† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $50 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.
OVERVIEW GRAND TOUR VIETNAM 2018 - This tour was offered by BAC in January 2016, and earlier in 2009. The tour starts in Hanoi and ends at Ho Chi Minh City (formerly named “Saigon). This is a fully-supported tour led by PedalTours, which has successfully conducted nearly 30 tours for BAC. A blog of the 2016 tour narrates and describes each day of the tour (thanks to BAC Blog Masters Axel Kunzmann and Bruce Nelson), outlines the routes on RideWithGPS, and is full of pictures, giving you a vivid description of the tour. The 2018 tour will mirror the routes, hotels, and activities of the 2016 tour, during which participants learned a great deal about and gained new perspectives on Vietnamese history, including the recent French and American wars, and its diverse culture, delicious foods, and varied geography.
The tour starts in Hanoi on January 10, 2018 with a group dinner in the Old Quarter. The next day, we fly south to Hue where we gather our bikes, spend the night and start our cycling. We travel south until Day 10, when we head further west and up to the Central Highlands and staying in Da Lat, the "Paris of Vietnam." On Day 13, we return to the tropical coast. We head inland again to Ho Chi Minh City on Day 15, and take a three-day tour of the Mekong Delta, and return to Ho Chi Minh City to the part still called “Saigon” on the 19th Day for our farewell dinner. We end the tour on the 20th day, January 29, 2018, after breakfast. You will need to obtain a visa for entrance into and departure from Vietnam.
PRE AND POST TOURS: For those who wish to extend their stay, PedalTours offers tours before and after our BAC tour. Both the pre and post tours are at PedalTours' regular rate, and are not sponsored by BAC. Visit the PedalTours’ website for more information and you will need to make reservations and payments directly with PedalTours.
RIDE RATING: The average distance per day is 37 miles and the average elevation gain is 970 feet, and the tour is rated a 1B. Day 3 with 1790 elevation gain and Day 11 with elevation gain of 3160 feet exceed the elevation gain for a “1” category. Roads are mostly well-paved, but some are rough, so 700 x 32 tires or larger are advised. There will be 14 riding days, and three rest days on Days 4, 9, and 12.
ITINERARY: On most days, we either board the bus before, during or after our cycling day to reach areas safe for cycling or to reduce the long distance between the start point or endpoint of the day.
Day 1: Hanoi: The tour will start in Hanoi where we will explore the Old Quarter, and have our first group dinner, and get oriented to Vietnam's street life and raucous traffic.
Day 2: Hanoi to Hue via plane. After landing in Hue, the former capital, we visit the Citadel, which encompasses the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City. After lunch, we will set up, fit our bikes, and test them on a four-mile course through Hue's street markets.
Day 3 and 4: Hue to Hoi An (41 miles, 1719 ft.) Most of the elevation gain (1500 feet) will be cycling over Hai Van Pass. We will spend two nights in Hoi An, a World Heritage Site, known for its tailors who in a day can make shirts, dresses, and even cycling jerseys. On Day 4, our guide will lead us on a two-hour walking tour of Hoi Ann.
Day 5: Hoi An to Sa Huynh (42 miles, 780 ft.) At the end of our cycling, we visit the My Lai Massacre Memorial, where over 500 villagers were killed by US troops.
Day 6: Sa Huynh to Quy Nhon (41 miles, 1385 ft.) We cycle through many shrimp farms along the coast, one of which we may visit on the ride. We end the day in our hotel on the beach.
Day 7: Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa (42 miles, 597 ft.) We cycle through a broad valley where one of the main crops is tapioca, and finish our day in a Viet Star luxury resort, where we are in individual villas, spread over 110 acres with time to either take a shuttle to the beach or lounge around their large pool.
Day 8 and 9: Tuy Hoa to Nha Trang (32 miles, 968 ft.) The cycling is primarily along the coast with a long climb over Ca Pass before reaching our hotel on the beach. On Day 9, a rest day from the bike, we have the option to take a boat ride to the outer islands. During the boat ride, we will snorkel, visit floating fish farms, and have lunch at a seaside resort. Upon return to Nha Trang, we also will visit an ancient 7th century Cham temple. Note that Nha Trang is the mid-coastal part of Vietnam where we begin seeing Russian restaurants and businesses serving tourists and residents from Russia.
Day 10: Nha Trang to Buon Ma Thout (45 miles, 960 ft.) We move away from the coast, and go west and up into the Central Highlands, visiting various villages which are home to some of Vietnam's ethnic minorities.
Day 11 and 12: Buon Ma Thout to Da Lat (43 miles, 3160 ft.) We first bus to the vast Lak Lake, where we take an elephant ride, and then on to Da Lat, the "City of Eternal Spring," and heavily French influenced. At an elevation of 5,000 feet, the temperature can be cool in the evenings. On Day 12, off the bike, we tour by bus the last Vietnamese emperor's Summer Palace and Da Lat's lush gardens.
Day 13: Da Lat to Mui Ni (42 miles, 1289 ft.) This cycling day is mainly a downhill ride to our resort on the beach.
Day 14: Mui Ni to Loc An (50 miles, 879 ft.) We cycle along the coast to our beach resort at Loc An.
Day 15: Loc An to Ho Chi Minh City (22 miles, 338 ft.) This cycling day is short to provide time in the afternoon to get oriented to the bustling Ho Chi Minh City. Note that we check into a hotel that is within walking distance to numerous historical and cultural museums and sites, including the US Embassy, the site of the airlift evacuations at the withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam. This is the hotel to which we return after completing the cycling in the Mekong Delta.
Day 16: Ho Chi Minh City to Long Xugen (47 miles, 404 ft.) We enter the amazing water network of the Mekong Delta, the bread- and fish-basket of Vietnam.
Day 17: Long Xugen to Chau Doc: (34 miles, 456 ft.) We follow the canal path to Chau Doc, and visit a memorial to those Vietnamese killed by the Khmer Rouge, and then a boat tour of the fish farms in the Mekong. We stay at a Victoria Resort, although modern, reflecting French colonial architecture.
Day 18: Chau Doc to Can Tho: (29 miles, 456 ft.) We cycle to the heart of the Mekong Delta to the town of Can Tho. After dinner, we have a farewell party for the support crew.
Day 19: Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City (15 miles, 108 ft.) After breakfast, we take a boat tour of the ancient floating market. Later, we cycle along a canal, viewing flower farms, homes and small villages before breaking our bikes down (for those bringing their own bikes), and boarding our bus for the return to Ho Chi Minh City. We then have our farewell dinner.
Day 20: We bid farewell after breakfast.
WEATHER: January is Vietnam's winter, but the weather will be warm with the temperatures in Hanoi in the 60's and low 70’s, in Nha Trang in the low 80’s, in Da Lat in the low 80’s (with cool evenings), and Ho Chi Minh City where the temperature’s will be in the low 90’s and humid. Rain fall is expected to be minimal, but as always, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best, when cycling in seascapes and mountains. Definitely bring a light jacket, including a rain jacket, some layers for the sometimes cooler temperatures in the north and highlands, light "summer" clothes for the heat and humidity in the south, and your swimsuits, as there will be plenty of beaches, boat rides, and hotel pools to enjoy swimming and snorkeling.
LODGING: We will be staying in three-star and four-star hotels, with resorts mostly located near or directly on beaches.
LOGISTICS: You should fly into Hanoi Airport for the start of the tour, and fly out of Ho Chi Minh Airport for the conclusion of the tour. PedalTours will provide airport transportation for both the start and end of the tour. The domestic flight from Hanoi to Hue is covered in your fee but limits luggage to 44 pounds, which would include the weight of your bike box. If you are bringing your bike, you should carry on the plane the clothes you will need for this tour to avoid being charged excess luggage fees.
COSTS AND ADMINISTRATION: The estimated cost of $4000 includes: (1) Tips for six support staff; (2) 19 nights’ accommodation; (3) Meals which consists of 16 dinners, 16 lunches and 19 breakfasts; (4) Air flight from Hanoi to Hue; (5) Three tour support vehicles comprised of a bus to carry all ride participants, a luggage van, and a truck to carry the bikes. Including the support vehicles, two guides and a mechanic will ride along the routes with ride participants; (6) Hotel/airport transfers at the start of the trip in Hanoi and at the end of the trip in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon); (7) Drinks and snacks during riding days; (8) Souvenir water bottles and a jersey; (9) Social hour snacks; (10) Bike cleaning daily and minor repairs, and (11) Daily maps, route sheets and gpx tracks. Not included are international airfare, sightseeing fees, bike rental, laundry, or alcohol with meals other than the Social Hour. You may rent a bike from PedalTours for $345.00; contact them directly to make arrangements.
SINGLES: We encourage singles to participate; the single supplement is available at a cost of $1,100. For those wishing to have a roommate and avoid the single supplement cost, the Ride Leader will make every attempt to find a roommate of the same sex, and if none is found, the single supplement is waived.
CANCELATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee of $100 for this tour is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancelations. If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling participant can not be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped, the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancelation insurance.
RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support. Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles. All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour. We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from the Ride Leader during the lead up to the tour. While on the ride, your support to your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up are appreciated. Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and please abide by the Ride Leader’s decisions during the tour.
SIGN UP: To submit a request to join this ride use the links displayed above the Ride Description. The Ride Leader will contact you to determine whether you are capable of completing the tour. When you are accepted, the Ride Leader will move you from the Waitlist to the Pending List, and you will receive an email notification to login to the BAC website to sign the release of liability (ROL) and pay online the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee. Please read the ROL carefully before you sign it. Send your $1600 deposit check made out to Albert Balingit (not BAC), 6280 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95831. When your deposit check has cleared your bank, the Ride Leader will move your name to the Participants list. Another $1600 deposit will be due on May 1, 2017, with the balance due on September 1, 2017. Contact the Ride Leader with any questions: albalingit58@yahoo.com or (916) 475-7539. (Pacific Standard Time)
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org