Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was an elaborate system of mountain and jungle trails linking North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos during the Vietnam War against the United States. Today, the many paths of the Ho Chi Minh trail criss-cross the newly built Ho Chi Minh Highway. On this tour we explore the northern section of the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was previously inaccessible, from Ngoc Lac to the Hai Van Pass in Danang. This wide, smooth undulating highway is a bikers dream as there is little traffic on the road. And it conveniently will take us through farms, orchards, tribal villages and offers us easy access to some of the country's top attractions — one of Vietnam’s most spectacular caves, the ancient royal seat of Hue, the picturesque trading port of Hoi An and South China Sea beaches.

Tour Cost	US$2,100	Single Supplement	US$325
Bike Hire	US$170	Total Cycling Distance	770 kilometres
Tour Grade	out of 5	Number of Days	14 days / 13 nights
Number of Cycling Days	10 full days, 1 half day.	Tour Meets	Hanoi
Tour Ends	Hanoi	Group Size	Minimum 2. Maximum 16.
Minimum age on scheduled departures	18 years old

Day 1

Meet in Hanoi and have a guided tour by cyclo followed by a welcome dinner at a fine Hanoi restaurant.

Day 2

Transfer to Mai Chau and have lunch at a local Tai village house before riding along the Song Ma river heading towards Hoi Xuan. Overnight in a traditional Thai village home stay, part of an eco-tourist community project.

Day 3

Start riding from Quan Hoa on an undulating tarmac road with looming limestone cliffs and lush vegetation as our scenery.

Day 4

Today we ride on the wide, newly-built Ho Chi Minh highway, which we'll have virtually to ourselves. Stop to visit Ly Thai To Pagoda and the birthplace of former president Ho Chi Minh at the rice-farming village of Kim Lien.

Day 5

Cycle from Pho Chau on a road that winds through lush jungle and beautiful villages nestled under the Truong Son mountain range to the remote town of Huong Khe.

Day 6

From Huong Khe the road remains tranquil and undulating as we ride towards Phong Nha National Park, home to one of the most spectacular caves in Vietnam.

Day 7

After an exploration of Phong Nha Cave we'll transfer and then continue riding on the Ho Chi Minh Trail across the DMZ, stopping en route to visit Truong Son cemetery, to Cam Lo on the border with Laos.

Day 8

We visit the Khe Sanh combat base where relics of the war are exhibited and then ride through spectacular scenery, mainly downhill, from the Laos border to Dakrong River.

Day 9

We ride through the middle of Vietnam on country back roads to Hue, Vietnam's Imperial City, recently designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 10

Enjoy an easy cycle on the back roads of Hue through lush countryside to explore the tombs of the Nguyen emperors who ruled from 1802 to 1945 and along the banks of the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda.

Day 11

Today we climb up the Hai Van Pass with amazing views over the bay and lunch at Lang Co beach with time to swim and enjoy white sands and emerald waters before we coast down to Danang and overnight at Hoi An, another UNESCO World Heritage site.

Day 12

An easy day ride cycling along scenic country back roads past paddy fields to visit My Son, the ancient centre of Cham civilization. Return to Hoi An with time to wander the quaint town.

Day 13

Free morning before transfer to Danang airport for flight to Hanoi.

Day 14

Day free until onward flight.

• The local food was really enjoyed by the group, also the service and guiding was as we have previously enjoyed. A really great trip with very good guides.

  David Bollinger - November 2011

• Love the flexibility of the guides to allow us to ride further if we wanted to. The two guides truly made the trip a true success.

  Siobhan Tremaine - April 2011

• I thoroughly enjoyed the whole tour and the professional but friendly attitude for me made the trip. This was a dream holiday for me and fulfilled all my expectations.Thank you SpiceRoads for a great experience.

  Slav Kukan - November 2010