Trip Profile
Trip Profile
TRIP PROFILE
Our biking adventure takes us from Hue to Nha Trang by bus, boat, and bike. Lots of time on this tour is spent sight-seeing and exploring Vietnam. The cycling is on a mixture of well-surfaced roads and good quality, wide dirt tracks. Away from the main roads, cycling in Vietnam is often a wonderful experience; the bicycle is still the most common form of transport, and you will share the road with girls in flowing Ao Dai, school children, and farmers.
The rest days are at the end of this tour where we have time to relax at Whale Island before heading to Nha Trang for onward connections. By the end of the tour, we hope you will really feel you have come to know and perhaps even understand Vietnam and the Vietnamese.
Suitability: This trip is suitable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. This trip is not too arduous, and so riders with less experience are more than welcome, although the fitter you are, the more you will enjoy it.
Biking Conditions: This trip is mainly on good quality tarmac roads and some vehicle-width dirt roads. Day 4 has an off-road trail (can be rocky), but an easier alternative is available if required. An air-conditioned support bus travels behind the group. On the occasions when it is impossible for the bus to follow, our guide follows behind on a motorcycle. Participants can cycle as much or as little as they like and still enjoy the same views as the rest of the group.
What's Included
What's Excluded
NUTS & BOLTS
Bikes
Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. The bikes are well-known makes of hybrid and mountain bikes with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes, and Shimano components and front suspension. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a hybrid or a mountain bike in good mechanical order.
You can also hire an electric bike (or an E-Bike) for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We have 2 sizes available: S = 155 cm - 170 cm and M = 171cm - 180 cm. The E-Bikes are GIANT brand with SHIMANO Alivio1,9 speed, disc brakes, and adjustable suspension fork.
Bike Repairs
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Safety
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
Guides
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
THE NITTY GRITTY
Passports and Visas
Effective March 12th, 2020: Vietnam has suspended Visa on Arrival services for travelers arriving from United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Spain. Travelers from these countries will need to apply for a visa at the Vietnamese embassy in their country, or apply for the visa on arrival pre-approval letter. To obtain a pre-approval letter, please provide your travel consultant with scanned copies of your passport and international flight tickets. Print out your pre-approval letter and bring it with you to show on arrival at the airport in Vietnam, along with 2 additional passport photos, and US$ 25 for a single entry visa, or US$ 50 for a multiple-entry visa.
For 46 nationalities – including Australians, Canadians and Americans – an E Visa can be obtained.* This must be applied for and received before departure to Vietnam. To check for the E-visa and tourist fee for single entry and multiple entries please check the free Visa. You must scan a copy of your photo and passport when applying and get your approval letter of your visa on arrival at international airport of Vietnam. The processing time is 1-3 working days (not include Saturday,Sunday and Vietnamese holiday). Please make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the duration of stay in Vietnam.
Alternatively you can obtain a visa to Vietnam from the embassy worldwide. Here is the list of locations. You must specify your arrival date when applying for a visa and it is from this date that the 30 days will be calculated. When picking up your visa check to be sure the dates match your travel plans and that it is stamped directly into your passport as it will not be accepted if it is stapled in.
*For travellers on our Saigon to Bangkok or Saigon-Siem Reap trips, an eVisa is not applicable at the Vietnam exit point at Chau Doc. However, Visa On Arrival is available with an approval letter, which SpiceRoads can arrange at cost.
Health
Recommended vaccinations are typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days. Vietnam is a malarial area and you will need to take anti-malarial tablets. Please speak to your doctor for the most up to date information.
Weather
Weather in Vietnam is divided into 4 main regions - the far north, north, central and south.
The far north can get very cold in December and January while the dry season runs from October to late March and the wet season between April to September.
In Hanoi & the north, it is hot, wet and humid from May to October while November to April is cooler and dry.
Central Vietnam experiences hot, dry weather between January & August with temperatures ranging in the mid 30°C. High levels of rainfall are during September - November.
Southern Vietnam is dry and hot from November to April, and warm and wet between May & October, with the highest rainfall in June, July & August.
Food
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are Vietnamese food and features noodles, rice curries and soups. Vietnamese cuisine is world famous and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Drink
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Vietnam but is NOT included in the price.
Solo Travelers
Vietnam Bicycle Travel does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
Extra Expenses
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. As a general guide, we suggest US$ 3-4 per person per day is appropriate.
Money
The official national currency is the Vietnam dong (d), but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.
GENERAL BOOKING INFO
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:
FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS
Booking a Vietnam Bicycle Travel is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.
CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING
Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.
You are advised to read our Booking conditon in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please Email us or call our office.
TRIP STATUS
There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.
BOOKING ONLINE
From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).
If you are having any problems email us, or give us a call (+84 907300600) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
BOOKING OFFLINE
Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.
DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS
We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.
The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from Vietnam Bicycle Travel. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.
In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from Vietnam Bicycle Travel.
The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.
FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS
If the tour is cancelled or postponed by S Vietnam Bicycle Travel because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).
If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any Vietnam Bicycle Travel tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).
Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another Vietnam Bicycle Travel tour with no charges.
If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancelation policy.
Loyalty Riders Club
For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.
International Flights
International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.
