce traveler to our
bicycles, each designated bike
being then adjusted and fitted
to individuals as required. This
afternoon, we will warm up our
leg muscles with a short ride
around the sights of the former
Imperial citadel. From here we
cycle along the narrow roads
along the Perfume River to visit
the famed Thien Mu Pagoda.
Approx. cycling distance: 30 km
DAY 5: HOIAN (B,L,D)
After breakfast we enjoy a ride
to one of the Royal tombs. It is
excellent cycling down narrow
paths and through small
villages. We return to Hue for
lunch. Then we take our bus to
Da Nang before cycling on to the
World heritage town of Hoi An.
Approx. distance cycled: 50 km
DAY 6: HOIAN (B)
Hoi An, probably the most
delightful town in Vietnam, was
a major sea port in the Middle
Ages. Untouched in any of the
wars, Hoi An retains influences
from Chinese, Japanese, French
and even Portuguese and British
traders who stopped here between
China and India. We spend the
morning walking the narrow
streets and admiring the
architecture and history during
a morning tour. In the
afternoon, there will be free
time to explore on your own.
DAY 7: QUANGNGAI (B,L,D)
We leave Hoi An early to start
our day of cycling. The route
will take us at times along the
coastline and through rural
areas, passing rice paddies,
ancient Cham ruins dating back
to the 7th century. We cycle the
back roads to the village of My
Lai.
Approx. distance cycled: 110 km
DAY 8: KONTUM (B,L,D)
ToDAY is a more challenging DAY
as we head inland and tackle the
uphill road on Highway 24 into
the Highlands. This cycling
takes us up hill and down dale
with stunning photo
opportunities. We will ride past
many remote villages, tropical
forest, over bridges and along
quiet, scenic roads. Overnight
in Kon Tum.
Approx. distance cycled: 85 km
DAY 9: BUONMETHUOT (B,L,D)
We leave Kon Tum by bus to get
out into the countryside and
start another spectacular day of
cycling. Today we have gentle
rolling hills all day making the
cycling easy. We have time to
observe the simple daily life of
local people as we pass numerous
small villages and rubber
plantations. The surroundings
are a kaleidoscope of rich
colours and beautiful mountains.
Approx. distance cycled: 110 km
DAY 10 : DALAT (B,L,D)
After a short drive we start the
DAY cycling at the edge of a
coffee plantation. It a bit of
workout as we slowly climb up to
Dalat, a mountain-top town, long
favoured as a destination of
travellers. We leave the warmer
temperature behind as we pedal
into the cooler climates of
Dalat.
Approx. distance cycled: 100 km
DAY 11: NHATRANG (B,L,D)
This morning we'll visit King
Bao Dai's Summer Palace and try
to imagine this period of
opulence and extravagance. We
also visit a most unusual
guesthouse (the Crazy House
needs to be seen to be
believed!). We will visit some
of the scenic vantage points and
places around Dalat's hilly
countryside. There are many
fantastic small French style
cafes, which boast the best
coffee in Vietnam and are a good
place to relax and watch the
passing parade. After lunch we
bid the Highlands farewell and
take our bus for a drive to Xong
Pha pass. From here we set off
our bikes for some excellent 36
km winding descent through the
forest.
Approx. distance cycled: 70 km
DAY 12: NHATRANG (B)
Nha Trang is Vietnam premier
beach town. Today, we have a
cycle-free DAY to enjoy the
clear blue waters and relaxed
ambiance of Nha Trang. There are
many optional activities to pick
up including a boat trip to one
of the islands, a relaxing
massage, a swim in the pristine
waters, or a cool beer by the
sea.
DAY 13: HO CHI MINH CITY (B)
This morning we transfer to Cam
Ranh airport to take the morning
flight to Ho Chi Minh City. In
the afternoon, we walk through
the heart of the city past some
of Ho Chi Minh's famous sites;
the French colonial Town Hall,
Notre Dame Cathedral, the former
U.S. embassy, the President's
Palace (also known as the
Reunification Palace) and make
an optional visit to the War
Remnant Museum.
DAY 14: HCM CITY (B,L,D)
This morning, we travel to the
remarkable Cu Chi tunnels, home
to 5,000 VC troops during the
Vietnam/U.S. War. We then return
to Ho Chi Minh City after lunch
and spend the remainder of the
day free at leisure. Tonight we
join our Vietnamese tour leader
for a farewell dinner at a local
restaurant.
DAY 15: DEPART HCM CITY (B)
Our trip concludes with a
transfer to the airport for
onward flight.