Five days on the coast, one pass that earns its reputation
218 km along the lagoons and beaches of the central coast, over the 21 km Hai Van climb, finishing with a rest day in Hoi An.
At a glance
- Days
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Ridden
- 218 km, 2,100 m up
- Group
- 2 to 12 riders
- Start
- Hue
- Finish
- Hoi An
- From
- USD 640 per person
Who this route is for
Central Vietnam is the half of the country most cycling itineraries skip, because it does not have the terraces of the north or the novelty of the delta. What it has is 200 km of coast road with the sea on one side, one of the best climbs in south-east Asia in the middle, and weather that works from February to August when the north is either cold or soaked.
The riding is moderate. Three of the four riding days are flat to rolling on sealed roads. The fourth is the Hai Van pass, which is 21 km of climbing at an average of about 4.5 per cent — long, steady, never steep, and almost free of lorries since the tunnel opened underneath it.
It suits a rider who wants a proper climb to talk about without a week of training for it, and who would rather finish a trip in Hoi An than in a city.
Day by day
Hue, citadel and a short ride out
Meet in Hue at 08:30 for the fitting, then a 34 km loop out to the Thien Mu pagoda and the Minh Mang tomb on the river road, which is flat and shaded.
Back into the city by mid-afternoon, with the citadel free in the late afternoon when the light is on the eastern wall and the coach parties have gone.
Hue to the Tam Giang lagoon
52 km east and then south, out of the city on a canal road and onto the sand spit that separates the Tam Giang lagoon from the sea. Flat the whole way, with a headwind for the last 15 km more often than not.
The lagoon is 70 km long and worked by fish farms on bamboo frames. You stay in a guesthouse on the spit with nothing else around it.
Lagoon to Lang Co
58 km continuing south down the spit and around the end of the lagoon to the beach at Lang Co, under the north face of the Hai Van range.
An easy day on purpose. You will see the pass road cut across the mountain in front of you for the last hour, which is either motivating or not.
Over Hai Van to Hoi An
74 km with 900 m of climbing. The pass itself is 21 km from the sea to about 500 m at the top, on two lanes of good tarmac with a low wall and a drop.
The descent is 10 km into Da Nang, then 30 km of city and coast road to Hoi An, the last part on the beach road past the resorts.
Hoi An, rest day and finish
No riding, or an optional flat 25 km out to the Tra Que herb village and the Cua Dai beach for those who want it.
Bikes handed back at midday. Most people stay on in Hoi An for two or three more nights, which we can book at cost.
Prices
| Party size | Standard hotels | Comfortable hotels |
|---|---|---|
| 2 riders, private | USD 1,090 | USD 1,280 |
| 3 – 4 riders, private | USD 840 | USD 995 |
| 5 – 8 riders, private | USD 710 | USD 850 |
| Set-departure group | USD 640 | — |
Getting to Hue is yours: there are flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Hue and to Da Nang, and a night train from both. We will book either at cost if you ask, and we meet the train.
What is included
What the price includes
- 4 nights as described, twin share
- Road or gravel bike, fitted in Hue on the first morning
- English-speaking cycling guide, second guide above six riders
- Support vehicle on all riding days, carrying luggage between hotels
- All breakfasts, four lunches and two dinners
- Citadel, Thien Mu and Minh Mang entrance fees
- Transfer to Da Nang airport or Hoi An hotel at the end
What it does not include
- Flights or trains to Hue and away from Da Nang
- Travel insurance covering cycling
- Dinners in Hoi An and Lang Co, which are better chosen than pre-booked
- Drinks and tips
Photographs
Who this tour is wrong for
- Anyone coming between late September and December. This is the wettest and most storm-exposed coast in Vietnam in those months. We run the route and we will warn you that days two and three are frequently ridden in rain.
- Riders who want mountains. There is one climb. The rest is flat coast. If you want repeated climbing, this is the wrong half of the country.
- People who dislike heat. From May to August the coast runs 33 to 38 degrees with high humidity. We start at 06:30 in those months and finish riding by 12:30, which helps and does not solve it.
- Anyone expecting a quiet Hoi An. The old town takes several thousand visitors a day. It is still worth the rest day, and it is not a discovery.
Next steps
Ask for a dated plan
Send us your month and party size and we will come back with hotel names, dates and an itemised price within one working day.
Also useful: when to ride in central Vietnam, what a bike tour costs, and the 14-day route, which includes this section.
Questions travellers ask most
How hard is the Hai Van climb really?
21 km, about 500 m of ascent, averaging 4.5 per cent with a few pitches at 8. Most riders take between 1 hour 20 and 2 hours 15.
It is long rather than steep. The two things that catch people out are the heat on the lower half, where there is no shade until km 8, and starting too fast because the first three kilometres are almost flat.
Can I take the train through the tunnel instead of riding the pass?
Not with the bike, no. Bicycles are not permitted in the Hai Van road tunnel, and the rail tunnel is a separate line with limited bike carriage.
If you do not want to ride it, you go over in the support vehicle with the bike on the rack, which takes 35 minutes and costs nothing. Two or three riders on most group departures do exactly that.
Is Da Nang city riding dangerous?
The 10 km through Da Nang is the least pleasant part of this route: six lanes, heavy motorbike traffic, and two large bridges.
We ride it in single file behind the guide, on a Sunday-morning line through the riverside road where possible. If a rider is nervous, the van takes them across the city and drops them on the beach road, and about one rider in ten takes that offer.
Can this be combined with the Mekong route?
Yes, with a flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, which is 75 minutes and runs eight times a day. It makes a nine-day trip with a rest day in between.
It is a good pairing because the two halves are completely different: one is coast and a climb, the other is flat water country. Combined price is about 8 per cent below the two separately.
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.