Key Places

View map, we follow the Red and black routes. Thanks to Richard Cain.

days 1-2: Hanoi

Vietnam’s beautiful and tranquil capital lies at the heart of the northern Red River Delta. It is a city of lakes and leafy boulevards that still retains an air of French colonial elegance. Its fine coffee and perfect baguettes have led some to call it the ‘Paris of the East’, but it roots go all the way back to AD 1010.

On arrival in Hanoi, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in the old quarter. This ancient part of the city is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets each named after a trade or guild. Nowadays it is lined with tempting restaurants, guest houses, shops and cafes, but the past never seems far away. It is a charming place to either unwind or visit some its many attractions, among the most popular being the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We will spend 2 days here before the hard work begins.

Accommodation: Guest House
Photos from QT Luong

day 3: Hanoi to Son La

After an early breakfast we transfer Son La. It’s a fascinating drive past many minority villages as we climb onto a higher plateau. We pass coffee and tea plantations before arriving in the late afternoon. Son La was once the site of a French penal colony where radicals and revolutionaries were incarcerated during French rule. The prison was destroyed by American war planes during the Vietnam War (or as the Vietnamese sensibly call it the American war) except for a lone peach tree planted by an inmate in the 1940s. Since then the prison has partially rebuilt and a museum opened.

Accommodation: Hotel
Cycling Distance: 42km
Photos from QT Luong

day 4: Son La to Tuan Giao

The ride begins with a 5km climb into the beautiful surrounding countryside. We pass through a patchwork of rice fields and plum orchards. After the 50km mark we have a 12km, 900m lung busting ascent. The scenery makes up for the hard work as the rolling land erupts into stunning karst rock outcrops bristling with trees. The land is home to the Black Thai who originated in southern China. The women can be glimpsed working the fields in brightly colored dresses and hats, the children riding water buffalo and the men speeding along on noisy motor cycles. We finish the day with a thrilling 11km decent before we reach the town of Tuan Giao.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 90km
Photos from QT Luong

day 5: Tuan Giao to Lai Chau

Once out of Tuan Giao the road deteriorates as we take a spectacular back road to Lai Chau. This road isn’t well traveled, you first notice this by the increased curiosity and smiling faces and of the people, making this a day not to be forgotten. We cycle past rice fields and bananas plantations as we pass through small minority villages of Red Hmong and Kho Mu. There are two hard climbs today the first starts after 50km with a 5km ascent but the second, and most challenging comes at the end of this stunning day, with an 8km strength-sapping climb. All this hard work is easily forgotten as we finish the day with a stunning descend of 18km on a winding road into this lush valley of Lai Chau.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 98km
Photos from QT Luong

day 6: Lai Chau to Tam Duong

After we leave Lai Chau we cross the Hang Tom suspension bridge and follow the Na River passing through spectacular gorges and Black Dao villages. The Dao worship spirits and ritually sacrifice pigs and chickens. The women clothes are covered with intricate weaving and silver colored beads and coins. It is said the wealth a women can be judged by the weight of the coins she carries. We finish this long day with a 15km ascent followed by a gentle 10km ride down to Tam Duong.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 106km
Photos from QT Luong

day 7: Tam Duong to Sapa

Today is the highlight for many; as we cycle up to the Tram Ton Pass (1,900m; 6,230 ft) the highest mountain pass in Vietnam, on our way to Sa Pa. We start with a relatively easy 7km ride before we hit the first of two major climbs. A 8km tough ride sets us up for the 26km monster climb later in the day. As we start the second climb we slowly start to witness the beauty of Mt. Fan Si Pan, South East Asia’s highest peak. Often hidden with a veil of moving mist and fog, we will hopefully get a glimpse of its lofty peaks.

Sa Pa is an old French hill station perched in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains near the Chinese border. Its position gives it some of the best vantage points to savour the surrounding mountain peaks.

Accommodation: Hotel
Cycling distance:: 72km
Photos from QT Luong

day 8: Sapa

Rest day.

Accommodation: Hotel
Photos from QT Luong

day 9: Sapa to Than Thuoc

From Sapa we start the day’s ride with a 15kms climb to the top of the Tram Ton Pass, stopping on route to visit the “silver waterfall”. Then it’s a 26kms plunge down to Binh Lu junction. From here we continue along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, there are a number of hard climbs but the magnificent landscape makes the hardship all worthwhile. We finish with a 20kms descent to Than Uyen.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 95km

day 10: Than Uyen to Tu Le

We follow the valley out of Than Uyen until the road begins to wind up into the hills. This rugged terrain of dense vegetation brings us into contact with the Black Hmong and the mysterious White Tay people who are famed for their folk music, poems and songs. We end the day at Tu Le.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 88km
Photos from QT Luong

day 11: Tu Le to Nghia Lo

Today we pass large white limestone mountains as we explore the “real Vietnam”. We will cycle through meandering roads before we finally end the day in Nghia Lo. It sits on a mountain ridge overlooking the Red and Black River and is home to the Thai, Nung, H’mong, La Ha and Ma peoples.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 65km
Photos from Richard Cain

day 12: Nghia Lo to Yen Bai

The route today day takes us on the back roads to Yen Bai. A spectacular road through undulating terrain of tea plantations, lush forests, rice fields and gum trees.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance: 74km

day 13: Nghia Lo to Hanoi via Tran Phu

Our last day in the saddle takes us back to paved roads through the rolling terrain of tea plantations lush forests, rice fields and gum trees used for paper production. We finish cycling early in the afternoon, then transfer back to Hanoi.

Accommodation: Guest House
Cycling distance:: 38km

day 14: Hanoi

After breakfast you will be transferred to the Hanoi International Airport for your flight home. Those wishing to extend their visit to include Halong Bay can do so at an additional cost. Halong Bay is often called the eighth wonder of the world and once visited it is hard to dispute this claim.

Accommodation: Guest House

Halong Bay Photos from QT Luong