Biking Hanoi to Saigon

Meet your tour guide at the hotel in the afternoon, and your guide will briefly describe your trip from North to South Vietnam. Then take a walk around the narrow and crowded streets of the Old Quarter, discovering the busy nightlife of Hanoi people.
Hilton Hanoi Opera

8:00 am, be ready to go to your hotel’s lobby, meet your guide & driver, and transfer out of Ha Noi on a private vehicle. Arrive in the rural area of Duong Lam, pick up the bikes to discover the hidden charm of Duong Lam’s countryside, bike through rice paddies, and visit the Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung temples that worship two national heroes against the Chinese during the Tang Dynasty. Visit and learn more about Vietnam’s ancient history before cycling to Mia Pagoda, built in the 15th century. The pagoda has 287 statues of different sizes, famous Buddha sculptures in the Himalayas, and the statues of the Eight Vajra Deities. Then, continue riding around the village to discover locals’ daily life and farming work along the fields with a stop at two ancient houses: the most significant old house was built 200 years ago, and the most ancient house back 400 years ago. Here is your opportunity to experience these older ways of life in Duong Lam and find yourself making friends with the warmly welcoming villagers whose childhood are pure agriculture. We resume exploring the ancient houses’ architecture along its narrow alleyways on good-quality mtb bicycles. Enjoy your tasty lunch at the ancient house, walk along narrow alleys to visit Mong Phu communal house in Mong Phu hamlet, and immerse yourself in the beautiful countryside. Drive back to Hanoi around 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Hilton Hanoi Opera

Take a morning flight to Hue. On arrival in Hue, transfer to the Imperial Citadel along the Perfume River. Your walking will take you inside this walled fortress: within the citadel, just past Hien Nhan Gate, lie the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City. You’ll enjoy a walking tour of this massive enclosure. Hue used to be the home of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, whose palaces and tombs provide fascinating glimpses into the luxurious and secretive world of the court. Visit the ancient royal tombs of Emperor Khai Dinh and Tu Duc for a better understanding of Hue’s imperial history. Drive to the hotel for check-in. Enjoy Royal dinner- Emperor’s Royal Banquet. Hotel Pilgrimage Village

In the morning, a private vehicle will drive you to a rural village for a half-day biking, exploring the beautiful countryside, rice paddy fields, and duck farms to Cau Ngoi Thanh Toan. Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridge is an ancient architectural relic with historical and cultural values. Meet locals here for a talk and have some photos taken before you carry on this ride through the lush green village, stop at the small markets in the countryside, and experience authentic local’ living. Transfer to the handicraft villages; visit one of the most well-known, the Sinh village, home to the 400-year-old folk painting craft. This is a chance to meet the oldest artisan in the village, who will show you how to create your piece of folk painting. Then visit a neighboring town famous for its traditional paper flower making. Take a great opportunity to try creating your paper lotus flower under the guidance of the artisan. After lunch at a selected restaurant, drive to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, then enjoy a Dragon boat ride on the Perfume River. Hotel Pilgrimage Village

After 2 days exploring the beautiful countryside and Purple city, we leave it for Hoi An. Shuttle to Thuan An beach for easy exciting off the beaten track, through a picturesque lane from Thuan An beach to Vinh Loc shaded by coconut palms along the peninsula. The scenic route passes through the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co before climbing over the “Pass of Ocean Clouds.” If you really love to challenge Hai Van Pass! We will visit the Cham Museum, which contains the world’s finest collection of Cham sculptures. We then have a transfer to Hoi An’s outskirts for the afternoon combined activities, cycling through peaceful villages with much of vegetable farms. Then we continue to cross Thu Bon River to Cam Thanh village, enjoy local basket boat paddling on the small River, and meet local people at the fishing village. Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery

After breakfast, a transfer drives you to the countryside for a half-day bicycle ride. Today we’ll spend the morning cycling to My Son Sanctuary. The Hindu tower temples of the My Son Sanctuary are located within a well-protected property with clearly defined boundaries. Eight groups of 71 standing monuments and extensive buried archaeology represent the complete historic sequence of construction of tower temples at the site, covering the entire period of the existence of the Champa Kingdom. Spend your own leisure time exploring Hoi An ancient town, by your own in the afternoon. Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery

Meet your guide at the hotel, take a walk to Hoi An’s colorful market, and experience this busy market’s beautiful sights, sounds, and aromas. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about all the ingredients used in the cooking lesson later. We then board on the Red Bridge boat and enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the river to the Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a great way to view the life of locals and fishermen along the river bank. On arrival, walk through the herb garden, learn some kinds of herbs, and vegetables from tropical climates, and be ready for a 2-hour cooking lesson. Enjoy your delicious lunch cooked by you with the chef’s cooking team. Enjoy a guided walking tour to explore Hoi An ancient town, in the afternoon. Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery

After breakfast, be met at the hotel and transferred to Da Nang for a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh. On arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, meet Vietnam Backroads team, and drive to the city center to check in the hotel. After lunch at Cuc Gach restaurant, spend the afternoon visiting War Remnant Museum, Independent Palace, General Post Office, and Notre Dame Cathedrals. Walk down to Dong Khoi Street; admire a beautiful Opera House and City Halls before shopping at Ben Thanh market. Park Hyatt Saigon

Traveling to Cu Chi tunnel by speed boat is a truly unique way to observe a different side of Vietnam as you head to the famed tunnel complex, where you’ll see an enormous network of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam War. It’s also a great way to witness the real life of locals along River bank. Have an early breakfast for a speed ride to Cu Chi tunnel. Depart at 7:00 am; after you are met at the hotel, shuttle to Bach Dang pier. Watch a short documentary about Cu Chi during the war, explore the three levels of the tunnel underground, stop at the shooting range, and have lunch at a local restaurant by river before returning to Saigon. Park Hyatt Saigon

Depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 08.00 am. It takes two hours of driving to get to Cai Be’ countryside. Board on the Mekong boat to cruise along the Mekong River, you’ll stop to sample some of the fresh tropical fruit and visit some cottage industries in the area. Visit some family workshops to produce candies and local snacks before a sampan rowing boat through beautiful Tan Phong Island. Then you return to the Mekong boat and continue crossing the Mekong River to An Binh Island. Enjoy lunch- special local lunch at the home of locals. After lunch, we nap on a hammock until the temperature drops down for a leisurely afternoon bicycle ride. Explore a fantastic bike ride through the lush land, rich with orange, papaya, grapefruit, and mango trees. Experience the daily life of locals through quaint villages and the vibrant river network which zig-zag An Binh Island. Your ride today ends when you cross the Mekong River to Vinh Long City. Your private vehicle dropped you in Cai Be this morning and has wait for you here in town. Get on a vehicle for a 45-minute transfer to Can Tho City in late afternoon. Victoria Can Tho

Can Tho is the capital of the Mekong Delta and is famous for it’ Cai Rang floating market. This market is open all day, and the best time is from sunrise to about 9:00 am. The main items sold here are farm products. Many big boats are loaded with plenty of seasonal fruit; mango, bananas, papaya, pineapple, longan, grapefruits, and watermelons….when small boats with long tail engines move through to find a good dealer. Besides this, many coffee bars and grocery boats are also approaching for business. This is a truly unique floating market and can’t be missed if you traveling to the Mekong Delta region. 

After breakfast, check out and get on a boat by the pier in front of your hotel. Enjoy views along the river banks, and watch the morning activities on the waterway to a real floating market. Then we disembark from your boat at An Binh land market and spend time experiencing people activities here. Begines our last day ride to Binh Thuy rural Dist of Can Tho city. Pedal across small rivers, tropical fruit orchards, peaceful villages, and numerous lively local markets on countryside paths. End up cycling at Binh Thuy- an ancient house. Visit this ancient house- An old house featuring French colonial architecture and serene gardens. This was set in the movie “The Love”. Enjoy lunch at cozy restaurants on the way back to Ho Chi Minh.