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Road Cycling Hanoi to Hoi An
Duration
12 days
Site savings
$107
From
$3,443 USD
Wind through Vietnam’s fertile mountains, lush valleys, and scenic coastlines on this 12-day, 900-km cycling adventure along the historic Ho Chi Minh Highway. Pass tribal villages, ancient sites, and breathtaking landscapes as you uncover the cultural and historical richness of the region. From highland climbs to coastal flats, this journey will test your cycling endurance while immersing you in Vietnam’s warm hospitality, vibrant traditions, and unforgettable natural beauty.
- CategoryRoad Cycling
- TypeFully Guided
- Duration12 days
- Culture LevelAdventurous
- Skill Level4 - Advanced
- Activity Level4 - Challenging
- Elevation4 - Challenging
- TerrainMixed
- Distance579.7 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance64.6 miles
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Quick Stats
- Duration12 days
- Main DestinationHanoi
- Distance579.7 miles
- Avg. Daily Distance64.6 miles
- Elevation4 - Challenging
- TerrainMixed
Route Map (click to view larger image)
Itinerary Details
- Day 1Meet in Hanoi
Welcome to Hanoi—Vietnam’s capital and the cultural heart of the North! We recommend arriving a day or two early to soak up the city’s vibrant energy, where ancient heritage, French colonial charm, revolutionary history, and modern flair all converge. Take time to explore highlights like the Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the bustling streets of the Old Quarter. On arrival day, you’ll meet the group at the tour hotel in the late afternoon for a trip briefing followed by a welcome dinner. If you need help arranging airport transfers or extra nights before the tour, just let us know!
- Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture
- Dinner
- Day 2Hanoi - Mai Chau
You'll transfer about 1.5 hours from Hanoi to the eastern edge of Hoa Binh Province, where your cycling adventure begins. The ride starts on a gently rolling secondary road through peaceful countryside. After about 40 km, you’ll join a busier main road—your introduction to provincial traffic and Vietnam’s unofficial national soundtrack: honking! As you continue westward, the landscape transforms dramatically with limestone cliffs and mountain ridges rising ahead. After a lunch break, prepare for your first major challenge: a 10 km climb up the winding roads of Thung Khe Pass, offering sweeping views along the way. Your efforts are rewarded with a thrilling 10 km descent into the stunning Mai Chau Valley, where you'll arrive in a world of vibrant rice paddies and forested hills. Tonight, you’ll stay in a small hotel set among traditional stilt-house villages and enjoy a delicious dinner of local highland specialties.
- 57.2 miles
- 442.9 ft
4,527.6 ft
4,084.6 ft - Mai Chau Sunset Hotel
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 3Mai Chau - Ngoc Lac
After enjoying breakfast in your hotel’s traditional stilt house, you’ll cycle through the heart of rural life in the Mai Chau Valley. Depending on the season, early mornings are alive with farmers and their buffaloes tending the rice fields. At around 15 km, you’ll reach the banks of the gentle Song Ma River and follow its path for the next 45 km. The road winds through a narrow valley lined with terraced fields and forested hillsides. The terrain is mostly flat, with a few short but punchy climbs along the way. After stopping for lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll head south of the river into the lush countryside of Thanh Hoa Province. Two steady climbs of about 5 km each lead you into the market town of Ngoc Lac, where you’ll spend the night. Off the tourist trail, this quiet town offers a truly local experience.
- 60.3 miles
- -272.3 ft
3,090.6 ft
3,362.9 ft - Sky Hotel
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 4Ngoc Lac - Thai Hoa
Today, you’ll join the Ho Chi Minh Highway—a 2,000 km route built after the war to connect Hanoi to Saigon and develop Vietnam’s remote highlands. Over the next three days, you’ll ride some of its most scenic and peaceful sections, beginning with the journey to Thai Hoa. The highway winds through the foothills of the Truong Son Mountains, offering a steady rhythm of rolling ups and downs—perfect for smooth and fast-paced road biking. About halfway through, you’ll break for lunch at a roadside eatery before continuing past ever-changing views of farmland, forest, and mountains. Toward the end of the day, you’ll turn off the main road onto quieter lanes, arriving in Thai Hoa through its scenic backroads. Tonight, you’ll stay in a hotel beside the Hieu River and enjoy dinner with the friendly locals in this lively riverside town.
- 66.5 miles
- 32.8 ft
3,556.4 ft
3,523.6 ft - Thai Hoa Riverside Hotel
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 5Thai Hoa - Pho Chau
Leaving Thai Hoa, you’ll start the day riding along peaceful secondary roads that wind through wide-open countryside. After 43 km, you’ll rejoin the Ho Chi Minh Highway at a historic landmark—the “Kilometer Zero” marker of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail. From here, you’re cycling along a route steeped in history. Once cloaked in dense jungle, this area served as a crucial launch point for northern forces during the war. Today, it’s transformed into fertile farmland bordered by green, rolling hills. As you follow the highway through this serene landscape, your ride ends with a gentle descent into Pho Chau district, where a quiet hotel awaits. Cool off with a refreshing swim in the pool before gathering for dinner.
- 80.8 miles
- -105 ft
3,484.3 ft
3,589.2 ft - Minh Tuh Hotel
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 6Pho Chau - Phong Nha
Gear up for the longest ride of the tour—and one of the most breathtaking. Today, you’ll make your way toward the edge of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its vast cave systems, underground rivers, and dramatic limestone formations. Starting from Pho Chau, you’ll cover the first 75 km quickly along a flat, straight stretch of the Ho Chi Minh Highway. Then, the road begins to climb, winding through jungle-clad hills and rugged limestone karsts. At around the 140 km mark, you’ll face the day’s toughest ascent—a 5 km climb to the top of a mountain pass. But the payoff is worth it: a rewarding descent followed by a relaxing 35 km ride through the tranquil plains of the Son River. You’ll finish the day at a scenic lakeside resort, where you can rest your legs and recharge during a well-earned two-night stay.
- 116.2 miles
- -9.8 ft
5,744.8 ft
5,754.6 ft - Phong Nha Lake House Resort
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 7Phong Nha Exploration (Rest Day)
This morning, you’ll give your legs a rest from biking while still keeping them busy exploring Phong Nha’s otherworldly cave network! You’ll start by transferring to Paradise Cave, where you’ll climb 400 steps to reach the chamber entrance. The cave extends a staggering 31 km, with one kilometre accessible to visitors. You’ll walk along a well-maintained, well-lit wooden walkway, marveling at the majestic rock formations sculpted by millennia of water erosion.
After re-emerging outside, you’ll head to a boat pier for a cruise along the Son River to Phong Nha Cave. The entrance bears scars from heavy bombing during the Vietnam War, when the cave was used to store supplies and serve as a hospital. Once inside, the boat’s engine will be turned off, and you’ll be gently rowed into a massive, mystical chamber adorned with stalactites and stalagmites that resemble slowly melting candle wax.
After the boat returns you to the pier, you’ll enjoy lunch before heading back to the resort. The afternoon is yours to relax by the pool, paddle in the lake, or treat yourself to a massage.- Phong Nha Lake House
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 8Phong Nha - Vinh Moc Tunnels - Cua Viet
This morning begins with a 30-minute transfer towards the coast of the South China Sea. Back on the bikes, you ride to the mouth of the Song Dinh River, where you rattle across a wooden bridge surrounded by colourful fishing villages. You then ride along Nhat Le Beach and through the lively port city of Dong Hoi. After soaking in the sudden visual shift from highlands to sea, you continue along secondary roads through flat, coastal plains filled with rice paddies, acacia tree plantations, and a seemingly never-ending string of rural communities.
By the 50-km mark, you rejoin the Ho Chi Minh Highway for a fast-paced segment heading south before cutting east back towards the coast. Finally, you arrive in the village of Vinh Moc, located on a small, rocky headland. You end your ride here and visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels, an intricate network of underground passages dug during the American War for shelter from air raids. You’ll explore the tunnels' rooms, chambers, and living quarters for a sobering look at the harsh realities of the conflict. From here, a short drive brings you to the golden sands of Cua Viet, where you spend the night.- 77.1 miles
- 78.7 ft
2,578.7 ft
2,500 ft - Camel Golden Sea Resort
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 9Cua Viet - Hue
Departing Cua Viet, you cross the mouth of the Song Thach Han River and dart down the coastline. At the 50-km mark, you reach Tam Giang Lagoon, part of Southeast Asia’s largest lagoon system. Skirting along its shore, you look out over brackish waters dotted with floating gardens, aquaculture ponds, and colourful fishing villages. Before long, you find yourself cycling through a sea of rice paddies thriving in the floodplains of the Song Bo and Perfume rivers.
Today’s ride is the flattest of the tour, allowing you to make good time and arrive in Hue by early afternoon. This leaves plenty of time to explore the Imperial City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This massive complex – a city within a city – was the political, cultural, and religious heart of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam's last royal family. If time allows, you may also visit one of the ornate emperors’ tombs outside town (optional; entrance fee not included).
With a variety of dining options available in this popular city, dinner is on your own tonight.- 52.2 miles
748 ft
748 ft- Emm Hotel Hue
- Breakfast and Lunch
- Day 10Hue - Lang Co
Maneuvering out of Hue’s city streets, you head east towards the coast. For the first 40 km, traffic tends to be busy as you leave Hue and turn south along the main road, lined by bustling communities on this narrow strip of land between lagoons and the sea. Eventually, you’ll take a detour onto smaller roads to visit An Bang Cemetery, ominously known as the “City of Ghosts.” One of the largest cemeteries in Vietnam, it is striking, with its rows of colourful, ornately designed mausoleums stretching as far as the eye can see. The paths leading between the tombs are sandy, so you’ll take it slow and let your eyes wander in awe.
You then loop back to the main road, which soon after runs along yet another scenic backwater world: the wetlands and mangroves of Cau Hai Lagoon. A final 30 km on a mix of secondary and main roads brings you to Lang Co Beach, a stunning stretch of coastline with pristine sands and clear waters. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at the seaside resort where you spend the night.- 60.3 miles
- 3.3 ft
1,771.7 ft
1,768.4 ft - Langco Bay Retreat
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 11Lang Co - Hoi An
From Lang Co, you start with a 15 km loop around the picturesque Lap An Lagoon, framed by mountains and dotted with oyster farms. Next, you tackle the iconic Hai Van Pass, a flagship achievement for cyclists in Vietnam! On smooth tarmac, you ascend nearly 500 metres over 10 winding kilometres, taking in views of the blue South China Sea and headlands covered in jungle and sandy beaches. You’ll catch your breath at the top before enjoying the thrilling 10 km downhill ride into Da Nang, Vietnam’s third-largest city.
Expect some traffic as you navigate a bay-hugging road to your lunch spot. You then continue your ride down the coast, passing the famous Marble Mountains, and finally arrive in Hoi An, Vietnam’s darling UNESCO World Heritage-listed town. Once a major maritime trading centre, Hoi An boasts beautifully preserved architecture with Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and French influences. You conclude with a farewell dinner, celebrating your impressive cycling feat!- 55.9 miles
- -6.6 ft
2,421.3 ft
2,427.8 ft - La Charm Hoi An Hotel & Spa
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Day 12Hoi An Departure