Best Vietnam Cycling Tour 16 Days

 Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam!

 Viet Green Travel tour guide will pick up you from the airport for the transfer to the hotel in Hanoi center. The room is ready after 14:00. You will need to pay an additional fee if you want early check-in. 

 Free time to explore Hanoi. You are recommended to watch cultural shows such as Water Puppet Show, My Village Show, or join the optional tour:

 + Hanoi Street Food Tour

 + Hanoi Cooking Class Half Day

 Please contact our travel consultant if you are interested in these services, and we are available 24/7 for assisting you.

 Note: Please be advised to be presented at Pole No.10 (International Terminal) to see our representatives. Contact us if you can not find our representatives. 

Meals: NA

DAY 2: HANOI BIKING FULL DAY - NIGHT TRAIN TO LAO CAI

 Around 7:30, the tour guide picks up you from the hotel to go to the bike shop. There you can choose your bike for today's tour. After a short briefing and instructions about biking, you can start the cycling tour.

 You will cycle through the crowded streets of  Hanoi’s Old Quarters, pass the Red River on Long Bien Bridge. Following the path along the dyke of the Red River, we’ll make our way to Ancient House in Bat Trang Pottery Village.

 After a short break, you will visit a local pottery workshop where you can learn some stories of Bat Trang Village as well as the process of making a ceramic product. You can make your own pottery product in the workshop!

 Afterward, we continue riding to the around areas, pass through small ancient temples, tiny alleys to a new urban area of Eco Park.

 You will have lunch at a local restaurant.

 On the way back to Hanoi, you will visit an interesting and mysterious Bonsai Garden, the garden of sophisticated tree sculpting. Making our way to the Red River’s, you can see the farmlands will a lot of bananas and vegetables.

 The last stop-over is the Red River Pottery Market of Quang Ba, where ceramics are stacked waiting to be taken into Hanoi by bicycle. You will pass the Red River’s floating houses and fields of colorful flowers...

 Getting back to the bike shop, our guide will help you to get a taxi and escort you to the hotel which is closed to the railway station for taking rest before night train. Free time till picked up at hotel for transfer to train station for night train to Lao Cai.

 Around 20:00, the tour guide picks up you from the hotel to the Hanoi train station. Overnight train trip to Lao Cai in shared sleeping compartments (sharing with other passengers in 2 lower & 2 upper berths per compartment). The train departs at approximately 21:15. 

 Notes: 

- Our tour guide will not accompany you during the train trip

 - Train schedule is subject to change.

 - Private compartments on request at a surcharge.

 - Train journeys are part of a great local experience. Cabins are shared with other local passengers (unless a private cabin is requested and all berths paid for - with supplement). Restrooms at either end of the carriages complete the local experience.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Around 5:30, you arrive at Lao Cai Train Station. The driver picks up you at the train station and transfers you to Sapa by a tourist shared bus. It is one hour transfer and you will reach the hotel in Sapa. Relax and have breakfast at the hotel. Early check-in is available upon room occupancy with a surcharge applicable. 

 Around 9:30. Met by your local guide and then the trekking tour starts.

 You will walk on a small path down the valley to Y Linh Ho village by the Muong Hoa River. Then you continue to trek to the Black H’mong village of Lao Chai. Spend time in the village to relax and see rudimentary houses, stone walls around homes…

 After that, you continue to Ta Van village (1.200 m) to visit Zay people. 

 After visiting Ta Van village the car will return you to Sapa. Free at leisure the rest of the day. Overnight at Sapa Hotel.

 Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

 In the morning, have breakfast at the hotel and then check out.

 Around 9:00, you will walk down to the South-west of Sapa to visit Cat Cat Village of the Black H’mong, one of the more well-known ethnic villages of Sapa. After around 3 km trekking, you can relax at the foot of the stunning waterfall and the vestige of a hydroelectric power station that was constructed by the French during colonial time in Vietnam.

 You then can enjoy a picnic lunch by the side of the river.

 After lunch and a short break, you can continue trekking to 3 km to Sin Chai Village, which is located at the foot of Fansipan Mountain. There you can enjoy the stunning landscapes of the mountain.

 Getting back to the main road, you will be transferred to Sapa town on a jeep for 3km. Then return to Hanoi by sharing a limousine.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 After breakfast at the hotel, Viet Green Travel driver picks up and transfer you to Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty, known in Vietnamese as “Dragon descending to the sea”.

 Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by the boat crew welcome. After checking in on the cruise, you can enjoy a delicious local seafood lunch served on board while the cruise travels around Halong Bay. 

 Following lunch and a short break, depending on each cruise’s itinerary of the day, you’ll join some activities on boat to discover the beauty of the bay such as visiting a cave, doing kayaking, or swimming in the sea.

 Return to the junk, you can relax and have dinner. Overnight on board.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 After breakfast, getting on small boat to have a further discovery with cave visiting, kayaking, swimming, biking (detail itinerary will be provided once we confirm your Cruise)

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 On the second day in Halong Bay, you are recommended to get up early to take part in Tai Chi lesson, or just simply watch the beautiful sunrise over the bay. 

 After breakfast, cruise take you to explore the most stunning caves in Halong.

 Enjoy the early lunch, while the cruise gets back to the main dock. From there, you can get a transfer to the airport to catch flight to Hue.

 Upon arrival, the tour guide picks up and take you to the hotel in Hue for checking in and relax for the rest of the day

 Meals: Breakfast, Brunch

 After breakfast at the hotel, our tour guide picks you up then transfers you to Toa Kham wharf for cruising on Perfume River.

 On the way, you will stop at Thien Mu Pagoda, a historic temple and the symbol of Hue romantic city. Then, we continue cruising to Hue Ecolodge, visit Thuy Bieu  Eco-village, an authentically village representing the country side of Hue with the clear notion of "garden -home". Getting on the bike, you will visit some handicraft families including the incense-making family, the joss paper-making family, and the paper painting family. That is a great chance for you to learn about the daily life of local people.

 You can also relax by steeping your foot in medicinal herb water which is a traditional therapeutic practice

 The tour ends at the hotel in City Centre.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 In the morning, we will pick up you at your hotel to go to Hoian.

 We will be driving on highway 1A from Hue to Hoian, stopping at the fishing village and paddies fields along the lagoon.

 On the way, we also visit Elephant Waterfall where you can swim and relax.

 The next stop is Lang Co Beach where you can take photos and have lunch. Then travel over the Hai Van Pass.

 Crossing the top of the Pass, you are literally surrounded by clouds on one side with stunning ocean views on the other. On the Top of Hai Van pass also the borderline between Hue and Danang city.

 Arrive at Hoian in the early evening.

 Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

 Pick up from your hotels, we ride over the bridge to the peaceful countryside of Cam Kim island.

 On the way to the island, you will cycle through the lush scenery of rice paddies and farmland. 

 You can stop along the way to chat with friendly farmers, visit a local family in Duy Vinh and learn about their traditional sedge mattress weaving.

 We then continue cycling to the local house for lunch. Then transfer back to the hotel for the rest.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 In the evening, you can join a walking foodie tour to discover Hoi An cuisine and culture.

 Our tour starts around sunset and will walk you through local cafes, food stalls, markets, and restaurants. 

 On the tour, you can taste many Hoi An traditional dishes, including Banh Mi, Cao Lau, Banh Beo, Banh Khot...

 You can also try Balut, one of the top 10 weird foods in the world, and local coffee, an authentic Vietnamese coffee, famous for its mix of strong drip coffee and sweet condensed milk. 

 After the tour, you have free time to explore the Ancient Town at night or go back to the hotel. 

 Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

 Enjoy the last moment in Hoai, before the driver comes to pick up you for the transfer to Da Nang airport. From there, you will take a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

 Afternoon city discovery by Scooter motorbike

 13:00 Viet Green Travel tour guide will pick you up on a restored vintage Vespa scooter. Then you will travel on the off-the-beaten-path of Saigon. On the back of the scooter, you will cruise through the bustling streets to see the sites that you would never find on your own.

 You can learn about small family businesses in the big city, the Chinese community and their influence on medicine, Vietnamese customs & religion, and more.

 We will end at a hidden relaxing Buddhist Pagoda which has yet to be found by other tourists. The tour ends around 18:30 when you are dropped off at your hotel.

 Have dinner on your own.

 Meals: Breakfast

 In the morning, you will explore the Cu Chi tunnel by speedboat. 

 7:00 Tour guide meets you in the hotel lobby then transfers you to Bach Dang Pier in District 1.

 7:20 You will depart Saigon by boat. On the boat, you can see the banks of the river change from city sprawl to lush jungle. There, you can enjoy a light breakfast of sandwiches or pastries, fresh tropical fruits, and Vietnamese iced coffee (Ca phe sua da) while the tour guide explains rural traditions and aspects of riverbank life.

 8:50 You will arrive at the Cu Chi Tunnels site. It is still less touristy, and you can watch a brief introductory ‘propaganda’ video to the Cu Chi area.

 9:00 It is time to explore the Cu Chi, including weapon and booby trap exhibitions, navigating authentic Viet Cong tunnel. There you can visit different underground bunkers such as kitchens, meeting rooms, ammunition, etc.., and try the local cassava root that sustained Viet Cong fighters for years.

 11:00 It is lunchtime, and you can enjoy a delicious traditional Vietnamese lunch by the river. The lunch includes authentic fried spring rolls, chicken and beef dishes, and soup.

 11:30 We depart Cu Chi and return to Ho Chi Minh City. Rest of the day at leisure

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 14: HO CHI MINH - TAN PHONG ISLAND - MEKONG ECO-LODGE

 Around 8:00, after breakfast, you will be picked from the hotel for the transfer to Cai Be. 

 On arrival, we will be warmly welcomed by our local guide and invited some fresh fruits, then embark on a boat to visit the floating market of rice in An Cu commune, Cai Be district. Cai Be district is the rice trade largest exporter in the Southwest region of Vietnam.

 The next destinations are the ancient village of Dong Hoa Hiep commune and Cai Be floating market. From there, we keep traveling to Tan Phong islet and Hai Yen bee Farm. On the farm, we will visit a big flower garden where bees produce honey, enjoy fresh honey tea and learn more about bee's life. We also visit Linhzhi mushroom area, try to pull fish hooves, experience the monkey bridges.

 The next stop is the orchard of Ms. Hang, where you can enjoy the fruits in the garden picked by yourselves and listen to Vietnamese folk music named "Tai Tu Music".

 Then get on the rowing boat to travel along small canals. Arriving in Mekong Eco-lodge, you can check-in, have lunch at the restaurant.

 In the late afternoon, you can join with locals in their daily activities such as “ditch fishing hook”.  You can catch fish of the Mekong which will be served for your dinner!

 After that, you can take shower, help our local chefs of homestay to prepare dishes for dinner. Enjoy dinner and stay overnight at Tan Phong homestay.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 Waking up early in the morning in Mekong Ecolodge, you can enjoy the fresh air and listen to the sound of chicken, birds and other countryside sounds, stroll around the village and see the local farmer get busy with their morning work.

 After breakfast at the homestay, you can cycle around Tan Phong Island to visit traditional handicraft workshops and take part in some activities with local people such as making rice paper, making roofs from nipa leaves, and water hyacinth products, making jackfruit leaf cake, knitting banana hammock... Then you can visit local school.

 Cycling back to the homestay, it is time to check out, say goodbye to our friendly host, and get on ferry to the Harbour. At the Harbour, the driver is waiting for you to transfer you directly to the hotel.

 Lunch will be served at a local restaurant on the way back to Ho Chi Minh City.

 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 Have leisure time until the driver picks up for the transfer to the airport.

 Please note that hotel check-out time is at 12:00. A late check-out can be arranged subject to room availability and a surcharge will be applied.

 Tour ends after arriving at the airport. Hope to see you again!

 Meals: Breakfast