Depart home and take overnight flights to Vietnam, arriving the following morning.

• Ascent: Non Riding Day

Our trip starts in The Pearl of the Orient – Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as most locals and visitors still call it. On arrival you’ll be transferred to your hotel (journey time approx. 30 mins), after which you’ll have time to go out and explore this the city, before meeting our guides and fellow guests in the early evening.

After the welcome meeting (usually held around 18.00), your guides will select one of the many fine restaurants, and accompany the group for our first taste of authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 120 Metres Approx.

We start as we mean to go on, with the perfect mix of cycling, culture and exploration. So as to avoid a busy section of traffic, we’ll drive out of Saigon, before cycling along a series of rural back-roads that will lead us through rice paddies and rubber plantations to the Cu Chi Tunnels. A vast area of tunnels that were dug by the Viet Minh and Viet Cong, during the Vietnam War to avoid bombing and which also served as a base from which to operate the resistance movement.

After our visit we’ll take our support vehicle back to Saigon, where we’ll hopefully have the chance some time to explore some of the city’s sights.

Total driving time 3-3.5 hours

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 265 Metres Approx.

Following breakfast, we transfer to the outskirts of Saigon to near the Dong Nai River where our cycling begins (Transfer approx. 2.5 hours). This morning’s picturesque route takes us past numerous rice paddies and rubber plantations as we cycle through several small towns and villages.

After a well-deserved lunch in Binh Chau we hop aboard our support vehicle and head to Mui Ne (transfer approx. 2.5 hours), a place famous for its beautiful white sandy beach. Once here, there’s surely no better way to end the day than watching the sun set over the ocean with a chilled beer.

Total driving time 4.5 hours.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 450 Metres Approx.

Starting from the hotel, our initial cycling sees us following the coastline before we turn inland into the foothills of the Central Highlands. This rural route whilst remarkably quiet does have a few pre-lunch hills to test the legs.

After lunch at a small roadside café specialising in noodle soup, we’ll be back on our bikes and return to the quiet rural roads, that are fortunately flatter than those we encountered earlier in the day. At the end of the ride we transfer up into the higher reaches of the Central Highlands and our overnight destination of Dalat.

Along the way, we pass-by an abundance of coffee and tea plantations as well as flower gardens and pine forests. This former French colonial hill station was founded over 100 years ago, as a resort town to escape the humidity of the coast. Whilst the French colonialists are long gone, Dalat still retains its colonial charm with a large number of magnificent villas reminding us of days gone by.

Total driving time 5 hours.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,800 Metres Approx.

Time to head to the coast! We’ll transfer in the support vehicle approx. 15 minutes out of town. The route this morning heads through some stunning scenery, and sees us riding deep in the Central Highlands through a mix of agricultural land, coffee plantations and lush tropical forest.

Although the route contains a number of climbs, the stunning scenery throughout will spur you along, as will the thoughts of another delicious lunch that will be taken at the top of the final climb.

What goes up, must come down and from here we continue on the bikes with a stunning downhill to the valley floor. The descent is on wide sweeping roads and loses 1500m in vertical height over 30kms and is a real treat.

Once we’ve reached the plains, we’ll board the support vehicle and continue our journey to Nha Trang (Transfer approx. 1hour). With its lovely sunny climate, crystal clear blue waters, stunning 6km beach and fantastic seafood, it’s little wonder that Nha Trang is Vietnam’s premier beach resort.

Total driving time 1.5 hours.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: Non Riding Day

After our challenging ride yesterday, Nha Trang is the perfect place in which to relax. But for those with energy to spare, there are plenty of activities on offer. These include snorkelling in the crystal clear waters, taking a boat trip out to one of the nearby islands or visiting some of the interesting temples that are dotted around the city. Whatever you choose today, they’ll be plenty of time to enjoy the sun, sea and sand as well as the city’s vibrant nightlife and delicious food in the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 895 Metres Approx.

An early start to the day, as we transfer to Co Ma Pass where we begin cycling. The route today undulates along the coast, with 3 main climbs. Our cycling will take us to the beautiful fishing village of Dai Lanh, where after a short break at its beautiful beach, we continue cycling to Ca Pass (8km climb) and Tuy Hoa where we have lunch.

In the afternoon we take to the bikes again for a lovely ride that will take us through an area of rice paddies and small holdings. At the end of the ride we transfer to the relaxed seaside city of Quy Nhon where we are based for the night.

Total driving time 3-4 hours.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 620 Metres Approx.

We’ll transfer this morning approx. 15 minutes to Thi Nai Bridge where we’ll start today’s ride, taking us through numerous fishing villages and rice paddies along the middle coast of Vietnam.

Lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant on the way, and before we meet the highway, we’ll hop back on the bus and transfer (approx. 2 hours) our accommodation in Quang Ngai.

Total driving time 2.5 hours.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 230 Metres Approx.

After breakfast, we start cycling to the site of the My Lai Massacre where we will visit the memorial and the museum. Passing numerous fish farms, salt farms and rice paddies on the way.

Back on the bikes we then continue northwards, staying close to the coastline and riding on small backroads where possible. We’ll reach Binh Hoa market where we’ll hop back to the bus and drive to Hoi An, our home for the next couple of days.

Total driving time: 2-2.5 hours

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: Non Riding Day

Hoi An was for three centuries one of the most important ports in Vietnam, visited by sailing ships from all over the world seeking trade in silk, ceramics and spices, but in the late 19th Century trade moved up the coast to Danang, and Hoi An returned to its sleepy existence.

Today its fortunes are once again riding high following UNESCO’s listing of the Old Town as a World Heritage Site. Its quaint narrow streets are packed with ancient Chinese, Portuguese and Japanese styles of architecture. Our walking tour here is a great way to explore its sites which includes the Chinese Assembly Hall and the Japanese Covered Bridge. Hoi An is also the perfect place to take a leisurely boat trip or enjoy the wonderful cuisine on offer at some of the town’s numerous eateries.

• Meals: Breakfast, dinner
• Ascent: 590 Metres Approx.

This morning we take the scenic route to Hue, through a region of Vietnam blessed with magnificent rural and coastal scenery. Following arrival at Danang, we start our ride with a gentle warm up, before taking on the winding ascent of the Hai Van Pass – Pass of the Ocean Clouds. At it’s summit you should be rewarded with stunning views of the South China Sea, before setting off on a superb descent.

The afternoon’s ride takes us through beautiful rural scenery, which is characterised by numerous cemeteries with their ornate and highly decorative graves.

Time allowing there is an option here to head straight back to Hue or to continue riding a further 30Kms through the cemeteries and along the coastline out to Thuan An Beach.

At the end of the ride we pack up the bikes for the drive to the fabulous Hue, where we arrive late afternoon. Serving as Vietnam’s capital from 1801 to 1945, it has a serene and classic character.

Total driving time 1.5 – 2 hrs

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 100 Metres Approx.

Setting off straight from our hotel, we embark on a guided tour of the city by bike. First stop is the Citadel where we explore the Royal Walled City and Forbidden Purple Palace. The Palace’s splendid Ngo Mon Gate gives a hint of the destruction that has taken place over the years, but with the help of UNESCO and other NGOs, it is gradually being restored.

After our visit to the Citadel, we hop aboard a Dragon Boat and sail along the Perfume River so as to visit Thien Mu – one of the oldest and most significant pagodas in Hue, and the Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. From here we pedal back to our hotel, where you have a chance to freshen-up before transferring to the train station for the Reunification Express and our overnight journey to Hanoi.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: Non Riding Day

Hanoi’s grand colonial buildings, together with the wide spacious boulevards and tree-lined lakes, ensure it is one of most graceful and charming cities in South East Asia.

Our tour here showcases some of Hanoi’s most interesting attractions, including the One Pillar Pagoda, the Soviet-inspired Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature. Founded in 1070, it was Vietnam’s first institute of learning and where candidates for the position of Mandarin were examined. Our final visit is to Hoa Lo Prison, which is better known as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’. The remainder of your time is spent in the Old Quarter, north of the Hoan Kiem Lake. This is a great place to wander around and pick-up some last minute souvenirs, prior to our final taste of Vietnamese cuisine as we reflect on our time in this beautiful country.

• Meals: Breakfast

Departure after breakfast to the airport for onward connections (journey time approx. 1 hour).