Name: Vietnam Discovery
Brand: Intrepid Travel
SKU: N/A
Price: 1220 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.8 (12 reviews)

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Southeast Asia

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Amazing holiday, excellent cycling  just at the right level to be a rewarding 
challenge, extremely well organised,  leader Long Le  and his support team 
were 100%. Beautiful country with outstanding scenery and excellent food and 
accommodation.
Has to be the Hai Van pass but just as enjoyable cycling through the local 
villages and paddy fields.


Our leader was called Long Le who was quite a character ! He had an  
excellent knowledge, was there 24 hours a day  and along with his support 
team we couldn't have asked for a better leader.


I took my own saddle and pedals ,  which were  quickly changed for me by our 
expert bike mechanic Lee.

Amazing holiday  !  Fantastic leader and support team

Cycling Vietnam

I signed up for this on a whim, having done the standard Exodus Vietnam trip 
5 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed that trip but saw no reason to return. This 
trip caught my eye as it covers the bit we previously flew over and I was 
happy with what was repeated. I have enjoyed half day cycling trips on 
adventure tours but am no great cyclist. Whilst I did some training - a short 
ride to work most days and a longer ride every couple of weeks - I expected 
to retreat to the bus on occasions, particularly for uphill stretches. 
Friends did not think I would be able to cycle 100km..........
Reaching the top of the Hai Van pass having completed every available 
kilometre of cycling. Whilst I was a physical and emotional wreck on arrival 
I coul not believe what I had achieved. The cycling is very well structured 
and each day becomes a little harder so you build up gradually. The 100km day 
is actually not the toughest day as 30km is downhill from a pass that you 
have been largely driven up. The support from the Exodus team was superb and 
a major factor in my achievement- regular refreshment stops (the first hit of 
the ice cold lemon drink is amazing) with fruit, nuts and biscuits ensured 
no-one lost weight! The smiles of the staff as they directed us at junctions 
was great and those at the back had a great time with the engineer. The group 
was superb with a wide range of ages and everyone supported each other, no 
matter what their fitness or ability.


Loc was a fantastic leader and he was brilliantly supported by an excellent 
team. Nothing was too much trouble and he listened to us, informed us, 
entertained us and organised us superbly. He is clearly an excellent cyclist 
and an excellent cycling trip leader.


The scenery and greetings from the locals make this a great trip and a great 
way of seeing real Vietnam. I booked an extra night at each end to give me 
more time in the cities. If this is to be your only trip to Vietnam then I 
would strongly recommend this as there is little time to do normal holiday 
stuff. The cycling days are long so you won't get much time in places unless 
you are staying for 2 nights in a place. Some practice beforehand is 
sensible, especially if you are not a regular exerciser/cyclist, but the 
support staff are great and if you are struggling they are happy for you to 
drop out of parts of the route. The island is a great break, all the 
accomodation  was very pleasant (and except for the train had wifi!) and 
often better than pleasant. Embrace the traffic and enjoy the chaos - they 
drive steadily and with a lot more respect than UK drivers.


The bikes were new and excellent, take a water bottle as the bike had a 
holder and the staff refilled bottles left on bikes automatically. Having 
read a previous review I also took a velcro pannier (Decatholon sells them) 
and my own saddle. ATMS were easy to find but levy a charge whatever card you 
used.

There wasn't one moment when I regretted my decision to join this trip - it 
was wonderful from start to finish.  Fascinating country, warm and welcoming 
people, superb food, varied and beautiful scenery, interesting culture...... 
and that's just the place itself.  Add to that the excellent organisation, 
top-notch guide and support staff, slick arrangements, high quality bikes, 
amazingly good quality accomodation, fun fellow cyclists, can-do positive 
attitude from everyone, and you have a really brilliant holiday.  Well done 
Exodus!
Getting to the top of the Hai Van pass - I'd never tackled anything quite so 
challenging on a bike, particularly in searing heat (the promised Sea Cloud 
in the name didn't materialise, which meant great views, but a LOT of 
sweat!).  It was quite an emotional experience when I actually made it!


Chi was absolutely first class.  Always smiling, positive, helpful, 
knowledgeable, flexible, charming, amusing.  He simply couldn't have done 
more to make our trip a success.  He knows so much about his country, and was 
very willing to share it with us, but never bored.  And if you mentioned 
something you'd like to see or learn more about, as if by magic, he made it 
happen - like stopping by the roadside and asking permission for us all to 
wander into someone's small-holding to look at the crops because we had asked 
about tapioca and turmeric.  And his team (Sau, Can and Y) were charming and 
couldn't do enough to make sure we were all looked after, well, safe and 
happy.


Just go!

Take a gel saddle and padded shorts.
Also a bag for your handlebars to avoid having to carry anything round your 
waist or on your back, and minimise the sweatiness!


I'm not entirely sure that the 3 (moderate) out of 10 grading is right.  I 
think I'd probably put it a bit higher, as some of the days are quite long, 
and although much of the riding is on the flat, there are some considerable 
"updulations" (a great new word invented by one of the group when the 
promised undulations seemed to be rather more up than down......!).

Cycling Vietnam was an excellent way of seeing the countryside and meeting 
the local Vietnamese people who were extremely friendly and always willing to 
help.
The cycling involved flat, undulating and hilly sections so there was a good 
mix and the road surfaces were all remarkably good.  The guide Lam gave you 
the opportunity to cycle at your own speed, with plenty of stops for 
rehydration and refuelling as it was incredibly hot and humid.  At any 
junction the bus or the truck was there to point you in the right direction.  
It was extremely well organised and everything went like clockwork from start 
to finish.  We were well looked after and well fed.
The countryside varied from paddy fields to more mountainous areas which were 
green and lush, but not as picturesque as I had anticipated.
We had to spend a fair amount of time on the bus, due to the large distances 
we had to cover, however, we would never has seen or done so much without 
doing so.  The bus was comfortable with plenty of room for us to spread out.
Halong Bay was quite amazing and we had a lovely over night trip on a boat, 
we went sea kayaking which was great fun.  We had a trip out to an island 
TITOP ISLAND, and had fantastic views of the bay from the top.
Cycling up the HAI VAN PASS was also a great experience and seeing everyone 
completing the ride when it was 33C.
The group was excellent and we had lots of fun and laughs along the way, so 
that made the trip for me, along with sights and sounds of Vietnam.


Lam our group leader was just excellent - so organised, pleasant, cheerful, 
always smiling and nothing was too much trouble for him.  The mechanic Y was 
brilliant - the bikes were well maintained and kept clean, if there was a 
problem it was sorted immediately.   The truck and bus drivers were always 
there to lend a hand, giving out drinks and food and always smiling.  A great 
team.


Be prepared to do some cycling before you go as it is harder when conditions 
are hot and humid, especially if you want to climb the HAI VAN PASS -  a 
challenging 10km climb.
Be prepared for crazy drivers both cars and scooters - there are thousands of 
scooters going in any direction and popping out from side roads, riding in 
the opposite direction so you have to be very careful on all roads, 
especially in busy cities.  Not for the faint hearted.
However, it is Asia and anything goes.
If you want to spend time in Hanoi book an extra day, as we didn't really 
have time to explore the city.


Overall the trip was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the cycling.  
However, the day we cycled in HUE, a very large populated city with thousands 
of scooters and cars going in all directions, I found extremely dangerous and 
very unpleasant and was glad when we were off the bike.  One of our group had 
a very unfortunate accident and came off and fractured her arm.

Our accommodation was excellent, although I wasn't too impressed with it on 
Whale Island due to the amount of ants in the room which was a bit off 
putting.
Snorkelling off Whale Island was very disappointing, the water was a bit 
murky and we didn't see many fish - I've seen more in a fish tank, plus there 
was a lot of litter on the sea bed and at times floating on the water 
surface.  Also the ladder on the boat was not the safest as the rungs were 
not flat for your feet and climbing into the boat proved to be a 
challenge!!!!  However, the water was warm and it was good fun, and the crew 
provided us with a lovely lunch.
It was also disappointing to see so much litter at road sides and in the 
water, even at Halong Bay, but perhaps that's inevitable with the large 
number of tourist boats.

Cycling in Vietnam was very interesting and a good experience. I learned a 
lot about the Vietnam war, the Vietnamese culture. The CHI CHU tunnels was a 
very worthwhile trip.  The Vietnamese are very friendly and welcoming.  
Eating out was extremely cheap, as were clothes and souvenirs.

Enjoyed every day. Great group.
Stepping out of my comfort zone in a supported environment.


Very good. Worked well with group.
Very organised .


Take part in the varied experiences. Take up challenges  and

Very well organise and planned. Our group was friendly and supportive

This was my first trip to Vietnam and cycling the country was an amazing 
experience.  Traveling with our local guide Son, a terrific leader who 
managed  16 cyclists of various abilities with good humor and patience.  We 
stuck together through the maze of traffic, construction, honking in the 
midst of bustling cities and quiet and tranquil villages.  The tour provided 
so many wonderful experiences and a very compelling story of Vietnamese 
culture and traditions.
I found the people to be most inspiring - they work so very hard and are 
accepting and welcoming.


Our group leader Son was top notch - very organized - he made sure everyone 
was safe on the ride as well as provided insights into the culture, the 
towns/cities that we visited.  His team did everything to insure that our 
holiday would be memorable.  Loved the fresh fruit and lemonade provided on 
our stops.  A must to prevent dehydration.  Our bus driver, van driver and 
mechanic....kudos to them for working 24/7 keeping up with all of our 
activities and making sure we were comfortable and our bikes in good shape.


For anyone who has not been to Asia, Vietnam is so very special.  It is 
perhaps not the 5 star beauty of Bali or the majesty of Angkor Wat or have 
the many awesome temples of Thailand, but it's own special charm grows on you 
as you travel through the country.  Ha Long Bay!!! Whale Island ...two 
special places for me.  The cycling was harder than expected mostly due to 
the heat and humidity.  Also the traffic and noise in the busy cities may 
make it more difficult for some cyclists.  I would definitely recommend 
training as we had some time constraints to finish each day's ride so that we 
could make it to our final day's destination.


As many others have said...just do it... this tour is designed to experience 
Vietnam with such a local level and feel.  The tour only uses local 
Vietnamese companies and I found that to be so valuable to have our tourist 
dollars go to the local people.