Vietnam Bike Tour: Saigon to Hanoi
Revel in Vietnam’s raw beauty as you ride the backstreets from south to north.
The capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi is continually featured as one of the best places to visit on the planet. Often compared to Paris, France for its tree lined boulevards, urban lakes, and French colonial architecture, Hanoi is a modern city steeped in old world charm. Most travelers find themselves entering or exiting Vietnam via Hanoi so the city is quite established to support tourism. Being the capital city, Vietnamese culture is on full display in Hanoi. Enjoy the many museums, art galleries, cultural centers, and festivals that can be found in the capital city. Yes, the traffic is insane in Hanoi, but it’s a functional chaos that you must experience first hand to appreciate. Take the time to learn how to cross a busy street, merge into traffic, and navigate the insanity as these skills will prove very useful during your stay in Vietnam.
Don’t let the boom of shopping malls, high rise apartments, and crowded streets distract you from the traditional heart of the city and its people. Hanoi itself is a cyclist’s dream as the twisting streets, back alleyways, and market squares are best explored by two wheels. Bike tours usually fast track out of the city and into the rural surrounding areas to escape the insanity of the traffic, and to experience the agricultural side of the Hanoi area. On the banks of the Red River, surrounded by flooded agricultural fields, water is a way of life in Hanoi and a rural bike tour will allow you to experience this as well.
Most cycle tours in the northern regions operate out of Hanoi where you will gather and then disperse into the surrounding areas. Trips leave in all directions out of Hanoi whether it be east to Ha Long Bay, northwest to Sa Pa, or south to Hue and the central coast, Hanoi is often the jump-off spot.