Most Inspirational Moment
We really enjoyed all the cycling routes and even coming down from Hai Van pass in the monsoon like rain had its own beauty. My favorite afternoon was cycling through the small paths through the rural areas dodging the water buffalo.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Lam Nguyen and all the support staff were exceptional. This trip has many moving parts and an itinerary that includes bikes, buses, boats, trains, and kayaks.
The fact that 17 people were seamlessly guided through 2 weeks for this with a minimum of chaos speaks to a lot of behind the scene organization.
We really appreciated that the check in at the hotels was prearranged and within minutes of our arrival we had our room keys in hand.
The cycle breaks were frequent, well timed and there was always plenty of the signature ice cold lemonade, snacks and fresh fruit.
We enjoyed Lam's ever cheerful Xin chao and " short stories" that explained the next leg of the trip.
At first I was concerned that I might find the time in the bus long but usually I was happy to sit in the AC and rest while I took in the passing countryside. Lam was also good at giving us some information and insight into the parts of Vietnam we were seeing. Thanks for that Lam!
Advice for Potential Travellers
We did the Angkor Wat/Cambodia extension before the cycle trip and I would recommend both the trip and doing it before you start cycling to get some time to acclimatize to the climate and time zone.
As Canadians we required a visa to get into Vietnam. We had done this at home and it is simply a matter of sending in the information and $35. What we did not notice however that despite sending a copy of his passport, two letters in my husband's name were inverted. On noting this the Cambodian airline staff would not let us board our flight from Phnom Penh to HCM city. We were able to get a "15 minute urgent visa" for my husband from a business in Hong Kong and catch a later flight but all this was stressful and very expensive. So just a tip that if you need a visa for Vietnam triple check the spelling of your name.
As others have mentioned if you have the time arrive in HCM a day or so early and spent some extra time in Hanoi at the end of the trip otherwise you really won't have time to see much of either place.
Once again if time allows and you have the interest try and read a bit about the recent history of Vietnam. I was born in 1958 and as a child growing up heard a lot about Vietnam but never really understood what the conflict was all about. Thanks to this trip I now can put this information in context. It makes me wonder if in 50 years someone will be standing in a museum In Kiev listening to school groups tour through and marvel at the absurdity of war.
