Six routes, published in full before you ask
Four cycling routes and two motorbike routes. Every riding day on every page below shows distance, climbing, surface and transfer time.
Compare the six
Read this table left to right and the shape of each trip is obvious. Kilometres are what you ride, not what the trip covers — where a route uses a transfer or a domestic flight, that distance is excluded.
| Tour | Days | Ridden | Climbing | Hardest day | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City | 14 | 690 km | 6,400 m | 96 km / 1,400 m | USD 2,450 |
| Mai Chau and Pu Luong | 4 | 182 km | 2,750 m | 62 km / 1,150 m | USD 520 |
| Hue to Hoi An over Hai Van | 5 | 218 km | 2,100 m | 74 km / 900 m | USD 640 |
| Mekong Delta back lanes | 3 | 146 km | under 200 m | 58 km / flat | USD 390 |
| Ha Giang Loop | 4 | 348 km | — | 112 km on the bike | USD 390 |
| Northwest Loop | 6 | 1,060 km | — | 230 km on the bike | USD 690 |
On a bicycle
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, 14 days
The full length of the country, honestly described: 690 km ridden across three riding regions, joined by two domestic flights and one night train. Nobody rides 1,700 km in fourteen days, and an operator who implies otherwise is selling you eleven hours a day in the saddle. This route rides the good parts and flies over the parts that are 300 km of Highway 1.
Best from October to April. Full itinerary and prices.
Mai Chau and Pu Luong, 4 days
The classic short northern route and the one we sell most of. Thung Khe pass on day one, the Pu Luong terraces on days two and three, back to Hanoi on day four. Two nights in stilt-house homestays, one in a lodge above the valley.
Best from September to November and March to May. Full itinerary and prices.
Hue to Hoi An over Hai Van, 5 days
Central Vietnam, and the only route where the sea is in sight for most of three days. The Hai Van pass is 21 km of climbing to about 500 m, which sounds worse than it rides — the gradient is steady and the tunnel takes the lorries away.
Best from February to August. Full itinerary and prices.
Mekong Delta back lanes, 3 days
Flat, hot, and the least like the rest of Vietnam. Concrete dyke lanes a metre and a half wide, ferries every hour, and the Cai Rang floating market at 06:00 on day three. The route most first-time cycling tourists should start with.
Best from November to April. Full itinerary and prices.
On a motorbike
Two routes, both guided, both with a van carrying the luggage. We do not rent bikes to ride unaccompanied — see the licence section on the bikes and support page for why that matters more in Vietnam than most people expect.
Ha Giang Loop, 4 days
348 km of riding on the best mountain road in the country, including the 20 km of the Ma Pi Leng pass above the Nho Que river. Runs with you riding, or with you on the back of a guide's bike if you are not licensed.
Best from September to November and March to May. Full itinerary and prices.
Northwest Loop, 6 days
The long one: Mai Chau, Moc Chau, Son La, Dien Bien Phu, then over the O Quy Ho pass into Sa Pa. 1,060 km in six days, two of which are over 200 km. For riders with real road experience, not for a first motorbike trip.
Best from October to April. Full itinerary and prices.
Private or set-departure
Everything on this page runs privately for your own party, on your own dates. Four of the six also run as set-departure groups capped at twelve riders.
| Private | Set-departure group | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Any date you choose | Fixed, published a season ahead |
| Party | Only your party | Up to 12 riders, usually 6 – 9 |
| Daily distance | Adjustable mid-trip | Fixed, published in advance |
| Price for two people | Roughly 55 – 70% higher per head | Lowest per head |
| Price for six people | Within about 10% of group price | Lowest per head |
| Minimum to run | None, two riders is fine | 4 riders, or the date is cancelled |
The honest rule: below four riders, a set-departure group is much cheaper. At six or more, the difference is small enough that most parties take the private version for the flexibility. The pricing page shows the arithmetic behind that.
What every tour includes, regardless of route
What the price includes
- A guide who rides, not a guide who follows in the van
- Support vehicle on every riding day, with a bike rack and cold water
- Bike hire, helmet, high-visibility gilet, and a fitting session the night before
- All accommodation as named in the itinerary, twin share
- Breakfast every day, and the lunches and dinners listed day by day
- All road tolls, ferry crossings and site entrance fees on the route
- Mechanical support and spares carried in the vehicle
What it does not include
- International flights and Vietnamese visa or e-visa fees
- Travel insurance, which must cover cycling or motorcycling
- Drinks other than the water in the vehicle
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Tips for the guide, driver and homestay hosts
Questions travellers ask most
Can you combine two of these routes into one trip?
Yes, and about a third of our private bookings are a combination. The usual pairs are Mai Chau plus Ha Giang in the north, or Hue to Hoi An plus the Mekong with a flight between them.
Allow a rest day between the two halves. Two back-to-back routes with no gap is the single most common way people end up not enjoying the second one.
Do you run these tours with children?
On the Mekong route, from about age ten on their own bike, or any age on a tag-along or child seat, of which we have four.
On the mountain routes, from about fourteen and only if they already ride. The problem is not the climbing, which the van solves. It is the descending, which it does not.
What size groups do you take?
Twelve riders is our normal maximum on a published route, with two guides above six riders.
For a corporate or charity ride we go to about 120 riders, but that is a different piece of work with a route survey, a police liaison and a three-month lead time. It is described on the about page.
Which route should I pick if I only have one week?
Mai Chau and Pu Luong, plus two days in Hanoi either side. Four riding days is the point where a cycling holiday starts to feel like a trip rather than an excursion, and the north is where the scenery is.
If you are coming between May and August, take Hue to Hoi An instead. The north is wet and the central coast is not.
Read next
Tell us about the ride you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.