Cycling in Viet Nam

laurentian

The Good Lady quite fancies cycling through Viet Nam for a holiday. Its a part of the world I've always fancied going to , so I'm having a tentative look into it. I guess the most straightforward way of doing it would be by using an organised, or at least half organised, "tour". Would like the opportunity to stop off en route if we see anything interesting rather than being ushered along to the next stop but this may not be a deal breaker.

Anyone have any experiences, recommendations or advice??

sy1975

sorry no but sounds amazing!!

elbowloh

I have cycled a little in Vietnam, i.e. hire bikes around towns, villages and into the countryside a bit.

I know there are companies that offer tours, but from what I have seen, I personally would be very cautious when thinking about between towns as the driving is atrocious and a lot of the vehicles I saw were un-roadworthy.

Then again, I guess it depends on the routes taken.

t4tomo

I visit Vietnam a lot for work. You would need to be on a mountain bike or sturdy tourer, road surfaces are very variable. To be honest i'd use a local tour operator, that way at least you have local knowledge to be on a quiet but reasonably surfaced route and a guide to help sort oput accomodation etc. It would be almost suicidal to be on the roads the trucks use (they overtake even if something is coming forcing teh oncoming vehicle to the side of the road - chances of side swiping would be huge) and once off the main tourist trail finding english speakers is quite limited.

That said lovely country and lovely people so you'll have a great time.

bondurant

If you post this on the Kingston Wheelers forum you might get lucky - three people (that I know of) went to Vietnam a year or two back to tour.

dandrew

http://pages.rapha.cc/rides/sapa-vietnam-2
This Rapha blog / video in Sapa Vietnam seems lots of fun.

fatsmoker

That is one helluva tash on the bloke in the middle.

peat

The company Exodus does one around 'nam I believe. I've been around Morocco with them and they run a pretty well oiled operation. Totally hassle-free, but can be a bit restrictive.

laurentian

Thanks All

The Exodus suggestion has led me on to a couple of other companies and we're just trying to work out the best for us - trouble is that most seem to be fairly "leisurely" (max 40km per day). Not that that is necessarily a problem as I fully intend on a serious customer survey of Vietnamese beer and food and I think the roads are possibly not the best for 100 milers . . .

Grantmk

I love that Rapha video. Vietname is one of the best countries for food IMO, especially if you are prepared to eat with the locals. Great coffee available as well. You would do well to avoid cycling in Hanoi or Saigon due to the huge amount of moped riders but I would suggest staying in both at least a couple of nights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3AfBPt9zC0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp5-9d3ssKQ

whoof

There is a Lonely Planet guide to cycling Vietnam
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vietnam-Cambodi ... 1864501685
I once asked the publisher why there was a guide to Vietnam but not Spain. The answer because someone had ridden there and written it. If I would ride around Spain and write a guide they would consider publishing it.
May be when I retire!