Cultural Road from Hoi An to Angkor Wat

We meet in the charming town of Hoi An, an important port of call for Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese traders on the maritime silk road during the 17th and 18th centuries. The architecture reflects its cosmopolitan past, with over 844 UNESCO-protected historic structures forming the core of the town. We will spend two nights here, giving us a chance to enjoy the sights and atmosphere of this energetic community which has retained its festiveness, vibrancy and entrepreneurial spirit. It is a fantastic place to spend the day wandering the narrow streets and rubbing shoulders with the locals. This evening, we meet for a welcome dinner and trip briefing to prepare for our cycling adventure!

This morning, we cycle directly from our hotel out of Hoi An on small village roads and then make our way up the Thu Bon River by roads and farm lanes. The ride is a fascinating immersion in the region’s ecosystem and surrounding agrarian economy, inextricably tied to the natural cycles of the tides, seasonal rains, and jungle flora. Eventually, we arrive at My Son, ancient capital of the Cham civilization, a Hindu people who ruled this region until some 500 years ago. Although some of the temples were destroyed by American bombs, there are many remaining temples that convey the prosperity and artistry of the Champa kingdom. We will have lunch before visiting the site on foot. In the afternoon, we transfer by van just over one hour back to Hoi An. Dinner is on your own tonight, so get adventurous and try the delicious Vietnamese food Hoi An’s markets and riverside restaurants have to offer! Your guides will be happy to recommend some of their favorites.

We cycle out of Hoi An and cross the Cua Dai Bridge, which spans high above the Thu Bon River, with impressive views of the open ocean and the Cham Islands in the distance offshore. We have a pleasant ride on quiet rural riverside roads, interacting with friendly local farmers, eventually reaching the village of Tam Thanh to enjoy the beach and a lunch of local seafood. We then transfer around 1.5 hours and spend the afternoon at My Lai, where we visit the memorial and museum at the site of one of the worst massacres of the Vietnam-America War. A final 30-minute drive brings us to the coast of Quang Ngai, where we spend the night at a beautiful waterfront resort.

This morning, we transfer around 1.5 hours inland to a bridge over the Tra Khuc River. This is our start point for the biggest climbing day of the trip! But we begin gently, cycling along the river valley for 35 km surrounded by bountiful farmlands and the foothills of the Annamite Mountains. Then the ascent begins, coiling our way up the iconic Violak Pass for 16 km. It is a challenging climb at an average 6-7% gradient, but we take our time with frequent breaks to enjoy the stunning mountain scenery. Once we’ve ascended to over 1,000 m A.S.L., we stop for lunch in a village and transfer around 1 hour to Mang Den, a tranquil highland township nestled in the Annamite Mountains, where we spend the night at a cosy upcountry retreat. It gets chilly up here so make sure to bundle up!

The day begins with a roughly one-hour transfer from Mang Den to Kon Tum, a lower-lying town in the highlands. The countryside surrounding Kon Tum is dotted with longhouses – known as rong – crowned by very steep thatched roofs which traditionally serve as village centres of the region’s indigenous inhabitants. Today’s ride takes off from one of these rong and we dart across the agrarian landscape, passing by coffee and rubber plantations and through the communities that tend to them. Christianity is the main faith of this region, and we’ll see some pretty churches along the route. We ride around 50 km on rolling terrain with a few punchy 1–2 km climbs to keep us on our toes and then transfer one hour to Pleiku, the buzzing capital of Gia Lai Province. Coffee lovers, don’t miss out on trying a thick, dark-roasted Robusta brew from a local cafe.

A two-hour transfer takes us to the border with Cambodia, where we will say goodbye to our Vietnamese hosts. After passing through immigration, we will meet the Cambodian team! We start our ride from the Oyadav International Border Checkpoint in Ratanakiri and immediately immerse ourselves in this different country and culture with a ride through the hill country. Along the way, we will stop for lunch and an introduction to Cambodian cuisine. After a very gradual climb, we will descend into Banlung, one of the most remote and unique of the Cambodian provincial capitals, and we will spend two nights here to take advantage of all it has to offer.

Wake this morning to a well-deserved day of rest and relaxation; the full day is yours to do as you wish! If you rise early enough, you can delve into the morning market buzzing with merchants hawking tribal handicrafts and foods. You can also visit the mysterious volcanic crater lake of Boneng Yeak Laom, long believed to be the home of water demons deep within. The demons seem friendly to cyclists, so bring your swimsuit and take a dip! The lake also features a hiking trail and a museum devoted to the Tampuan culture of the region. If you’d prefer to simply rest your legs, our lodge is a beautiful place to spend a relaxed day by the pool or on the terrace. Lunch is on your own but we reconvene for dinner at the hotel and discuss the next stage of our tour!

It’s time to get back in the saddle! From Banlung, we plant our wheels on National Road 78 and settle in for a century ride towards the banks of the mighty Mekong River. The paved road is flanked by vast tracts of cassava and rubber plantations and lined by traditional stilt houses, modern homes, and buzzing market towns, exposing an interesting cross-section of rural living in northeastern Cambodia. It’s a mildly undulating tide with no major climbs, allowing you to go at your own pace, and we regroup every 20–25 km for refreshments. The maximum distance we will cover is 110 km, at which point we swap to the support vehicle and transfer 30 minutes to Stung Treng, a charming little city on the Mekong with lots of local flair.

Starting from the hotel, we enjoy a lovely morning ride along the Mekong River. Within a few kilometres, the asphalt gives way to a red dirt road lined by small farms on one side and the broad river on the other. Eventually, we turn away from the Mekong to rejoin the main road at around 40 km, where we hop in the support vehicle and fast-track ourselves further south (a one-hour drive). Back on the bikes, we ride 15 km to a pier where we board small motorboats and enjoy a breezy cruise on a section of the Mekong home to the critically endangered Irrawaddy freshwater river dolphins. If we’re lucky, we might spot their distinctively round heads poking out of the water. After returning to the pier, you have the option of riding another 15 km to Kratie following the Mekong River road, or you can opt for a quick 20-minute transfer. Kratie is another delightful riverside town with a relaxing atmosphere.

We transfer around 45 minutes south to the town of Chhlong, once an important timber trading hub during the French colonial era, with the facades of weathered historical buildings still visible today. For the first 40 km, we stick to village roads by the Mekong before switching to a paved provincial road and crossing a bridge to the opposite bank. We stick to the west side for the remainder of the route, including a short, steep climb to the Buddhist temple complex of Wat Hanchey perched on a hilltop above the Mekong. But it is not only Buddhist heritage we encounter today; we also pass the Muslim mosques of local Cham communities — an ethnic minority group who have integrated into Cambodian society over centuries of migration from their ancestral homeland in central Vietnam (the same area we started our tour!). Today’s ride ends by rolling along a wide riverside boulevard into Kampong Cham, the last in our string of Mekong towns.

This morning we say goodbye to the Mekong by maneuvering our way out of Kampong Cham and entering the wide, open countryside of the Cambodian plains. By the 25 km point we merge with National Road 71 which we will be on for the rest of today’s ride. Relatively flat and well-paved, you can go at your own speed and we regroup every 20-25 km for refreshments. The scenery consists of endless rice paddies, buzzing market towns, and vast tracts of rubber tree plantations. We end with lunch at around 78 km and transfer 30 minutes to the sleepy backwater town of Kampong Thom, where we spend the night.

Starting directly from our hotel, we begin by riding along the meandering Stueng Saen River. After 8 km we cross the river either by a small wooden ferry or a makeshift bridge (depending on the water levels) and then continue north along quiet country roads dissecting the fertile floodplain of the river. This is rural Cambodia at its finest, riding through quaint villages, expansive rice fields, and other farmlands. After covering 40 km, we arrive at the ancient site of Sambor Prei Kuk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which dates back to one of Cambodia’s earliest civilisations preceding the foundation of Angkor. Here. brick temples in various stages of restoration - many still entwined by tree roots – are scattered throughout a forested area and are connected by sandy paths. This makes for some fun mountain biking! After checking out a collection of the many temples we’ll break for lunch at a local restaurant and then complete a final 15 km until we intersect with the main road. We jump in the support vehicle and transfer around 2 hours to Siem Reap, the “gateway to Angkor”, where we’ll spend the next three nights. You have an independent dinner this evening.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor is home to the once-glorious capital cities of the Khmer Empire, whose powerful god-kings built lavish stone temples between the 9th and 15th centuries CE. Today, we discover Angkor’s most iconic sites by cycling along the manifold paths that pass by, lead to, and twist around the temples and ruins scattered across the plain. At Ta Prohm - brought to fame by the film “Tomb Raider” - we stumble across a tumbling façade of laterite and sandstone blocks draped by the massive roots of fig trees. At the Bayon - a temple built as a microcosm of the heavens - we marvel at the rows of godly faces carved into the temple towers and peering sublimely in all cardinal directions. And at Angkor Wat - the national symbol of Cambodia and the largest religious structure in the world - we stroll through the inner and outer courtyards decorated with excellently conserved carvings and bas-reliefs depicting Hindu myths, wars, life and death. We return to Siem Reap in the afternoon for some time to relax before our farewell dinner.

Our cycling tour has ended but feel free to extend your stay to explore more of Siem Reap and the incredible ancient landscape of Angkor. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) is well connected regionally and you can easily continue your travels in Southeast Asia or head home from here. Please let us know If you require assistance with airport transfers and post-tour hotel bookings.