Cycling in Vietnam

Best time by region

Each cell counts the places in this list marked as worth visiting in that month (the best months on each location page). Darker means more of the region's places agree.

Cycling by region31 places

North Vietnam (11)

Destination guides Cao Bang, Cat Ba, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Ninh Binh · North Vietnam guide →

Cave

Am Tiên Cave

Ninh Bình

Am Tiên Cave - nicknamed 'Tuyệt Tình Cốc' after its wuxia-film-like scenery - is a dragon-mouth-shaped grotto above a jade-green lake in the Hoa Lư valley, reached by around 200-250 stone steps, with a dark history as an execution ground under Đinh Tiên Hoàng and a later connection to Queen Dương Vân Nga's Buddhist retreat.

Jan - Apr, Sep - Nov→

Pagoda

Bích Động Pagoda

Ninh Bình

Bích Động Pagoda is a 300-year-old cave temple complex built into a limestone karst in Ninh Bình - three separate temples (Lower, Middle, Upper) climb the mountain face via more than 100 stone steps, once ranked 'second most beautiful grotto in Vietnam'. Free entry; best combined with a Tam Cốc boat tour.

Feb - Jun→

Village

Du Già Village

Hà Giang

Du Già is a Tày and H'mông village 70km from Hà Giang city on the eastern Ha Giang Loop - quieter and harder to reach than the main loop, with rice terraces, red silk-cotton trees lining the road, and homestays that attract travellers who want the experience over the Instagram shot.

Oct - May→

Historic Site

Hoa Lư Ancient Capital

Ninh Bình

Hoa Lư was Vietnam's first independent capital - a 10th-century fortress city built inside a natural ring of limestone karsts, where the Đinh, Early Lê, and the start of the Lý dynasties ruled a newly unified Vietnam from 968 to 1010 AD. One of 4 core zones of the Tràng An UNESCO World Heritage Site (recognised 2014). Note: this is the historic Cố Đô Hoa Lư in Trường Yên - not to be confused with the newer 'Phố Cổ Hoa Lư' recreated old-town tourist complex in Ninh Bình city centre.

Oct - May→

Bridge

Long Bien Bridge

Hà Nội

Long Bien Bridge is Hanoi's iconic colonial-era steel bridge across the Red River, built by the Daydé & Pillé firm and completed in 1902 - still in active use by trains, motorcycles, and pedestrians more than 120 years after construction.

Oct - Apr→

Farmland

Moc Chau Tea Hills

Sơn La

The Moc Chau Tea Hills are vast rolling plantations of trimmed green tea bushes covering the highland plateau of Son La province, about 10km from Moc Chau town. Most photogenic at dawn when mist settles between the rows - the smell of tea leaves in the cool morning air is one of the defining sensory experiences of the plateau.

Mar - Apr, Oct - Nov→

Valley

Phong Nặm Valley

Cao Bằng

Phong Nậm Valley is one of Cao Bằng's most beautiful hidden gems - a wide agricultural valley where the Quây Sơn River winds between limestone peaks and golden rice fields, 15km from Trùng Khánh and 25km upstream from Bản Giốc Waterfall. September to October is peak season when the harvest turns the valley floor gold.

Mar - May, Sep - Oct→

River

Tam Cốc

Ninh Bình

Tam Cốc - three river caves carved through limestone karst in Ninh Bình, rowed by local women through flooded rice paddies that turn gold in harvest season. Part of the Tràng An UNESCO dual heritage site. Best mid-May to mid-June for golden rice.

Mar - Jul→

Mountain Pass

Thẩm Mã Pass

Hà Giang

Thẩm Mã Pass (also called Dốc Chín Khoanh, the 'nine-bend slope') is a dramatic, historically named mountain pass on Highway 4C between Yên Minh and Đồng Văn on the Hà Giang Loop - one of the route's most famous photo stops, which also means it's one of its most crowded, especially during the Sep-Nov buckwheat flower season.

Mar - Apr, Sep - Nov→

Village

Việt Hải Village

Hải Phòng

Việt Hải is a fishing and farming village of 87 households inside Cát Bà National Park - nicknamed 'island within an island', reachable only by boat from Bến Bèo or by a 12km jungle trek through the national park. No road access to the outside world.

Feb - Mar, Jun, Oct - Dec→

Lake

West Lake

Hà Nội

West Lake is Hanoi's largest lake - a 500-hectare expanse in the Tây Hồ district ringed by upscale cafes, ancient pagodas, seafood restaurants, and a 17km cycling path that offers the most pleasant outdoor escape within the city limits.

Jun - Apr→

Central Vietnam (10)

Destination guides Da Lat, Hoi An, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Phong Nha - Ke Bang, Pu Luong · Central Vietnam guide →

Beach

An Bang Beach

Quang Nam

An Bang Beach is Hội An's most accessible beach - a wide stretch of white sand 3-5km east of the Ancient Town, reachable by bicycle through rice paddies in 20-30 minutes. Calmer and less developed than Đà Nẵng's city beaches, with beach bars, watersports, and good sunrise views.

Mar - Sep→

Beach

Bình Sơn Beach

Ninh Thuận

Bình Sơn Beach is Phan Rang's city beach, just 2-3km from downtown and connected directly to Ninh Chữ beach, with a modern seafront park, fine white sand, and reliably clear water in a province that gets less rain than anywhere else in Vietnam.

Mar - Sep→

Beach

Cửa Đại Beach

Quang Nam

Cửa Đại Beach is the closest beach to Hội An Ancient Town - 4km east on a flat cycling road, with views of the Cham Islands on the horizon, though the beach itself has been narrowed by years of erosion and is currently the site of a major, actively under-construction land reclamation project expected to finish in 2026.

Mar - Aug→

Beach

Dốc Lết Beach

Khánh Hòa

Dốc Lết Beach is Nha Trang's best day-trip beach - a long stretch of white sand on a sheltered bay 50km north of the city, with calmer and clearer water than Nha Trang's main beach, significantly fewer crowds, and a name that comes from the soft, sinking sand dunes visitors once had to shuffle across to reach the sea.

Jan - Aug→

Village

Don Village

Thanh Hóa

Don Village (Bản Đôn) is the most popular Thai village in Pù Luông Nature Reserve - a hillside settlement of traditional stilt houses set above a wide bowl of terraced rice fields, and the main base for homestays, retreats, and trekking in the reserve.

May - Jun, Sep - Oct→

Village

Mũi Trọ Fishing Village

Bình Thuận

Mũi Trọ is a small, little-documented fishing village on the Bình Thuận coast near Cô Thạch beach in Tuy Phong district - a handful of houses, round basket boats, and a rocky pebble beach off the well-known tourist track. Some stretches remain genuinely undeveloped, while at least one nearby camping spot offers basic facilities.

Jun - Aug→

Forest

Phong Nha Botanic Garden

Quảng Bình

Phong Nha Botanic Garden is a protected forest reserve on the edge of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, 7km from Sơn Trạch village - despite the name, the main draw is a jungle trek to Gió Waterfall and its natural swimming holes, not a classic flower garden.

Year-round→

Island

Phú Quý Island

Bình Thuận

Phú Quý Island (also known as Cù Lao Thu) is a remote coral island 120km off the Bình Thuận coast with some of the clearest water and best diving in southern Vietnam - a 2.5 to 3.5 hour ferry from Phan Thiết that delivers a genuine fishing island experience with minimal resort infrastructure.

Mar - Aug→

Photo coming soon

Village

Trà Quế Village

Quang Nam

Trà Quế is a 300-year-old herb farming village 3km from Hội An Ancient Town - a dense patchwork of organic herb plots tended by hand using traditional methods, recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, where visitors can join farmers for a morning, learn to cook Vietnamese dishes, and eat lunch in the fields.

Feb - Apr, Sep - Nov→

Lake

Tuyền Lâm Lake

Lâm Đồng

Tuyền Lâm Lake is Đà Lạt's largest reservoir - one of the largest bodies of water in the area, surrounded by pine forests, accessible by cable car, kayak, or bicycle, with Trúc Lâm Thiền Monastery perched on Phụng Hoàng Mountain above the northern shore.

Nov - Jun→

South Vietnam (10)

Destination guides Mekong Delta · South Vietnam guide →

Rice Fields

An Nhứt Rice Fields

Ba Ria - Vung Tau

An Nhứt Rice Fields in Long Điền district, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu province, is a 2,000-hectare countryside escape near Vũng Tàu city - a 2km winding road through golden rice paddies, a lone tree landmark, drone photography spot, and a weekend countryside food market with bamboo stalls from 4 PM.

Mar - Apr, Aug→

Lake

Ba Om Lake

Trà Vinh

Ba Om Lake in Trà Vinh is a sacred Khmer reservoir tied to a famous folk legend about a nighttime pond-digging contest between men and women, surrounded by hundreds of centuries-old sao and dầu trees and anchored by the Âng Pagoda - one of the oldest Khmer temples in Vietnam.

Nov - Apr→

Lake

Bàu Sấu (Crocodile Lake)

Đồng Nai

Bàu Sấu is a remote oxbow lake deep inside Cát Tiên National Park - a 3-hour jungle trek from the park headquarters leads to one of southern Vietnam's last viable crocodile habitats and a prime birdwatching site.

Jul - Apr→

National Park

Cát Tiên National Park

Đồng Nai

Cát Tiên National Park - established 1992, 71,920 hectares (larger than Singapore), UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Over 1,610 plant species, 1,568 animal species, 300+ bird species (nearly 50% of Vietnam's total). Once the last mainland Asian refuge of the Javan rhinoceros, declared extinct here in 2010. Winner of 4 awards at the 2025 AEN International Ecotourism Awards including top prize for Biodiversity Conservation.

Nov - May→

Lake

Dầu Tiếng Lake

Tây Ninh

Dầu Tiếng Lake is the largest artificial reservoir in Vietnam - a 270km² expanse of water on the Tây Ninh and Bình Dương border, surrounded by forest and used for irrigation, with sunrise photography, lakeside cycling, and the nearby Chùa Thái Sơn temple on Núi Cậu among the main visitor draws.

Jun, Dec - Apr→

National Park

Mũi Cà Mau National Park

Cà Mau

Mũi Cà Mau National Park is the southernmost point of Vietnam's mainland - a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of 42,000 hectares of mangrove forest at the tip of the Cà Mau Peninsula, where the East Sea meets the Gulf of Thailand. The only place in Vietnam to watch both sunrise and sunset from the same spot.

Dec - Apr→

Island

Phoenix & Unicorn Islands (Cồn Phụng & Cồn Thới Sơn)

Bến Tre, Tiền Giang

Phoenix Island (Cồn Phụng) and Unicorn Island (Cồn Thới Sơn) are two of the Mekong Delta's famous Tứ Linh islands near My Tho, known for coconut canals, sampan rides, fruit orchards, and the unusual Coconut Religion temple.

Jun - Feb→

Rice Fields

Ta Pa Fields

An Giang

Ta Pa Fields, at the base of Tà Pạ and Cô Tô mountains in Tri Tôn district, An Giang, are a patchwork of terraced rice paddies at different growth stages - a result of the local communal 'vần công' farming custom - considered one of the Mekong Delta's most distinctive rice landscapes, especially during the July-November harvest season.

Jul - Nov→

Monument

Thường Phước Border Gate

Đồng Tháp

Thường Phước Border Gate in Đồng Tháp is one of the Mekong Delta's international river crossings into Cambodia - a working border post on the Mekong marked by Border Marker 240, where boats, traders, and travelers cross into Cambodia's Prey Veng province via the connecting Kaoh Roka border post.

Nov - Apr→

Lake

Tri An Lake

Đồng Nai

Tri An Lake is a large reservoir in Dong Nai province, 65-70km from Ho Chi Minh City, formed by the Tri An hydroelectric dam on the Dong Nai River. A popular weekend camping and kayaking destination for city residents, with 76 forested islands, calm water, and dramatic sunset views.

Year-round→

Browse other experiences

• Beaches55 places→
• Trekking74 places→
• Camping45 places→
• Caving15 places→
• Snorkeling21 places→
• Kayaking23 places→
• Food32 places→
• Culture57 places→
• History82 places→
• Photography181 places→
• Markets11 places→
• Nightlife9 places→
• Walking Tours29 places→
• Boat Tours42 places→
• Cable Cars9 places→
• Homestays11 places→
• Wildlife33 places→
• Motorcycling32 places→
• Shopping5 places→