5 independent reviews for Vietnam small group cycling vacation
Reviews for Vietnam small group cycling vacation
Derek Parsons review 5 Mar 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
As a non cyclist the care in which i was helped over the Hai Van Pass pass was incredible and the reception I received after getting to the top from the group and guides, made me feel i had accomplished something special for me.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Just be aware that the bus does get into destinations late on around 6.30 to 7pm. The group felt that to sacrifice the cycling mileage a little bit and get it around 5pm at the latest would be optimal3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We always had lunch at family owned cafes4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The vacation was exhausting but fantastic, the guide Lam was incredible coordinating the different modes of travel, his knowledge of history and making sure everyone was taken care ofLucy Sherry review 12 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The friendliness and honesty of the Vietnamese people2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Every trip a number of travelers got ill so be careful what you eat and bring medication! Be prepared for all the cycling to be over 1st 7 days so it's long 40 degree days with little to no rest time on arrival, plus long bus transfers too. It's too big to do properly in 2 weeks so anticipate an army style March through, not a relaxed vacation. Magnified +++ compared to other 2 week cycle trips.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Aside from less plastic bottles and local tour guides, not much as international hotel chains mostly4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Not very enjoyable for 2nd cycle trip in a row after Amalfi last year as the company thinks it's OK to not put on separate e-bike trips which is unacceptable as non fit riders wait around in groups for true cyclists and creates a non unified group and wrecks what used to be a real team effort and deserved end of day group beer! Never again, there are non e-bike cheaper trips with Canadian and European providers!!Read the operator's response here:
Hi Lucy,
I hope that you are well.
I wanted to give you some responses to your feedback about your recent vacation to Vietnam, in particular your comments about the use of e-bikes and that we only use international chain hotels.
The accommodation that we use on this vacation are indeed a mix of Vietnamese & International owned and operated properties. For example, the La Pavillon Paradise Hoi An Hotel & Spa is part of an international chain. Hoi An is one of the hardest locations in Vietnam to secure allocation for a high-volume trip such as Cycling in Vietnam, and at suitable rates. Hoi An prices are ever-increasing and is notorious for being hard to find decent accommodation. We also want to provide our clients with accommodation services that are good value for money and have high quality and safety standards which is one of the reasons why we may opt to use different hotel regardless of who it is owned by. All of our properties used above are subject to yearly safety checks and risk- assessments and they pass/meet our criteria. I hope this demonstrates one of the reasons why we may choose to use these properties in general, even if some are internationally owned.
I personally understand your comment about the e-bikes if you’re a very avid cyclist. Cycling in Vietnam is our most popular cycling trip, it is graded 3- Moderate (with 100% vehicle support) and very much also covers a lot of the cultural/natural highlights of Vietnam, so it has wide reaching appeal to cyclists of varying abilities. And it is not uncommon to get groups where there is a bit of a mix of cycling abilities, you will always get this on a grade 3 cycling trip, regardless of whether there are clients on e-bikes or not and we want to be as inclusive as possible.
We have had a strong push and demand from our client base in recent years to offer e-bike hire on trips where this is possible to do so. This has been very common in Europe for some time but less so in Asia (mostly due to e-bike hire costs and supplier availability in the region) but this is improving.
We do offer e-bike hire on Cycling in Vietnam because it is our most popular cycling trip, our competitors offer e-bikes and there is simply the demand for it. However, currently, we do not have the demand to create separate e-bike departures. As it is, e bikes are subject to availability and are very limited (likely only 3-4 e-bikes max can be possible per departure if requested). We have also not received much feedback from other Cycling in Vietnam clients who used normal bikes sharing any concerns about e-bikes and slower cyclists on the tour since the tour re-started operating last year after the pandemic.
If you have any questions or anything that you would like to add to your review please don’t hesitate to ask.
Best regards
Kay Harding review 6 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Visiting Hoi An2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for very long days3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Brought income to the economy4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Disappointed. Felt like a route marchRead the operator's response here:
Hi Kay,
I hope that you are well.
I wanted to give you some responses to your feedback about your recent vacation to Vietnam, in particular your comments about the pacing of the vacation. You didn’t leave much of a comment so if you have any additional feedback would be greatly appreciated.
This trip is fast paced, and the main focus is the cycling and as stated in the trip notes, it is busy and involves early departures from hotels.
On a 14 day itinerary, there are Nine days cycling (including one optional ride). There is 90% vehicle support, there is a van up the front with the driver that is the client vehicle, a cycling leader, and also a cycling assistant leader at the back, with a 2nd vehicle (bike vehicle) on all Cycling in Vietnam departures, regardless of group size. So for most of the cycling, anyone can opt to get in the client van and take a break if they need or simply sit a day out of cycling if they wish to do so.
On day 5 & 6 the group stay on Whale Island, where on day 6 there is no cycling and this offers the group a day to relax on a snorkelling cruise in the morning and then relax on the island in the afternoon. This works well with offering a bit of a break/slower pace after a busy first few days of cycling.
I hope this helps clarify some things for you, but I feel we do set expectations about the pace/itinerary in the trip notes.
Any questions or anything that you would like to add please let me know.
Best regards
Dylan Fuller review 10 Dec 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Excellent food!2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
We spent a bit too much time in the bus. Ask about transfer times before booking.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We ate at local restaurants, which was good. All the driving and boat riding probably not good for the environment.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
ExcellentCath Lysley review 13 Apr 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Climbing the Hai Van pass. We all made it to the top and were supported throughout by our guide Danh who gave us cold drinks and cheered us on. The food was also great and we were treated to genuine local cuisine, all delicious.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Take more money than recommend, especially if you want to take presents home or drink wine with you evening meal. Some people couldn't get money out of the ATMs so tell your bank that you are going to Vietnam. You don't really need US dollars, just take Vietnamese money out. Don't take any energy bars, the support truck carries fresh fruit, nuts and snacks. Nobody ate their energy bars. You need to be fairly fit for this trip so if you haven't cycled for a long time, get out on your bike for at least 6 rides of about 20 - 30 km to strengthen your legs. Definitely take a padded saddle cover, a few people who didn't suffered from saddle chafing.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We ate at small, local "family" restaurants and our trips such as the boat ride and Halong Bay supported local tourism. Cycling is the best way to travel and has little environmental impact.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was an excellent vacation. We were lucky to be in a group where everyone got on so well. The person that made it work so smoothly was our guide Danh. He was fantastic, full of energy and enthusiasm and kept us informed of everything we had to do. He guided us across tricky traffic and kept watch over us when cycling. He worked so hard and thought of so many little things to enhance the trip. He took us to a small cafe to try "egg coffee" which we all thought would be disgusting but was in fact delicious. He was funny and told jokes and I think the whole group felt a huge amount of affection for him.Holiday Reviews
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