Reviews

Amazing trip

We had an amazing experience cycling the length of the beautifully diverse Vietnam, Saigon to Hanoi.
A variety of cycling the developing costal roads, the Bussling kaotic city streets, through the tropical undulating national Park, rice paddy farmlands and fishing villages a truely memorable time.

The best Cycling trip ever

This was such an attack on the senses and fantastic from start to finish. Vietnam has so much to offer and each day was a new experience which made the Cycling manageable and even in parts enjoyable. It was very hot when we went (August) but everyone powered through and felt a great sense of achievement at the end of the trip.

SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE!

Another memorable holiday with Exodus!
Vietnam has exceeded all expectations! Definitely one of my favorite destinations and one to strongly recommend.
Perfectly organized. We saw the modern and traditional side of Vietnam. We had the best support team on our cycling days!
We had good breaks between cycling and sightseeing days. We had the most relaxed leader CHI NGUYEN who allowed us time to ourselves, time to enjoy and do our own thing, which is something I appreciate a lot on holidays as the pressure of following the plan is sometimes too much in group holidays. Words are poor to express my gratitude to our amazing team of leader, mechanic, supportive staff.
The weather was as expected. Sunny and hot as it is in these countries. Our hotel rooms where fantastic air condition available , we had a swimming pool available in most of them .
Whale Island was beautiful and the people so friendly and welcoming.
The food!!!!!!!!! was just amazing! Every day we tasted a different dish. As a vegeterian I think I had the best menu choices. I can’t talk enough about the food in Vietnam. Back home for two weeks now and I am already trying all these amazing receipes.
Chi! (Chi Nguyen) : your kindness, calmness , confidence, knowledge, your talent, but most of all your humility as a person are impressive. I consider myself a very lucky lady to have met you and it was an honor to have you as a leader on our holiday.
Thank you for showing us your amazingly beautiful country!
Ey! our sweet smiling tender-hearted mechanic!
I wouldn’t have made it without your help and encouragement? Thank you for supporting us all, thank you for your patience , thank you for the smiles, the laughs !
Truong and Nhan !
You guys have earned a very special place in my heart!
You made the road easy to run with your positive energy, with your smiles and your kindness! Thank you for all the care, the fruit, the water!!!!!!,! But most of all thank you for being there!

The colours, the flavors, the views and all of you beautiful people, will stay in my heart for ever!
Definitely coming back to Vietnam very soon!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU AT EXODUS! I can’t praise enough your staff in Vietnam. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet theses wonderful people.

Hotter Than The Sun

Good points about my trip:
The local organisation was very good. Our guide ‘G’ and the support staff provided an excellent service.
With the exception of Whale Island and the overnight trail, the trip accommodation was excellent.
Varied landscapes with a good mix of beaches, rice paddies and mountains.
The equipment provided was of a good quality and well maintained, with very few mechanical issues for the group.

Bad points about my trip:
The trip notes did warn that ‘The weather will be hot and humid throughout’, but the heat and humidity was of another level, with 35-40 degrees c each day. Do not go on this trip unless you can tolerate cycling in extreme heat.
90% of the roads used were busy, with significant traffic. Drivers in Vietnam are very considerate, but you need to be confident riding in busy traffic to go on this trip. The lack of quiet back roads was a real disappointment.
I have travelled in Thailand, Malaysia and Laos and in comparison the food in Vietnam was rather disappointing, being generally bland and reparative. As a vegetarian option were limited and I would strongly challenge the guidance from Exodus that ‘Vegetarians are well catered for’. If you are a vegetarian or vegan I do not recommend this trip.
Overall the service from Malaysia Airlines was very poor, with an 11 hour delay to the group flight from Kuala Lumpur to London. Service on both flights from KUL to LHR was also poor. I recommend that you arrange your own flights to avoid Malaysia Airlines.

Overall: An interesting time to visit Vietnam considering the rapid pace of change. However I cannot recommend this cycling holiday due to the extreme heat and busy roads. If you want to visit Vietnam with Exodus I recommend you book onto ‘Vietnam Adventure’ or ‘Trails of Vietnam’.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycle through Bidoup National Park

Thoughts on Group Leader

The local organisation was very good. Our guide ‘G’ and the support staff provided an excellent service.

Advice for Potential Travellers

What to take recommendations: If you use SPD pedals I strongly recommend bringing them with you. Walking whilst in cycling shoes was very limited. The UV throughout was extremely strong, where due to the high levels of perspiration it was very difficult to reapply sun block. I therefore strongly recommend bringing with you a set of light coloured thin arm warmers to keep the sun off your arms whilst cycling and a long sleeved swimming top. There are sea urchins on a number of beaches. You therefore may want to bring a pair of beach shoes.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Anthony for taking the time to share his experience and we’re delighted that he found the accommodation acceptable and found his guide and the support staff to be excellent. We’re pleased that he feels the organisation of the trip was well executed and that the equipment was of good quality and well maintained. We are, however, disheartened that he felt disappointed by some aspects of the trip. Hot, humid weather is typical in Southeast Asia and while we do make mention of this in our literature, however, it is worth noting that this trip was run during a heat wave and our local operator informed us that the weather has been particularly hotter than normal over recent months.

Due to further infrastructure & tourism development, Vietnam has experienced a significant increase in road traffic, and we have noted some comments regarding the busy roads on the trip. Main roads are often unavoidable; however, we are in discussions with our local operator to consider revising some of the routes to include less busy roads.

One of the highlights of our Vietnam trips tends to be the food and we generally receive great feedback; we’re sorry to hear that Anthony’s experience with the Vietnamese cuisine didn’t meet his expectations and that he did not feel adequately catered for. Our local operator usually manages dietary requirements rather well so it’s disappointing that this was not his experience.

We regret the disappointing experience Anthony had with Malaysia Airlines, particularly the significant delay and subpar service on both legs of his journey from Kuala Lumpur to London. We understand how frustrating delays can be and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this caused.

We’re grateful for the time he took to leave a review and hope that we can welcome him on future trips with us.

– Kelly Reid, Product Manager

Awesome cycling adventure from Saigon to Hanoi

A wonderful adventure cycling through mad traffic, long coastal roads, rice fields, quaint villages, hill climbs and descents. Ever changing scenery – an experience to remember forever.

Enjoyable despite the cycling

This review is written in the context of being a regular cyclist and having cycled with Exodus “Coast to Coast India” and “Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama”.
This trip definitely ranks third in that list. Vietnam is a long, thin country, with 1000+ miles from HCM to Hanoi – it is unclear on what basis the 320 cycling miles on this trip were chosen. Many days the routes are long and featureless, the riding punctuated by aggressive air horns from passing lorries. Some days felt like cycling for cycling sake – starting at a random point out of town, and finishing somewhere equally random.
Long periods on the bus.
That said the segments of cycling along quiet backroads, through traditional fishing villages etc was delightful.
Days are full on – early breakfast and start and late arrivals into destinations leaving very limited chance to appreciate the towns and facilities.
The stops at Whale Island, Hoi An were a welcome relief. The trip to Ha Long Bay at the end was superb.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling into Hue as the sun was going down through traditional backwaters.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luang was excellent, well organised and all the evening meal recommendations were excellent. Perfect English and a mine of local information.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you want to cycle 100km somewhere enjoyable and scenic - do one of the other Exodus trips ( or go to Wales or the Peak District). Book an extra day at the end in Hanoi and consider the optional Cambodia extension at the beginning.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to review your cycling trip in Vietnam, Keith, and we were so pleased to read your comments about your tour leader, Luang. On the other hand, we regret that this tour did not reach the heights of your previous adventures with us, particularly concerning the routes. This is one of our longest-standing, best-selling cycling trips and is designed as an introduction to Vietnam by bike. It is generally very well received by our customers, evidenced by its current 4.8* average rating on our website. Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular as a destination, however, which has had a knock-on effect on the volume of vehicles on the roads. As the trip navigates from south to north and covers so much ground, main roads are unavoidable, but we will consider revising some of the routes if it becomes apparent that backroads are preferred. We recognise that this is a busy itinerary and that temperatures are warm year-round, which we try to describe in the trip notes, but as there is almost full vehicle support and two tour leaders, clients are welcome to sit out any stretches they do not want to join. It is with this in mind that we feel the currently activity level is accurate, although we are sorry if it was more challenged than you had anticipated. We welcome your feedback, as it will guide future decisions about this tour, and we hope that your experience in Vietnam does not discourage you from travelling with us again.

 

Kelly Reid, Product Manager

Ground staff great, UK support poor

We booked 2 trips to run together. Booking them intially was difficult as the agent couldn’t grasp what we were trying to do and kept quoting the wrong direction and got confused over airports. As a result we ended up flying from London as it was easiest for him to understand. Questions were left unanswered and at no time was it acknowldged that we were doing the 2 trips as one. The final hotel of the last trip was supposed to be the same as the first of this but in fact we had to move to a different hotel. Overall an good trip was let down by the UK support team.

Good Morning Vietnam! An Amazing Experience

We cannot recommend this trip highly enough to anyone who is looking for an activity-based holiday which provides the opportunity to experience a broad range of what Vietnam and its amazing people have to offer. We loved every minute and given the chance we would not hesitate to do it all over again.

Loved this trip!

This was an excellent trip! The scenery is beautiful, the activities are fun, and the support staff could not have been better.

Cycling Vietnam

A well planned and co-ordinated itinerary that made great use of the time to show the variety of Vietnam