Vietnam Heritage Bike Tour 10D/ 9N

Commence the day by exploring the mystery Cao Dai religion and the original tunnels of Ben Duoc with a couple of hours of driving to Tay Ninh, 110 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh. To Cao Dai pilgrims, God is represented as an eye in a triangle, a symbol on the facades of the sect's temples. The religion's organization is patterned after Roman Catholicism, with a pope, cardinals, and archbishops. Worship involves elaborate rituals and festivals.

Depart at 8:30 am at your hotel for a scenic drive on roads and travel through small towns, farmlands of tapioca, peanuts, and rural landscapes. Arrive at Cao Dai Temple, a stunning testament to the Cao Dai religion, before noon mass with plenty of photos to explore the colorful Holly temple and its serene surroundings.

Cao Dai is an indigenous religion encompassing Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Taoism. Religious followers hold several holy documents and must wear a long dress at noon to pray. This belief practice began in 1921 when a man received a vision of the Divine Eye, a powerful symbol of Cao Daism. Most followers are white at noon mass, and the pope, archbishop, cardinal, and priest are colorful. After the noon mass, enjoy your lunch and continue traveling through lush farmlands, rice paddies, idyllic villages, and rubber plantations to Ben Duoc tunnels.

Arrive at the Head Quarter of the original tunnels around 2:30 pm, and watch the documentary film about the war in Cu Chi from 1948 to 1975 before you tour the tunnels of more than 250 km. The tunnels of Cu Chi, a testament to Vietnam's turbulent past, are an immense network used for hiding and fighting during combat and served as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were crucial to the Viet Cong in military activities. Arrive at the Be Dinh tunnels around 3:00 am, watch a documentary film, then explore the renowned fighting tunnels on foot, traps, bunkers, and trenches and experience crawling a piece of the underground tunnels. Then return to Saigon by vehicle in the late afternoon.

8:00 am, depart from the hotel with a shuttle transfer of about 1 hour 20 minutes to the outskirts of Tan An City for the morning ride. The zig-zag routes, spanning around 25km, will take us through stunning paddy fields, where you can immerse yourself in the serene scenery of farmers tending to their rice crops and farm products. We'll pause for a delightful lunch at the My Tho. Afterward, we'll embark on another shuttle transfer of about 1 hour to Cai Be township, load all bikes on the boat, enjoy a boat trip, and experience a family-run business producing rice paper – a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine along the river bank. We also see the locals make coconut candy and puffed rice at local homes.

We then cross the Mekong River to Dong Phu village, An Binh Island. We'll resume cycling, exploring the life of villagers on the island, passing small markets, and tasting seasonal fruits at local orchards. We'll have a ferry crossing to Vinh Long City for an hour- transfer to Can Tho. Check in the Victoria Hotel, about an hour from Vinh Long. You are free in the evening to explore the town and choose your own dinner options: visit the vibrant street food market in the town OR choose some famous restaurants by the rivers in the city center, giving you the freedom to tailor your evening to your preferences.

After breakfast, we'll enjoy a motorboat ride to the Cai Rang floating market and experience wholesalers and retail boats doing their business from boat to boat. You could see hundreds of big and small wooden boats buying and selling just about anything you can imagine—freshly harvested fruit and vegetables, rice, noodle soup, broken rice, and coffee are also for sale aboard a tiny boat or another! The boat continues to a small river where we'll stop and visit local home-producing rice noodles in traditional ways.

Then we’ll return to the hotel and relax by the pool until it’s time for a transfer to Can Tho Airport to catch a domestic flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by the friendly faces of the Vietnam Backroads team and escorted to Hoi An.

Embark on a morning ride to witness the enchanting lives of villagers in the areas of Thu Bon River. Pass by fishing boats and meander through vibrant villages on areca tree-lined pathways. Continue your journey by cycling to explore local businesses: mat weavers, fishing farms, and across a nipa palm forest where locals cut for building house proof. Immerse yourself in the lush landscapes as you continue biking to Tra Que village, a place that supplies a variety of fresh vegetables to local markets daily. Take a guided walk through the gardens and experience the unique way locals grow different plants. Learn how to cook local cuisines for our lunch with the host. After lunch, we take a shuttle back to the hotels, either stay on the beach or take a yourself-guided tour of Hoi An Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Old Town has been beautifully preserved, the streets still lined with old tile-roofed shophouses, colorful pagodas, and colorful wooden communal halls. 

Following a leisurely breakfast, embark on a journey to Da Nang in A/C vehicles. Here, you will have the opportunity to visit the Cham Museum, a treasure trove of artifacts from the Hindu kingdom of Champa, offering a glimpse into the region's rich cultural heritage. Continue your journey by vehicle, traversing the awe-inspiring Hai Van Pass, a route offering breathtaking views of Mountain Peak and Lang Co Bay, sights sure to leave you in awe. Then, enjoy a downhill ride to Lang Co beach, and pause for a delectable lunch at a seafood restaurant by Lang Co beach.

In the afternoon, embark on a leisurely ride on flat land and undulating back roads to Thuan An Beach. This scenic route is punctuated by stops at old temples, pagodas, and peaceful lagoons, and passes through little fishing villages, verdant rice paddies, and lush farmlands. This sight is sure to inspire admiration. You'll transfer to Hue in the afternoon.

Visit Hue Purple Citadel, the former imperial capital of Vietnam and now Hue City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then travel by vehicle to the iconic Thien Mu Pagoda, an elegant seven-tiered octagonal tower that has become Hue's most widely recognized monument. We'll resume visiting the former Emperor Khai Dinh mausoleum, which has a tranquil setting of gardens and lakes. We'll fly to Ha Noi after lunch. Meet Vietnam Backroads's team at Noi Bai Airport and have a transfer to the city center of Ha Noi.

8:00 am Be ready to go to your hotel's lobby for a 1.5-hour transfer to Duong Lam, Son Tay District. We'll pick up our bikes to explore the ancient village's beauty and trace the origins of Vietnam's culture and traditions, which date back over 400 years. Take your time to smell the purely agricultural village of the Northern Red River delta, cycle on a narrow alley, sometimes cross the lush farmlands, and visit the Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung temples that worship two national heroes against the Chinese during the Tang Dynasty. Then to Mia Pagoda, built in the 15th century. 

We'll continue riding around the village to discover locals' daily life and farming work along the fields with a stop at two ancient houses: the most significant old house was built 200 years ago, and the most ancient house from 400 years ago. Here is your opportunity to experience these older ways of life in Duong Lam and find yourself making friends with the warmly welcoming villagers whose childhoods are pure agriculture. Enjoy your tasty lunch at the ancient house, walk along narrow alleys to visit Mong Phu communal house in Mong Phu hamlet, and immerse yourself in the beautiful countryside. Drive back to Hanoi around 4:00 pm.

After a leisurely breakfast, we'll transfer 2. 5 hours through the countryside of northern Vietnam to Ninh Binh Province — one of the most beautiful parts of Vietnam with its incredible scenery, historical temples and limestone karst mountains surrounding the rice fields and the peaceful rivers.

Ninh  Binh, a hidden gem often compared to the renowned Halong, is a must-visit paradise in Vietnam. It offers a diverse range of experiences, from the enchanting Mua Cave to the serene boat tours. Ninh Binh is a place where you can explore the historic capital of Hoa Lu, visit the famed ancient Dinh King temple, and enjoy a sampan boat ride to admire the beauty of Trang An’s natural landscapes - a Vietnam Unesco Site. You can also visit Tam Coc, known as Ha Long Bay on land, which boasts breathtaking scenery. Don't miss the opportunity to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest complex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam! For a different perspective, hike up to Mua Cave for an impressive panoramic view, and then hop on a bike to experience local life in the village. We'll transfer back to Ha Noi in the late afternoon.

After breakfast, meet your guide at the lobby, have a transfer to Noi Bai Airport. Tour Ends!