25 Days Vietnam-Cambodia Cycling Tour from Hanoi to Siem Reap with Mekong Delta Cruise

Vietnam cycling to Cambodia is a fascinating country with a distinctive culture and a long and extraordinary history. Although it is often remembered most for its wars, modern Vietnam and Cambodia has emerged as a proud nation with a people eager to show off the many aspects of their diverse land that make for memorable cycling tours from Hanoi to Saigon, Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh to Siem Reap – Angkor Wat beautiful temple.
TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1: Hanoi-Mai Chau ( L, D )
Pick up at your hotel at 7:30 Am. Transfer out of Hanoi city to Luong Son villages– picturesque landscapes. Stop to cycle to Mai Chau village via Kim Boi hot spring and Bai Chao villages. Lunch at a local restaurant, cycling to Cao Phong and Man Duc villages. Arrive in Mai Chau villages and walk to Lac village and dinner and overnight in the homestay of white Thai ethnic.

Summary

Accommodation: Homestay

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Cycling distance: 75 Km

Day 2 : Mai Chau – Ngoc Lac ( B , L , D )

Breakfast in a Thai village house before setting off along a spectacularly beautiful river valley towards Hoi Xuan along an undulating tarmac road. The road follows the flow of River Song Ma. This is an old supply route of the HCM Trail that fed the main trail with ammunitions during the American War with Vietnam.. just passing scenes of local village life and rice paddies. Dinner at the villages.

Summary

Accommodation: Gold Time hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Cycling distance: 80 Km

Day 3: Ngoc Lac – Thai Hoa ( B , L , D )
Early morning starts to beat the heat of the day. The route takes us away from the river and appears to contour through the same mountain range that stretches from Ngoc Lac to Thai Hoa on Ho Chi Minh trails. The road gets more beautiful the closer you ride to Ngoc Lac with looming karst limestone cliffs and lush vegetation. The route is tarmac all the way but quite hard riding due to the undulating terrain. We ride for the first time on the newly built two lanes of Ho Chi Minh Highway. It hardly warrants two lanes as there is no traffic! The road makes for smooth fast riding, and for those who prefer there is always the old highway dirt and gravel – that weaves around the new highway allowing for plenty of exploring possibilities along the way. Ride to Muc Son, on the banks of River Song Chu. On the outskirts of this small town are the famous Kan Linh historical relics – a pagoda where the first king of the Ly dynasty, Le Thai To, ruled, in 1428. Continue riding on the trail to Yen Cat. The distance covered today is quite long and there will be the chance to transfer some sections by the backup vehicle to rest weary legs. There are fewer villages today as the route cuts through forests and jungle. Picnic lunch en route. Overnight Thai Hoa Hotel 90+ km.

Summary

Accommodation: Thai Hoa Riverside Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Cycling distance: 90 Km

Day 4: Thai Hoa-Nghe An ( B, L, D )
Continue riding the incredible Ho Chi Minh Trail. Have lunch in Lat town. Kim Lien visit the famous museum and birthplace of Ho Chi Minh in 1890. This province has a reputation for producing charismatic revolutionary leaders; not only Ho Chi Minh but also Phan Boi Chau – another fervent anti-colonialist -was born here. Overnight in Nghe An City. 80 km.

Summary

Accommodation: Beijing Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Cycling distance: 80 Km

Day 5: Nghe An- Phong Nha National Park ( B, L, D )
From Nghe An to Huong Khe the mountains rise and the road winds up, down and along the hillsides. The scenery is spectacular, the road tranquil. Ride up to 80km then transfer the last few km to Phong Nha National Park. The park contains one of the most spectacular caves in Vietnam, It is a true speleological wonder. Visit the cave by boat then wander through the cavern, past the foundations of ancient Cham ruins. Pause to admire the incredible formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Formed approximately 250 million years ago Phong Nha was used as a hospital and ammunition depot during the war, the entrance still showing evidence of fighter aircraft attacks. There are community projects underway with Flora and Fauna International and it may be possible to visit village initiatives and learn more about the forests of the National Park. Overnight at the National Park. 80 km.

Summary

Accommodation: Saigon – Phong Nha Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Cycling distance: 80 Km

Day 6: Phong Nha National Park-Hue ( B, L )
Explore Phong Nha Cave in the early morning. Continue riding on the Ho Chi Minh Trail across the DMZ (better known as the 17th Parallel,) to Cam Lo. The road is now quite flat and makes for good cruising! Stop en route to visit Truong Son Cemetary, a memorial to the tens of thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers who were killed in the Truong Son Mountains along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Fourteen miles further on is the town of Cam Lo – the Trail here intersects a strategic feeder road (H9) from Dong Ha and at this junction part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail heads across the country into Laos. We finish our exploration of the Ho Chi Minh trail here. This is where we end the cycling section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Transfer to Hue visiting war relics en route. Explore dinner by your own account. Overnight Hotel in Hue. 70 km.

Summary

Accommodation: Hue Asia Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 70 Km

Day 7: Hue – Hoi An (135 km) ( B, L )
Hue was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty of emperors from 1802 till 1945. In the morning cycle to the elaborate mausoleums of Emperor Tu Duc and Thien Mu pagodas along the banks of the Perfume River. Leave Hue in the afternoon for the ancient trading port of Hoi An 120km to the south via the spectacular Pass of Ocean Clouds. Cycling from Thuan An beach to Phuoc Tuong pass. Arrive in Hoi An late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. Visit Hoi An’s historic town centre or perhaps cycle to Cua Dai Beach 5km away. Explore dinner by your own account. Overnight in Hoi An.

Summary

Accommodation: Sala Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 60 Km

Day 8: Hoi An – Quy Nhon (280 km) ( B, L )
Leave Hoi An after breakfast and cycle to Cua Dai bridge along the Thanh Nien Beach to Tam Ky for lunch and then transfer to Quy Nhon, Quy Nhon once a ‘rest and recreation’ resort for American servicemen. Down Highway One to Qui Nhon. Travel by bus and bike as the scenic highway follows the coast southwards. Transfer to hotel on arrival in Quy Nhon. Overnight in Quy Nhon.

Summary

Accommodation: Quy Nhon – Sao Viet Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 60 Km

Day 9: Quy Nhon – Nha Trang (240 km) ( B , L )
Breakfast and transfer to Ong Cop bridge and starting cycling along coastlines and through the villages to Tuy Hoa for lunch and continue cycling to Ca pass and down Highway one by bus to Vietnam‘s premier beach destination, Nha Trang It’s time for swimming on the beach, explorer dinner by your own account. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Summary

Accommodation: Golden Hanoi Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 70 Km

Day 10: Nha Trang Beach – rest day ( B )
Breakfast and day-off after a long cycling day – Nha Trang It’s time for swimming on the beach, explorer, lunch and dinner by your own account. Overnight in Nha Trang.

Summary

Accommodation: Golden Hanoi Hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Cycling distance: None

Day 11: Nha Trang – Phan Thiet – Mui Be beach (250 km) ( B, L )
Leave after breakfast by bus and bike for Phan Thiet breaking the 250km journey at Phan Rang cycling along the beach and the sandy road to Mui Ne beach. The landscape between Phan Rang and Phan Thiet changes to an arid semi-desert with sandy soil and prickly pear cactus. In Phan Thiet turn off to the Mui Ne Peninsula with its sandy white beaches and swaying coconut palms. Overnight in Nui Ne beach.

Summary

Accommodation: Hon Rom 1 Beach Resort

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 65 Km

Day 12: Mui Ne – Phan Thiet – Ho Chi Minh City (200 km) ( B, L )
Early swimming and breakfast, check out hotel and today cycling day from hotel and passing through dense rubber plantations and along the beautiful coastline before reaching Bien Hoa and the outer suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City. Transfer to hotel on arrival. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Accommodation: Liberty 3( Central of Saigon )

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Cycling distance: 60 km

Day 13: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) – Rest Day ( B )
Breakfast and you will have a day off for rest and shopping or you can visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, and Ben Thanh market.

Accommodation: Liberty ( Central of Saigon )

Meals: Breakfast

Cycling distance: None

Day 14: Saigon, Cai Be, Vinh Long & Can Tho – Cruising & Cycling (55km) – B / L / D
This morning you will meet your cycle guides and be fitted to your bicycles before being transferred to Cai Be which is a bustling river market here you will enjoy a cruise along the Mekong Delta and visit the colourful floating market as well visit nearby Dong Phu Island. Here you will explore the shady surroundings as you spin through orchards and witness the daily life of the farmers. After leaving the island you head to Vinh Long and then continue cycling through the heart of the Mekong Delta crossing countless canals and rivers that irrigate this vivid, arable landscape. After a few ferry crossings, always a good opportunity to interact with the friendly locals, you arrive in Can Tho, the unofficial capital of the Mekong Delta. It is a friendly lively city with rice husking mills being a major source of employment.

Day 15: Cruising & Cycling Can Tho to Chau Doc (125km) – B / L / D
An early start as you take a boat trip along the Hau River to the Cai Rang floating market, one of the biggest in Vietnam, here you will witness a mass of wooden boats of all sizes converging to sell their wares. Your small boat allows you to weave in-between these waterborne traders getting up close and personal, great for photo opportunities and buying some produce yourself! Afterwards, it is back on the bicycles as you pedal amongst vivid greens and friendly faces. You are now heading deeper into the delta and the roads narrow and the traffic becomes lighter. Absorb the sights as you cycle past endless cottage industries, timber merchants, coconut shredders, small docks loading/unloading rice, and tiny vibrant markets. In the afternoon you enjoy a gentle coast through one of the most scenic parts of the delta as you follow the Mekong through traditional villages and past fish farms, over small bridges, and a more rural feel… On arrival in Chau Doc if time and energy permit you may wish to hike to the top of nearby Sam Mountain for great sunset views out across the rice fields of Cambodia in the distance.

Day 16: Cruising & Cycling Chau Doc to Ha Tien (80km) – B / L / D
Another early start as you board a boat and explore the amazing riverside market with all its bustling activity and smorgasbord of sounds, colours, and smells. The boat continues through fish farm villages where tons and tons of fish are bred in cages beneath floating homes, to an ethnic Cham village with its famous Mubarak Mosque. Here you will also witness women weaving using traditional methods. You then cycle along a pleasant road, passing vibrant green rice fields, crossing many bridges, and seeing towering limestone formations in the distance. There is plenty along the way to see, from the contrasting architectural styles of ethnic Khmer homes to the numerous colourful Khmer pagodas now you are getting closer to Cambodia. By the late afternoon, you arrive in Ha Tien which has a forgotten feel but still retains a certain charm with its shuttered terraces, crumbling colonial buildings and mats of seafood drying in the sun…

Day 17: Farewell Vietnam, Hello Cambodia (65km) – B / L / D
This morning you bid farewell to Vietnam as transfer the short distance to the border crossing with Cambodia. Say goodbye Vietnamese team and the Cambodia team will your introduction to Cambodia will be cycling along quiet coastal dirt roads passing through salt flats and small villages. Your first port of call will be the coastal resort of Kep which is now undergoing a revival Takeo after years of neglect. You will have lunch here and perhaps try the tasty seafood the area is renowned for. After lunch, you spin the final 35km to Kampot. The town has an undeniable charm, being a sleepy, quaint place with a relaxed ambience and friendly locals, the streets are quiet and there are a lot of French colonials and Chinese-influenced architecture still surviving, and it all that wasn’t enough there is a wonderful riverfront where you will experience possibly the most beautiful sunset in Cambodia as the sun slips down behind the nearby mountains…

Day 18: Cycle Kampot to Takeo (85km) – B / L / D
As you leave Kampot you cycle through some inspiring limestone karst scenery, picturesque villages including some ethnic Cham settlements, and endless rice fields. Takeo does not have a lot to boast about being a small provincial capital made up of many local government department buildings. However, around the market area, there are some old colonial villas in differing states, and the waterfront promenade makes for a pleasant late afternoon sunset stroll. A real taste of small-town Cambodia well off the tourist trail!

Day 19: Cycle Takeo to Phnom Penh (85km) – B / L / D
After breakfast this morning you have the opportunity to visit a local orphanage managed by ‘New Futures’. Here you will learn more about the great educational work they are doing in the surrounding poor villages, and how Asia Adventures is working together with them through its ‘Pedal2Empower’ cycle donation project. As you leave Takeo you spin north passing through more endless rice paddies. After some time you turn off the main road to visit Tonle Bati, a riverside location where you have time to explore the small, yet picturesque Angkorian temples of Ta Prohm and Yeay Peau. You will then avoid the ‘main’ road as much as possible and upon reaching the outskirts of Phnom Penh you will stop off at the ‘Killing Fields. This is where Khmer Rouge prisoners were forcibly marched from the Toul Sleng prison in the city centre and then executed; it is now a memorial site located in a beautiful tranquil setting. After some contemplation, you can either negotiate the rush-hour traffic into the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, or opt for taking the support vehicle.

Day 20 : Phnom Penh City Cyclo Tour (0km!) – B / L/D
On your first morning in charming Phnom Penh, you will be pleased to discover that today it is someone else’s turn to do the pedalling as you are treated to a fun cyclo tour, a traditional mode of transport. Your first stop will be the terracotta red National Museum which offers a charming setting for a comprehensive collection of Khmer artefacts. After this, you will visit the nearby Royal Palace, on the banks of the mighty Mekong river. Inside the Palace walls, you will be treated to the Throne Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, and the King’s residential quarters. You will then move onto the neighbouring Silver Pagoda, so named as it is claimed its floor is made up of over 4,000 silver tiles! After lunch it is back in the cyclos as you are pedalled through the streets of Phnom Penh to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as S21), ironically a former school, located in a quiet Phnom Penh suburb, this was the infamous Khmer Rouge prison/torture centre. You will then visit the Russian Market an excellent place for picking up souvenirs.

Day 21: Phnom Penh to Kompong Cham (65 – 105km) – B / L /D
This morning you leave the busy streets of Phnom Penh and after 40km turn off the main road and enjoy a shady ride following the course of the Mekong River along a mostly unpaved, and at times bumpy road toward the town of Kompong Cham. Foreigners are rare through these parts so expect a few surprised faces as you cycle through the many traditional villages where you will witness people busy with their everyday lives: cooking, cleaning, playing, leading the cows to the river, cycling school kids, pagodas & monks, and the sun-drying of bright red chillies, pepper, rice, and fish by the side of the road, and of course the river life on the mighty Mekong which keeps coming and going from view. There are plenty of cool, shady, scenic spots for rest breaks where the curious locals are sure to want to say ‘Hello’. Kompong Cham retains several French-influenced buildings and trader shop fronts – while often badly dilapidated they retain an austere grace so totally lacking from the more modern concoctions that invariably flank them. Given its small size, it’s easy to explore by foot, which you are free to do after you have checked in to your hotel.

Day 22: Kompong Cham, Beng Mealea & Siem Reap (105km) -B / L /
An early start this morning as you leave Kompong Cham and soon turn off the main highway and follow a road that gradually climbs and passes through shady rubber plantations. After 75km you reach the small town of Prey Thom Tratrav and rejoin the main highway. From here you will travel in the support vehicle for the 150km drive to the market town of Dom Dek. From here you will re-mount your bikes and cycle the 30km to the temple remains of Beng Mealea, a truly atmospheric experience. Only recently re-discovered the temple has been consumed by the voracious appetite of nature and is largely overrun by vegetation, the trees that have forced their way through the stone towers and galleries make it a shady and cool place to relax. As you explore you feel like a true adventurer! Afterwards, you drive to Siem Reap and check in to your hotel

Day 23: Exploring the Magnificent Angkor Temples by Bike (40km) -B / L /
This morning you begin your cycle exploration of the incredible Angkor temples. Today focusing on the Small Circuit which features temple greats such as the pyramid of Takeo, the jungle-clad Ta Prohm made famous by the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Tomb Raider’; Sras Srang known as the King’s bathing pond; and the impressive Royal City of Angkor Thom, where you will find the Bayon, a temple famed for its many gigantic carved faces smiling beguilingly down at you. You will also visit other important sites in this immense walled city. After lunch, it is time to take on the majestic Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious building. After being initially inspired by its overall size you will explore it in more detail, getting up close and personal to fully appreciate its architecture and intricately detailed bas-reliefs. After returning to the hotel you are free at leisure to experience Siem Reap’s nightlife which includes many fine restaurants and lively bars.

Day 24: Cycling to Beautiful Banteay Srei Temple (80km) – B / L / D
Today you pedal north towards Banteay Srei. This cycle ride is a real delight as you pass through the pleasant Cambodian countryside and its friendly villagers. On route, we will stop off at a couple of villages to get a closer look at the wooden stilted homes and everyday life. One thing you will notice for sure is large black pots in people’s gardens containing a thick light brown bubbling mixture – this area is famed for its sugar palm tree sweets, sure to give any cyclist a much-needed energy boost! On arrival at Banteay Srei, you will be struck by its delicate beauty. It is an elaborately decorated temple, embellished with floral motifs and scenes from the Ramayana, all carved from pink sandstone. It is said the carvings must have been done by women as the detail is too fine for the hands of a man. You will have lunch at a local restaurant, after which you cycle back towards Siem Reap, and depending on the time explore some of the temples on the Grand Circuit such as Preah Khan or ‘Sacred Sword’, one of the largest temples at Angkor; Neak Pean surrounded by fountains and ponds; and Banteay Kdei. This evening you will enjoy a farewell dinner with a mesmerising Apsara dance performance.

Day 25: Free until departure – B
Today you are free at leisure until it is time for your transfer to Siem Reap / Angkor International Airport for your onward flight, leaving the home of the mighty Khmer Empire with many wonderful cycling memories… END THE TOUR