Vietnam Adventure: Bike, Hike, and Kayak – by World Expeditions

If you’re flying into Hanoi today you will be met at the airport (outside the arrivals hall) and transferred to the group hotel. Please look for the WORLD EXPEDITIONS welcome sign as you exit from Gate A1 of the arrivals hall. You will be greeted by your driver at Noi Bai International Airport for your transfer to the hotel. You will have time to relax at your hotel and adjust to the pace of Hanoi. The capital of Vietnam is one of Asia’s most enchanting cities, full of culture, history and the engaging contradictions of a rapidly developing and deeply traditional society.

In the late afternoon we will have a group meeting being held in the hotel foyer (time indicated in your final documents). You are then invited for a warm and hospitable meal with a Hanoian family. On arrival, the friendly host will give you a big welcome and introduce his/her household. You’ll sip some tea and share insights about Vietnamese culture, customs and habits.

Around the dining table, the host will tell us more about Vietnamese cuisine, which emphasizes freshness and uses a lot of vegetables, herbs and spices. Your meal will include authentic local dishes which are popular among the locals. Here, you can eat, chat, and learn some basic Vietnamese phrases like: xin chào (hello), ngon (delicious), and cam on (thank you).

Accommodation: Skylark Hanoi Hotel or similar

We dedicate our morning to visiting the essentials of Hanoi. We begin with the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s oldest university (opened in 1070), which is now a temple dedicated to Confucius. Dedicated to to Confucius, sages and scholars, the Temple is a fine example of the ancient architectural styles of several dynasties. Next, we pass in front of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum (we are not entering it) and enter the gardens of the Presidential Palace to visit the traditional Stilt House where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked. We also see the One Pillar Pagoda, a tiny temple built atop a single stone column.

In the afternoon, we will get off the grid with one of our very cool urban hikes. After a short car transfer, we walk about 2 kilometers in lush nature, with banana trees and vegetable gardens, on single trails and a small concrete road. Yet we are at the heart of Hanoi city… who could have suspected? We then walk along a piece of heritage, the symbol of Hanoi, the beautiful Long Bien bridge. We return to hotel, the remainder of the day you have to spend at your leisure.

Accommodation: Skylark Hanoi Hotel or similar

Note:
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum opens in the morning only and closes on Mondays & Fridays and the whole months of September & October for annual maintenance.
Ho Chi Minh’s house-on-stilts is closed on Monday & Friday afternoon.
Most of Hanoi’s museums also close on Mondays, except Museum of Vietnam Women & Museum of Vietnam Fine Arts.

This morning is an early breakfast for an early departure to Ha Long. We drive across the Red River delta and reach the coast a little before noon. We embark on a beautifully crafted wooden junk for a 1-night cruise in the legendary seascape of Ha Long Bay. Once on board, we are served a delicious seafood-based buffet lunch, while the limestone rocks are setting up the décor. In the afternoon, we reach a less traveled area and will devote ourselves to relaxation, sunbathing, and a visit to a cave. The program is not fixed and depends on the time of the year and weather. We end the day on the sundeck while the sun sets. It is time for an aperitif or to attend a cooking demonstration before dinner.

Accommodation: Onboard Bhaya Classic

An early Tai Chi session is proposed, coffee and tea are served early as well if you would like to wake up early to see the beautiful lights of sunrise. We have the chance to visit a floating village before starting our way back to the coast. While cruising back to the pier, brunch is served as we are getting closer to disembarkation. Upon disembarkation we drive to Hanoi, where you will have time to freshen up at a hotel and have dinner before heading to the train station. The train in Vietnam is not the most comfortable, but it is fun and a genuine local travel experience.

Accommodation: Train, soft sleeper 4-berth cabin with A/C

We arrive very early in the morning at Dong Hoi train station and transfer to the beach for a breakfast by the sea. We then hit the road and drive about one hour to the doorstep of Phong Nha Ke Bang national park. It is a kingdom of nature made of lush jungle, blue lagoons and the biggest caves in the world. We drop our luggage at our little cottage and start our exploration. In the morning, we discover the first section of the Paradise Cave, a gigantic hole in the rock, 31-kilometers long, and 72-meters high. In the afternoon we will spend some time around the lagoon with some optional swimming, kayaking, ziplining down to the blue waters and exploring the wet Dark Cave. Bicycles are at our disposal so we can commute on wheels. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Chay Lap Farmstay or similar

After breakfast we begin our journey to the South and the ancient imperial capital of Hue. It is approx. a 5-hour journey. Our morning drive across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) will take us to the Hien Luong Bridge, a historic landmark that served as the border gate between North and South Vietnam before reunification. We will also stop to visit the Vinh Moc tunnels site. We will explore a part of this 2-km network of tunnels that reached 30-meter deep and served as shelter for about a hundred families during heavy bombing from the American Forces. We will have lunch in Dong Ha town and should reach Hue in the mid-afternoon. Once we have checked into the hotel the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Romance Hotel or similar

Hue is an ancient imperial capital famous for its historical landmarks; you will discover today that there is much more to experience around the small town. To hop-on-hop-off, what better mean of transportation than a bicycle? We start with a nice ride to the rural side of Hue. We travel on small narrow paths along rice fields and other vegetables gardens to reach Thanh Toan village. This place is full of charm with its old houses and crisscrossing canals. We stop for a refreshment by the Japanese bridge and have the opportunity to visit the little local museum.

We then transfer to town for a local food experience. We’ll try “banh” of Hue on Vo Thi Sau street in a small local food shop. It might not be the best-looking spot, but it has some of the finest local cuisine. In the afternoon, we have a short ride over the Perfume River and are immersed into Vietnam’s feudality with the visit of the Imperial Citadel. We then get on a boat, together with our bikes, and cruise a short stretch to the village of the Mandarins. We ride around this village, where the Mandarins of the emperors used to live. We get to meet their descendants in large beautiful garden houses and try the Thanh Tra, a variety of grapefruits which was the emperors’ most preferred fruit. We ride back to the hotel in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Romance Hotel or similar

This morning you have an optional excursion at 8am to go to the Dong Ba market of Hue. Otherwise we leave from the hotel at 10am and hit the road heading South and the Bach Ma National Park. We drop our vehicle at the entrance of the park and get into the park rangers’ car on a 19-km scenic drive to the top of the park. There we have lunch in an old colonial villa. After lunch we start the so-called 5 lakes trek. It is a short and accessible trek, with swimming opportunities if the weather permits. The rangers pick us up at the end of the trek.

We exit the park and drive over Lang Co bay and the Hai Van pass, camera in the hand and ready to stop for a nice picture while the orange lights of sunset start beautifying the décor. We pass Danang and arrive at the hotel in Hoi An in the early evening. Hoi An is an ancient port town extremely well preserved with narrow streets and lots of food options that you will be free to explore in the evening.

Accommodation: Thuy Duong 3

We depart from the hotel by bicycles setting off on a pleasant 8-kilometer journey towards Duy Vinh – the countryside of Hoi An. The picturesque cycling route is highlighted with rice fields, local garden and market. Stop as often as you wish for photographs or to chat with locals. We reach Duy Vinh village where people have preserved some ancestral weaving techniques. They weave a kind of dried plant to make mats, bags and other accessories.

We will meet a family and learn more about their traditional craftsmanship. We then get in kayaks and paddle from Duy Vinh to Cam Thanh coco plam forest. It is a 2-hour (approx.) expedition in this unique mangrove ecosystem. The Coco palm forest provides the locals with products such as fish, shells and Nipa leaves which are commonly used as a roofing material for local homes. The tour ends in the early afternoon, where we will then we drive back to the hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Thuy Duong

You will be picked up in the morning and transferred to the Danang airport, where we take a morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon nowadays. We will discover this bustling metropolis later, as for now we grab lunch and drive directly to the region of the Mekong Delta. The drive takes a little over 2-hours to reach Cai Be and our lodge for tonight. You have time to check-in your bungalow and relax by the pool or at the bar facing the mighty river. In the late afternoon, we take part in a hands-on cooking class with the chef of the resort. We will learn how to prepare few dishes typical of the area and then dine on the feast prepared.

Accommodation: Mekong Riverside Resort

Today we venture around on bicycle to explore the surroundings and get better acquainted with the local cultures. We will visit workshops, local homes and fruit orchards. We will take a boat on the arroyos of the river. Later we will cook some traditional snacks and have lunch on a boat. In the mid-afternoon, we will drive back to Saigon.

Accommodation: Le Duy Grand

The day is free at your leisure until your transfer to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your departure flight. We wish you a pleasant flight!

12 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 3 dinners

Modern Mountain Bikes

The bikes used on this trip are modern aluminum framed, front suspension mountain bikes. Consistent and safe breaking is ensured by disc breaks and wide spread of gears provide the ability to ride up and back down the hills in comfort and confidence. If you have a saddle and clip pedals you wish to bring and use, the mechanic would be more than happy to fit them for you.

For safety reasons, we also insist that cycle helmets be included as a compulsory item on your equipment list.