Day 01: Hanoi – Da Bac Ecolodge
Enjoy a full breakfast at the hotel. Starting our 12-day Northern Vietnam Family Bicycle Tours on paved and asphalt roads, we travel by verdant rice fields and breathtaking scenery before arriving at the local port. To get to Hoa Binh Province, we cross the Da River. We keep riding down the buffalo beaten route while taking in the breathtaking scenery and rural and village life. Having lunch with a local family after arriving at Hien Luong village. We explore the unusual town after lunch to discover more about the people and their daily routines. Resuming our pedaling, we ride slowly for 30 km over a dirt road beside the lake to the settlement of Da Bia Eco Homestay. Magnificent views of the lake, craggy limestone vistas, and breath-taking landscapes greet us along the route. Discover the customs and way of life of the Muong people. We organize our bags when we get to the homestay and take in the quiet countryside life. Dine with the host family and take in a small village performance of traditional music.
Summary:
Activities: Transfer and Cycling
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 65 Km

Day 02: Da Bac – Da Bia – Pa Co – Hang Kia – Buoc Village
Rise early to take in the serene surroundings and unspoiled nature. Enjoy breakfast with the host family and take an hour to explore the stunning lake views by raft rowing. swimming in glistening water. Return to the homestay, check out, and begin cycling to the boat dock where we will load our bikes into the boat headed for Bai Sang. After making the transfer to Pa Co Junction, we rode our bikes out of Pa Co up a rocky and difficult hill road and took in the breathtaking scenery from a different angle of the Lake. Riding on smooth, single-track routes and rocky, rolling jeep trails, cyclists can reach several summits that offer breathtaking views of the Mai Chau landscape. When you arrive at the hotel, check in and unwind on your own. Spend the night at Mai Chau after dinner.
Summary:
Activities: Cycling and Taking Boat Trip
Accommodation: Homestay
Cycling distance: 56 Km

Day 03: Mai Chau Back Road
You will be greeted with traditional Thai cake for breakfast along with hot coffee and tea, after being roused from sleep early by the sounds of birds and chickens. Following a filling breakfast, we cycle through several towns along a variety of well-maintained single-track paths that connect the communities. The scenery is breathtaking as we ride by and through verdant rice terraces. Fan palms, which are cultivated especially for roofing, are unique to this region. We traverse suspension bridges, pass hot springs, and follow the natural contours of stunning terraced rice fields. On the way, we stop for lunch at a local household. Following lunch, we ride single tracks, back roads, and buffalo trails past bamboo forests, rice terraces, and a workshop that makes bamboo chopsticks before returning to Mai Chau town. When they got there. Unwind on your own. Spend the evening and night in a hotel or eco-homestay.
Summary:
Activities: Cycling and Visiting
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 56 Km

Day 04: Mai Chau –Pu Luong Nature Reseve
We start our bicycle tour in the breathtaking Mai Chau Valley, which is filled with Thai and Muong communities nestled amid rice terraces. We leave early to cycle from Homestay along the mixed single-track pathways that connect the towns; in the morning, the villages are quite quiet!And how did they manage to live here for a century?As we ride through the heart of the villages and stop to chat with some of the locals, you can discover the solution.Before traveling the back road to Hang Village, we stop for lunch in Sam Khoe Village. We take a scenic ride through the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, stopping to take in the stunning vistas, limestone outcrops, and overall magnificence of Pu Luong. We make a hilltop refreshment stop and then descend to Pho Doan Market for lunch. We had an easy ride to Nua hamlet after lunch on a combination of paved roads, buffalo trails, and bamboo forest shade. After arriving, we enjoy cold beers and soft beverages while taking a shower. Dine and spend the night in Pu Luong Natural Reserve.
Summary:
Activities: Cycling and Visiting
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 70 Km

Day 05;  The Gem of Nature Reserve
Recharged to the fullest, we ride out of Retreat and head down the Pho Doan section, where we veer off onto a single track trail beside a river to see the green rice paddies and water wheels.
After breakfast, ride the retreat's short distance to Bang village, from where you will begin rolling down into the stunning valley that leads to Kho Muong. You will get to see stunning terrace rice fields along the route. Following our enjoyment of the aerial view, we will go to an isolated village encircled by a massive mountain range, where you are welcome to pay a visit to a local family. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the local way of life and culture. Enjoy lunch at a nearby homestay. After refueling, we accelerate to ride a single track trail on a back road through a rice paddy field and arrive at Retreat.
Summary:
Activities: Cycling  from Village - Village
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 45 Km 

Day 06: Pu Luong – Cuc Phuong
After breakfast with the host, we bid them farewell and set out early to ride the back roads to Pho Doan, the township of Pu Luong Natural Reserver. If we're lucky, we might be able to stop and snap pictures at the vibrant tribal market before crossing the bridge. We then ride along the Nature Reserver's corridor path, passing through cornfields and sugarcane fields punctuated with the villages of the Thai and Muong Tribes, leading to Cam Luong, where we are rewarded with breathtaking scenery and the opportunity to interact with the kind locals. At midday, we arrive at the Ho Chi Minh Trail. lunch in a neighborhood eatery in Kim Tan Town, We ride 45 km more after lunch on a combination of smooth single track and rolling trails. The views are breathtaking as the rider goes by communities, rice paddies, sugarcane, and cassava plantations. After arriving in the late afternoon in Cuc Phuong National Park, settle in and relax until dinner time.
Summary:
Activities: Cycling and Short Transfer
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 90 Km

Day 07: Cuc Phuong – Tam Coc
Our minibus transports us into the heart of the forest after breakfast. We will pedal from the park's center via paths shaded by trees and through a primitive rainforest, taking us all the way to the national park's gate without any tourists. We visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Center after stopping for refreshments. The bicycle tour continues to Dong Giao, a pineapple plantation where you may purchase fresh pineapple on the side roads from nearby farmers. We ride out of the plantation to Tam Diep Township and then make our lunch transfer to Tam Coc. Following lunch, we bike through the Tram Chim Nature Reserve, where magnificent limestone mountains rise magnificently from verdant rice farms and streams. When we first arrive, we unwind or explore the area to see various birds. Dinner and a hotel stay for the night.
Summary:
Activities:  Cycling and Boat Trip
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 78 Km

Day 08:Tam Coc – Tam Diep – Phat Diem – Dong Bien – Dong Chau
After a quick transfer from Tam Coc to Tam Diep, have breakfast at the resort to avoid the heavy traffic on the highway. Starting from the cycling start, we ride along a picturesque road beside rice paddies and pecannut plantations, traversing several cannals and estuaries like spiderwebs until arriving at Phat Diem Cathedral church.
following a tour and investigation into the Church's founding history. We continue riding down the village road until we reach the Do Muoi Boat Wharf, from which we catch a public boat to enter Nam Dinh Province. After landing in the Nam Dinh district, we travel to the Hai Anh tile-roofed bridge by second public boat in Trai Cau. one of the distinctive examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture.
We continue on a narrow road that meanders past cannals, rice-paddied fields, and villages until arriving at Dong Bien commune for lunch. Following lunch, we take a tour of the village's historical sites and discover the background of its founding.
Cycling and exploring the Ba Kham Cathedral Church, the Hai Anh tile roofed Bridge, the Co Le Ancient Pagoda, the Hanh Thien Pagoda, the public ferry, and the village road leading to Dong Chau.
Summary:
Activities: Transferring and Cycling
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 52 Km

Day 09: Dong Chau – Diem Dien – Do Son
Rise early to capture the beauty of Tonkin's natural landscape and capture the dawn over the ocean in a horizontal line photo.We refuel at the motel and begin our new bike day.
Cycling down the coast, weaving through the casuarina forests, endless salt farms, stopping at the countryside markets to admire the products of the local people.
To get to the lunch location, we continue traveling through the large green rice fields, along the banks of the canal, and on the village roads.
Following a quick lunch, we mount our bikes once more and ride through bucolic, rural, dreamy, and serene villages until we reach the Duong Ao bridge. We cross the Van Uc River on the ferry after loading our bikes onto it. We then ride our bikes across the border to Dragon Hill, a popular tourist destination near Do son Beach.
Summary:
Activities: Transferring and Cycling
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 52 Km

Day 10: Do Son – Cat Hai – Cat Ba
After eating breakfast at the hotel, we take a quick shuttle from the resort to the Dinh Vu Seaport. Once at the cycling point, we start riding to the Dinh Vu ferry station, where we board a public ferry to Cat Hai Village. From there, we cycle through Cat Hai and Cai Vieng Village, which is a traditional fishing village that produces fish sauce. After arriving on Cat Ba Island, we continue riding the Hilling road, conquering a few passes along the way, and are rewarded with breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. We pause for lunch on the way, continue riding to Catba Town after lunch, arrive at the hotel, check in, take a shower, and then explore Cat Ba Township on our own. or go swimming at the beach. Stay at Cat Ba and have dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Summary:
Activities: Transferring and Cycling
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 52 Km

Day 11; Cat Ba – cycling -  hiking and  Kayaking
After breakfast at the hotel, we will embark on our gorgeous road to Cat Ba National Park, traversing several challenging passes en route. This will be our exploration and adventure trip to the northern region of Vietnam. We leave our motorcycles at the park when we get to Cat Ba National Park and begin our hike through the tropical forest to Viet Hai village. We get to see breathtaking scenery and exhilaratingly high mountains along the route.As soon as you get in Viet Hai Village, head over there and drive E-car to the boat dock. catching a boat to go to a cruise ship so you can explore Lan Ha Bay. Enjoy dinner and spend the night aboard a cruise.
Summary:
Activity: Cycling and Transferring
Accommodation: On Night Cruise
Meals: B/L/D
Total Cycling Distance: 35 Km

Day 12: Cat Ba – Gia Luan - Hanoi
This is the last day of your cycling tour through Cat Ba National Park and Lan Ha Bay. On the route back to Hanoi, you have the opportunity to learn about the everyday operations of the local fishermen and explore their way of life. We cycle from the hotel to Gia Luan Quay, following the coast and a winding route.
taking a 90-minute public ferry ride from Gia Luan to Tuan Chau Island. We get off our motorcycles when we get to Tuan Chau and ride through the island to the main gate. completing our cycling journey. We make a quick lunchtime transfer to City.
Our bus departs for Hanoi via the Hai Phong Highway after refueling. Take a three-hour bus ride to see the breathtaking Red River delta of Vietnam. Check in and enjoy some alone time. A farewell meal has been scheduled for your group. Remain in Hanoi. Our assistance has ended. We appreciate you joining us on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Summary:
Activities:Cycling and Transferring
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals:B/L/D
Cycling distance: 65 Km

Tour included in:
Bicycling guide who speaks English (other languages by request).
The lodging is based on two or three people sharing.
The meal schedule includes information on 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 4 dinners.
Transportation and A/C transfer.
Bus or van assistance is provided during cycling hours.
Truck supported for groups larger than six.
Trek mountain bikes with disc brakes and helmets are available.
A boat ride at Da Bac.
excursions for sightseeing according to the itineraries.
Bike tour pump, tools, tubes, and extra bikes.
first aid package.
Box of cold water, little towel.
Drinkable mineral water.
Fruit and a snack on days when you cycle.
Authorization Paper in a designated space.

Tour excluded in:
airfare abroad.
insurance for travel.
things that are personal in nature.
soft drinks and alcoholic beverages throughout meals.
Mineral water above and beyond what is provided.
optional travels.
Any emergency circumstance necessitates additional transportation.
Personal costs include phone and laundry bills.
Visa charge.
Tax on departure.
A team and guidance tip.

Availability
Tours and services may not be available on public holidays, or may be available at an additional surcharge.

Pick-up location
Most of our trips begin from our bike garage (both private and group tours), so transportation from your hotel to our bike shop (or v.v) is not included in the quote. We can arrange the service (with extra charge), and reservation needs to be made in advance.

Itinerary
Occasionally our tour itineraries are updated during the year to incorporate improvements stemming from past travelers’ comments and our own research. The information given in this itinerary may be slightly different to that in the service proposal. It’s very important that you print and review a final copy of your itinerary prior to travel. If you have any queries, please contact us.

Please note that while we operate successful cycling holidays in Vietnam throughout the year, some changes may occur in our itineraries due to inclement weather and common seasonal changes to timetables and transport routes. This can happen with little notice so please be prepared for modifications to the route. The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary from time to time.

Price
Negotiating prices is a common practice in Vietnam, particularly in open-air markets, street shops, and rural areas. However, we are not good at bargaining and do not prefer this practice. Instead, we focus our time and efforts on tour arrangements, and our prices are fixed.

Safety
Wearing a helmet is compulsory on all our biking adventures. Our tour guide often carry first aid kit while riding. Please follow your guide while biking, and much attention is required while you cross streets.

Difficulty levels
To assist you visualize how our bike trip is difficult, we have graded our Vietnam cycling tours into three categories, easy, moderate, and challenging. We group many factors into consideration into this grading, including distant covered, terrain, altitude, and vehicle support.

Easy
Involves cycling for up to two to three hours a day at easy pace and usually, less than 3 days in duration. The cycling distances is around 15 – 30 km per day. There are likely to be no steep and sustained descents as well as demand for technical riding. We will normally ride on flat roads. Suitable for bikers who enjoy occasional weekend riding on trails at home. Push bikes are sometimes used for these itineraries.

Moderate
Involves biking for up to six hours a day at a steady pace and are usually between three to five days in duration. The cycling distance is about 35 – 55 km per day. Sometimes it can be long flat rides or medium ride with few up and downhill climbs. The support vehicle will not always be available. We will need a good level of fitness. We use either mountain bikes or road bikes for these itineraries.

Challenging
Involves biking in mountainous areas with big climbs for up to seven or eight hours a day and usually more than a week in duration. Cycling distance is about 60 – 80 km per day. There will be steep and sustained ascents and descents. The support vehicle will not always be available. These trips will provide a real sustained workout even for fit and experienced mountain bikers.

Accommodation
When cycling we mostly stay in small hotel, guesthouse or homestay. Some are more basic than others! Bear in mind that some of the places we overnight in are not on the standard tourist trail. In larger cities and towns, our hotels are generally more western style and are three or four star hotels (price option).

Camping is not available on cycling tours in Vietnam unless it is required and this should be booked months in advance. Camping is only available in a limited number of places such as Cat Ba island beach, Cuc Phuong national park…Please see the details on the quote.

Tour guide
Most of our tour guides speak English. Some other speak French. Few speak other language such as German, Russian, Spanish. All our guides have great knowledge of history, local culture, and religions of the area where you are cycling. Our guides have been trained in this field and is fully licensed in tour guiding.

Bike mechanic
We arrange a bike mechanic only for large groups or when it is required (with surcharge). When there is no mechanic, our guide will take care of problem which may occur during the bike ride.

Transportation
Depending on the nature of the tour, our cycle journeys will be accompanied by an air-conditioned car/minibus cover the larger overland sections. We often use mini bus or bus for transfer and back up (guided tours).
1 – 2 travelers: we use minivan to support and carry bikes. Sometimes we use a car for passengers and a truck for transport of the bikes.
3 – 6 people: we use one minivan for passengers and one truck for the bikes.
7 – 12 people: we use one bus (coach) for passengers and one truck for the bikes.
We provide bike rental and truck for self-guided bike tours.

We sometimes use local push-bikes (single-speed bicycles) where possible or when it is required. In this case, our cars will be arranged as follows.
1 – 2 passengers (with a tour guide): 4 seat car.
3 – 6 passengers (with a tour guide): 15/16 seat minivan.
7 – 12 passengers (with a tour guide): 29 seat coach/bus.

Bikes repairs
Basic spares and tools kit are generally carried by our guide or bike mechanic or on the support vehicle, although we can not guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem.

Food and drinks
All the meals which, are mentioned in itinerary (B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner), are included in the tour price. Most of meals are Vietnamese local food. Vegetarians are certainly welcome and are always accommodated, please let us know of any dietary concerns at time of booking. Beverage and alcoholic drinks are not included at mealtime or in restaurants.

Snacks and water
When we transfer, ride by minibus (no cycling day), our bottled waters are always available for you in the car/van. When we have cycling days, we will offer cold water (summer) plus fresh tropical fruits, soft drinks are also available in the car/van. Please take a look at the “Inclusions” section on our our service proposal to see whether the service is included in the price. Please note drinks are not included at mealtime or in restaurant.

Packing
Comfortable lightweight clothing in natural fabrics such as cotton is most suitable for traveling in Vietnam. The dress code is fairly casual as in most parts of the tropics but it is advisable to cover arms and legs in the evenings against biting insects. A lightweight raincoat is a good idea in the rainy season. During the winter months warm clothing is needed for visiting the north of Vietnam. Visitors should not wear shorts, short skirts or other skimpy clothing when visiting religious buildings such as pagoda, temple and shoes should be removed before entering a private home.
What you take will naturally depend upon where you are traveling and the style of journey you are undertaking, and it can often be difficult to decide what to pack. Nevertheless, the following should act as a useful checklist of essential items worth thinking about taking.

Clothing
2 pairs of riding shorts
2 riding jerseys (quick-dry)
2 pairs of quick dry socks for cycling
Comfortable shoes for biking and walking
Riding gloves
2-3 t-shirts or casual shirts
Trousers or jeans
1-2 pairs of casual socks for non-cycling activities
3-5 sets of underwear (quick-dry)
Cool-weather jacket or rain jacket
Extra layers and gloves for cooler season or climate (thin, thermal, water-wicking)
Bathing suit
Sandals

Toiletries
Tooth brush and tooth paste
Razor
Hair brush
Shampoo
Deodorant
Hand sanitizer

Miscellaneous
Passport, wallet and ID
Health insurance card
Travel insurance card
Cash and/or credit cards
Camera (with spare battery)
Plastic bags (for dirty laundry, wet clothes)
Electronic chargers (for camera, e-reader, cell phone)
Adaptors or convertors

Tipping
Tipping for good services is always appreciated. It is customary, though not compulsory, to tip tour guides and drivers at the end of the tour. Hotels and station porters should also be tipped a small amount for.
We recommend about 4-6 USD/traveler/day for the tour guide, about 2-3 USD/traveler/day for the driver (or the mechanic). Of course you are free to tip more or less as you see fit, depending on your perception of service quality, the length and the difficulty of your trip.

Community
Prior to our tours, we contact and work with local community leaders to make sure we are welcome and in a manner that minimizes negative social and cultural impacts. We visit local development and community projects specific to the region, encouraging customers to donate and assist such a projects in appropriate and sustainable manner.
Where make sure that where and whenever possible our tours positively benefit the local community. We stayed at locally owned accommodation and visit cottage industries for local handicraft souvenir, generating income for local business. We often employ, hire support team such as local guide, motor-taxi drivers, cook assistants on all trips to ensure that the local community benefit not only short term but with increased employment opportunities for the future.

Need further information? Check our FAQ page here or contact us.