HANOI to SAIGON Cycling Tour
Bike the length of the world’s most thrilling cycling destination. What you’ve heard is all true — there is no other place like Vietnam… the people, culture, food and landscapes.
TRIP DATES
February 15 to 27, 2025 (
TRIP*)
March 7 to March 20, 2025 (wait list)
Anthony Bourdain once claimed of Vietnam, his favorite country: “Once you love it, you love it forever.” You’ve heard the stories, of wonderful people, fabulous food, incredible landscapes — all true, and even more so from the vantage point of a saddle. We were the first to organize bike trips in Vietnam, starting in 1994, and since then have organized hundreds of cycling trips for thousands of delighted clients for whom many say, was the trip of a lifetime.
Our Vietnam biking tour takes in the most beautiful and remote areas of the country, with three UNSECO World Heritage sites – the historic cities of Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, mountain valleys, stunning coastline, hundreds of villages, past emerald green rice fields all the way to the buzzing commercial capital, Saigon. Our classic Ho Chi Minh trip is a trip 30 years in the making, don’t miss out.
• Explore Vietnam before it changes dramatically over the next few years.
• Bike the length of Vietnam, from the rustic, traditional north, central twin jewels Hue and Hoi An and, stunning coastline, national parks, famous passes, and at trip’s end, buzzing Saigon.
• Explore Vietnam’s most picturesque riding landscapes in the northwest hilltribe country.
• Savor some of the world’s most delicious street food and finer world-class venues, private cooking and cooking lessons.
• Stay at Vietnam’s finest hotels, including Hanoi’s legendary Metropole and Hue’s La Residence.
• Ride quieter routes with little traffic
• Trace Vietnam’s historic Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Ride through and visit numerous small towns few other travelers ever see.
• Professional local guides & stocked sag wagon
• Visit Halong Bay before the trip and the magnificent temples of Angkor afterwards, both side trips we can plan for you.
Sinh single-handedly jump-started Vietnam’s tourist industry in 1990, establishing the seminal (and original) Sinh Café, arranging trips for tens of thousands of newly arrived backpackers in Vietnam. A former engineer, Sinh was a map researcher for Lonely Planet’s Vietnam guidebook for many years.
He has led cycling trips for 25 years in Vietnam and also Laos and Cambodia. In his spare time Sinh participates in triathlons and enjoys working on bikes, and in recent years, attending meditation retreats throughout the world.
After moving to Saigon, Patrick organized and lead the first tours through an newly-opened Vietnam, neighboring Cambodia, Laos, as well as Turkey and Myanmar.
He’s with the USTDA and USAID on development projects throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. More recently, he led trips through Baja over the pandemic and and worked with Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar and his coach and leading cancer researcher Dr. Iñigo San Millán, with the launch of their cancer research foundation (pogacar.org). When not riding, Patrick is the Chief Experience Officer for the Indochina Travel Company.
Willard raced as junior in Los Angeles during the peak Lemond era and later co-founded VeloAsia, organizing the first cycling trips to Vietnam in 1994. Willard has coached Olympic, state, and national champion riders, while organizing and managing several competitive cycling teams based in Northern and Southern California.
Over the last three decades he has also founded and managed gyms focused on strength, conditioning, health, and martial arts, including most recently the Strong Sports Gym in Pasadena. Most recently, Willard launched a high-end custom bike builds via the The Super Fred.
Why us? We organized the very first cycling trips in Vietnam back in 1994, and since then have consistently updated routes, places and more to keep our trips as fresh and unique as they were then, and of the highest quality of any company in Vietnam. Our most popular trip over these decades has been our Iron Chef Vietnam, equal cycling and culinary adventure. Your trip will seamless and we will arrange each and every detail, from visas to all transfers needed, even outside the tour, as well as side trips, such as Angkor, and can also provide international airlines at competitive pricing. Safety has always been paramount, and nobody is more experienced. Please call and ask us for more details, test our knowledge, and why you should come to Vietnam with us.
Destination and Trip Details
In our 30th year of cycling Vietnam, we’ve refine every trip’s routes, places to stay, dining, and training of a world-class support crew with over years of experience leading the highest caliber of trips trips. This 14-day journey is fully-supported. Riders can expect beautiful, safe rides, plenty of some of the world’s most delicious street food and finer dining , hot showers, and cultural activities on the side. This is limited to only 12 riders. This trip may be also organized as a private, custom tour for you and your friends or family. Contact us for full details.
2025 Trip Stats
– 14 Days/Nights
– 12 Riding days
– 2 Rest days
– Trip Miles: 888 (1,429 km)
– Elevation Gained Total: 36,000+ feet (11,000 meters)
Pre-Departure
In addition to a pre-tour preparation packet for Vietnam, all riders will be added to our WhatsApp trip chat in advance of the trip, for questions and information they may need
Arrival & Departure
We encourage you to arrive earlier, for more time in Hanoi, and to kayak the amazing karst water world of UNESCO World Heritage Halong Bay, which we can arrange. Please contact us before arranging your flights for recommendations, and even for booking a ticket. If you are flying in, you’ll want to arrive into Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport, with departure from Saigon (or Bangkok if you’re visiting Angkor). We will arrange transport from and to all airports.
Day-to-Day
Our Vietnam trips are designed for moderate to advanced riders comfortable riding 2-5 hours at a steady pace, though all riding is optional—our Sag wagon is always nearby, even for a catching a quick lift up climbs. We ride as a group, though faster riders may ride ahead if desired or add additional mileage. We typically depart mid-morning around 9 AM each day, with a break for a pleasant lunch. Afternoons after arrival with include some time free, or we will have scheduled sightseeing, such as visiting many of Vietnam’s exceptional historical sites along our route. Mornings before we depart also provides some time to see local sights.
* Our PRO trips feature longer, faster, and typically paceline riding, accompanied by ex-pro racers and coaches.
Covid-19 and other Safety Issues
While we are optimistic a vaccine will free us for safe and healthy travel again, regardless Vietnam has always been the safest places for travel.
Weather & Climate
The weather in Vietnam during our touring season is typically sunny and warm, though some light rain can expected, and typically reaching into the 70s to 80s midday, and pleasantly humid.
Dining
Our past travelers will tell you our trips are as much as about the food and culture as the riding. In fact, after 20 years our Iron Chef Vietnam culinary cycling trip remains our most popular. Our meals feature a variety of the best of Vietnam, from the most delicious street food in the world, fresh seafood, Our van is stocked with typical rider’s fuel, including carbo mix, bars, bananas and other fruit, but also a variety of cold beverages and local snacks popular in each location.
Hotels
In places with options, such as Hanoi and Hue, we stay at the best properties available, including the legendary Metropole and in Hue, the elegant La residence. In the countryside, we stay in the only hotels available, rustic yet comfortable.
Money Matters
ATM’s are ubiquitous along our route and credit cards widely accepted. Apart from purchasing alcoholic beverages and souvenirs, you’ll primarily require modest amounts of pesos for gratuities and interactions with hotel staff. We recommend allowing for about $10-20 per day for such expenses.
Community
A portion of trip fees have supported the University of San Francisco Vietnam Nursing Project founded by Gregory Crow.
Velopura also supports the Tadej Pogačar Cancer Research Foundation which was founded by the Tour de France champion to expand on promising, but underfunded research in cancer metabolism.
Related Trips
Many aspects of our Iron Chef Vietnam culinary trips are blended into our Vietnam trips, including street food crawl of Hanoi, and dining at the very best restaurants along our route. For a culinary only focused trip, we recommend Atlas Obscura’s popular Hanoi to Saigon culinary adventure trips.5
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Not included with trip:
*Covid-19 Travel Safety Procedures
While we are optimistic a vaccine will free us for safe and healthy travel again, but Vietnam has always been one of the safest destinations in the world for travelers, where petty crime is extremely rare and physical crime unheard of. We cycle safer routes away from traffic, and often take village paths with little or no motorized traffic. With over two plus decades we’re the most experienced and professional bicycle tour operator in Vietnam.
Not interested in cycling? See our Vietnam cultural trips, including popular culinary tours.
Contact us for more details at (415) 418-6800 or by email: info@velopura.com
Travel with your club, friends, or family. Customize this trip to your specific preferences—we’ll work with you to make it the trip of a lifetime.