By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Biking Vietnam tour is designed along the best principles of travel: to explore, discover, learn, make connections, be present, experiential, meaningful and revelatory, and do it in a way that maximizes the benefits and minimizing the negative impacts of tourism.
Of the 12 days we spend in Vietnam, traveling from north, to central, to south (flying between regions), we bike on six of them. That might seem odd for a biking tour, but you don’t travel 30 hours to Vietnam and miss the important highlights, like Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum in Hanoi, taking a traditional row boat through the caves of Ninh Binh; cruising overnight on the Ha Long Bay; discovering the Citadel and Imperial City of Hue; walking the colorful markets and enjoying the nightlife of Hoi An; or touring the War Remnants Museum, the historic Ben Thanh Market, or miss the experience of street food in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) because you are obsessive about biking. We get to do all of these, and also bike through villages, stopping to learn about traditional crafts, and amid the rice paddies to learn about Vietnam’s 4000-year old wet rice culture and ancestor worship.
Riding in the bus between destinations lets us see the countryside (and I have set myself a challenge to get photos of people working in the fields and four people riding a motor scooter); the way the homes are laid out, the ancestral tombs in the fields, the occasional tractor, the massive, new industrial parks under construction. You see progress unfolding at the speed of the bus, all the more impressive when you realize what a young country Vietnam is, having proclaimed independence in 1945 but only “reunified” in 1975.
The essence of this tour is about familiarizing us with the Vietnamese people (who, we learn, are a mosaic of 54 different tribes), the rich cultural heritage and today’s achievements in overcoming literally millennia of conflict, war, oppression, colonialism. When we bike, hike or walk, we barely have to think a question, let along ask it, before our guide, Nguyen Hong Phong, stops and answers. “This is normal for me, curious for you,” he tells us at the outset, as we sit for tea in the Apricot Hotel on our first afternoon together in Hanoi. “When you are curious, just ask,” he adds.
2025 marks the 50th anniversary since the Fall of Saigon that so abruptly ended an interminable war (and reunification as an independent country). You can’t escape the fact of the “American War” (which frankly was the tail end of a decades long war for independence before the United States interceded), but our tour seems to sidestep the past in favor of the present. This is probably a reflection of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ primary focus for its guests: “You’re on vacation!”
(There are several important sites that are not included in this tour that I would recommend setting up pre and post days: the Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, infamously known as “Hanoi Hilton” and the Chi Chi Tunnels which is an excursion from Saigon. Even the War Remnants Museum, a must-see in Ho Chi Minh City, was not on the itinerary but we visit when we could not visit the Reunification Palace as planned.)
Still, there is no escaping the past: in Hanoi when we visit Ho Chi Minh’s 1968 residence, built like a camouflaged bunker with escape tunnels and learn they moved his body regularly when he died in 1969; when we visit the John McCain Monument where the American hero’s plane went down and he was captured; when we see the bullet holes in the Citadel in Hue and are shown photos of fighting that took place on the very spot where we stand; and when we visit My Son, a sacred historic site outside of Saigon, and learn that the Vietnamese appealed to President Nixon to stop bombing. I think Americans who visit Vietnam have an obligation to see what was done in our name, especially because it is so important to learn from history so not to make the same mistakes, and not be duped by an administration determined to go to war for its own political agenda.
I frankly didn’t know how I would react coming to Vietnam – I am the generation that lived through the Vietnam War (known here as “The American War”), or how Americans would be received. My questions are soon answered – the Vietnamese warmly welcome us Americans (and French and Chinese and a list of nationalities that have oppressed Vietnam). Vietnam is nothing like what I expected – in a good way. It’s in this capacity that one of the important attributes of travel come to fore: we travelers are ambassadors, promoting mutual understanding and connection.
In Vietnam today, you can see the impact of peace, free markets, free enterprise have to achieve prosperity – a lesson to all those who are inciting conflict and war. You see the benefits of trade and globalization – a lesson for those who would disrupt and unravel alliances and build barriers instead of bridges.
Biking in Vietnam
Discovery Bicycle Tours in Vietnam
You don’t come to Vietnam for biking, you bike in Vietnam for these opportunities to be immersed in the countryside, in daily life, to be a participant rather than a spectator in your surroundings. Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Vietnam itinerary has just the right mix, with an emphasis on culture and daily life.
It’s surprising how much we do in a day because the pace is relaxed, comfortable.
I was really impressed with how they rented the bikes in Hanoi, used them in Ninh Binh, then were then trucked 2 ½ days to Hue and Hoi An; other bikes were arranged for us in Ho Chi Minh City. I gauge we biked on about six of the 12 days, and thankfully, never in the busy cities.
The bike routes (and rest stops and snacks) were wonderfully arranged and very much a local experience (like hanging out on hammocks, drinking juice from coconuts). E-bikes are available, but really only needed for the climb up the Hai Van Pass; and anyone wanted to shorten the ride could just get on the bus that basically followed us. We were well taken care of, with three guides (including a bike mechanic) who rode with us.
The buses used for our transport were excellent and comfortable; the guides and the itinerary really well designed (you don’t even realize how much we see because the pacing is for the most part relaxed).
I was surprised by how well developed and well orchestrated Vietnam’s tourism facilities were – the rest stops along the roads were really massive showrooms to facilitate purchase of crafts, arts, and local production (these folks have perfected capitalism!), and how they have created these tourist attractions like the boat rides through caves at Ninh Binh, the bird sanctuary, the Mekong Bay, and the bubble boat, and the cycling route of artisans we enjoy in Hoi An – almost all of this emerging within the past 25 years.
I was pleasantly surprised at how luxurious, elegant and exceptionally comfortable our accommodations were throughout our travels through Vietnam (all serving fabulous buffet breakfasts with Asian and Western selections) and a that we had two or three nights in each place.
Each was legitimately five-star, wonderfully situated: the Apricot Hotel in Hanoi (walking distance to everything I wanted to visit, across the street from the park and lake and the Water Puppet Theater; the Emeralda Resort in Ninh Binh, a veritable village in itself with our accommodations enormous suites tucked in woods, exquisite outdoor and indoor pools and spa, where we also enjoy a fantastic dinner; the Dragon Legend ship was also deluxe (massages on board!), with stunning cabins, gorgeous dining room, excellent food, and excellent activities; the Pilgrimage Village in Hue, where we also enjoy enormous suite, one of the most beautiful outdoor swimming pools anywhere; the Royal Hotel in Hoi An, elegant, French-inspired architecture, on the edge of the Old District (so walking distance to everything but away from the bustle), with outdoor pool, spa), and an outdoor terrace restaurant right on the water with gorgeous view; and the grand, historic Majestic Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, which dates from 1925 and is one of the oldest hotels in Saigon, also refined/elegant, with an outdoor pool in a central courtyard, and rooftop bar commanding a terrific view, and, yes, walking distance to the key places (Independence Palace, historic Post Office, Opera, City Hall, market), and across the street from a gorgeous park-like promenade (so you don’t have to cross traffic so much). Notably, other renowned bike tour operators that charge well over $1000-$1500 per day per person were also staying at these hotels.
The meals (all but a few dinners included) were absolutely fantastic, giving us a real range of Vietnamese cuisine in lovely settings, typically served family style so we had an excellent selection for each meal. The few evenings we were on our own for dinner (they offer suggestions), were really fun, and the evening in Ho Chi Minh City we did a street food tour was really special.
Importantly, this is a trip I wouldn’t even attempt on my own – the logistics involving bike rentals, air and bus transfers (you can’t really go from point to point by bike in a reasonable amount of time and safety and the bike routes – make a group tour program ideal.
And now a word for bike tour people: they tend to be the best people to travel with – open minded, open to experience, curious, energetic, outgoing and very welcoming not just to the culture and destination but to each other. For this reason, bike tours are particularly ideal for solo travelers – we become embraced by the group “family” which develops. Each becomes very welcoming and protective of one another – it becomes a true community experience that people are really looking for these days.
Get the required visa at Vietnam’s website (evisa.gov.vn), where the fee is $25 (if you use a visa service it costs something like $197), but give yourself enough time to get the confirmation.
It is recommended you purchase travel insurance – especially for the medical and evacuation coverage. You can check a site like travelinsurance.com to get recommendations.
To see more about the Vietnam Adventure Cultural Bike Tour Experience visit: https://discoverybicycletours.com/12-day-vietnam-adventure-cultural-bike-tour-experience/.
Discovery Bicycle Tours – which has joined Austin Adventures, a Montana-based North America National Parks small group tour company under the umbrella ownership of Active Adventures, a New Zealand-based small group adventure travel company – is adding 10 new tours for 2026 to its collection of 58 tours across 15 countries (repeat guests discount of 5%). Among the new tours: Vermont Rail Trails Bike Tour; Prince Edward Island Bike Tour; Amsterdam to Bruges Bike & Barge; and San Juan Islands & Olympic National Park Bike Tour
Discovery Bicycle Tours, 2520 W. Woodstock Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091, 800-257-2226, 802- 457-3553, info@discoverybicycletours.com, www.discoverybicycletours.com
See also:
UNEXPECTED DELIGHTS IN HANOI ON DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ 12-DAY VIETNAM TRIP
DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS VIETNAM TRIP: HO CHI MINH MAUSOLEUM BRINGS NEW CLARITY TO A CLOUDY PAST
DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ VIETNAM: A BOAT RIDE THROUGH CAVES, BIKE RIDE TO TEMPLES IN NINH BINH
CRUISING BAI TU LONG BAY ON THE DRAGON LEGEND
DISCOVERY BICYCLE TOURS’ VIETNAM: HOI AN’S DAZZLING LIGHTS, TRANQUIL COUNTRYSIDE
A RENDEZVOUS WITH PROGRESS OF THE PRESENT, HORRORS OF THE PAST IN HO CHI MINH CITY
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