Cycling Info

Life on a Bike Part 1 : Riding Laos and Vietnam

 We peddled 1800 km From Vientiane, Laos to Hoi An, Vietnam.

The following info includes approximate costs of buses, guesthouses and meals as well as km between stops and sights.  Hope it helps.  Let us know if anything changes if you follow this route!

• We purchased our bikes in Chiang Mai- much cheaper than the bikes would have been in Canada.

Chiang Mai – Vientiane

• We took an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani- quite comfortable- they provide blankets etc. With our bikes, the bus cost 550THB for both of us. From there, we took a bus to Nong Khai. Bus with our bikes cost 170THB for both of us.
• Cycled across the Friendship Bridge border from Thailand to Laos.. they say no bikes on the bridge, but there is no other way, so just ride with confidence and a smile!
• We got our Lao visas at the border. $42USD each. Not difficult at all, although the visa for Canadians was more expensive than any other country!
• A dusty but flat ride from the border to Vientiane. Very easy- only about 20km.
• We stayed in Youth Inn 1 in Vientiane- great price (60,000 kip with an ensuite bathroom), very clean, good for meeting people- would highly recommend it!

Vientiane – Vang Vieng (3 days- but you can do it in 2 days)

• Day 1: Vientiane – Ban Senxum (88km)
• An easy, quite flat day of riding, but very dusty and lots of traffic.
• There are places to stay in Phon Hong, but we detoured 7km off the highway to stay at Nam Lik Eco Village. A bit pricy (200,000 kip), but a neat spot…. if you’re going to go all that way, though, it would be better to have a day to spend there.
• Day 2: Ban Senxum – Ban Thahua (65km)
• Another easy day of biking- just one short climb early in the day, then beautiful rolling countryside.
• You can get all the way to Vang Vieng today (just another 34km), but this is a beautiful, off-the-beaten-path town with a cheap guesthouse right on the lake. So worth it for the beautiful sunset over dugout fishing canoes!
• Day 3: Ban Thahua – Vang Vieng (34km)
• Easy riding, beautiful scenery.
• We stayed at Grandview Hotel in Vang Vieng- great prices (60,000-100,000 kip per night), modern rooms, beautiful views!

Vang Vieng – Luang Prabang (3 days- you might want to do 4 days)

• Day 1: Vang Vieng – Namkene Village (79km)
• You can stop in Kasi, which is only about 60km, but very flat and easy, so it’s more fun to push through to this little guesthouse located beside a natural hot spring! Watch your kilometer marking and this is 21km past Kasi. Climb up on the rocks where the water is clean!
• Day 2: Namkene – Kiewkacham (c.78km)
• This is a very tough day of riding, especially if you are still getting your biking legs in shape like we were. It is constant ups and downs (but mainly up) .  You start the day with a nice little descent, but then there is a lot of climbing after that. You can stay in Muang Phu Khum (crossroads with hwy 7), which we proabably should have done. It would have been a short day (only about 30km), but instead we rolled in just after dark to Kiewkacham and were exhausted. There is a nice restaurant and guesthouse in Kiewkacham for 50,000 kip with hot water!
• Day 3: Kiewkacham – Luang Prabang (74km)
• A great day- some climbing, but mainly downhill- would be very hard coming the other direction.

Luang Prabang – Vieng Thong (4 days)

Once you leave highway 13 you are really stepping off the tourist trail and therefore guesthouses and restaurants become very scarce.  For lunches we often ordered extra sticky rice and hard boiled eggs the night before to take on the road as there really is nothing but instant noodle soup along the way. We travelled with a bottle of soya sauce and fried shallots to give the meal a little more flavour, and it always hit the spot!

• Day 1: Luang Prabang – Nong Kiau
• We took  river cruise from Luang Prabang to Nong Kiau- we paid a bit extra to put our bikes on the boat, but it was a fun experience! With bikes, we paid 320,000 kip for both of us. We did meet someone who cycled this section, and while it’s a long day, he really loved it.
• Nong Kiau has lots of guesthouses and restaurants
• Day 2: Nong Kiau – Vieng Kham (48km)
• A nearly perfect day of cycling- 10km rolling to start, then a 18km climb, 15km downhill, then rolling again at the end! A bit of a short day, but you need to stop here because you won’t see another guest house for over 50km more. There are at least two guesthouses, the first one you come upon was excellent
• Day 3: Vieng Kham – Sop Wong (54.5km)
• Climbing to start the day, followed by ups and downs, but you roll through some lovely villages with very excited children! The guesthouse here is on the far side of town and just says ‘bedroom’ above the door! Just ask for the “ban pah” (guesthouse) and people will point you in the right direction.
• Day 4: Sop Wong – Vieng Thong (70km)
• Another day of climbing and great descents. This town has several guesthouses (only 40,000 per night) and restaurants- probably the first time you’ll see other tourists since you left Nong Kiau! (There is a hot spring and a national park near here, if you want to take a day to explore the area.)

Vieng Thong – Sam Neua (3 days)

These three days were hard days of climbing, but you have to keep moving because the accommodation is almost non-existent. Stock up on snacks and start your engines! =)

• Day 1:  Vieng Thong – Nam Neua (68km)
• This day started with an 18km climb, so get ready! When we were here, it was quite cold once we got up high, so have a windbreaker ready.
• Unfortunately, we had to go down a steep 7km descent to get accommodation, which meant backtracking that same distance the next morning. There are rumours that there is some sort of ‘dormitory’ for males, but nothing for females or couples at the top of the hill. This was a nasty workout first thing in the morning, so it you manage to avoid it, that would be awesome.
• In Nam Neua, the first guesthouse at the bottom of the hill is quite dirty. We rode through the town to the other side and found another one that was better, although still very basic. (40,000 kip per night!)
• This town runs on river-powered generators, so you will only have electricity for a few hours at night.
• Day 2: Nam Neua – Houa Meuang (52km)
• There is lots of climbing in this day. It starts with the 7km steep climb (10% at times), and keeps on going. The landscape is beautiful, but we found ourselves going slowly.
• Many people told us that there was no accommodation between Nam Neua and Sam Neua, but there is! After about 48km, there is a crossroads in a small town, and if you turn left towards Houa Meuang (it is well marked with a big sign), you cycle 4km and come to a big town with several guesthouses. It is the regional capital and even has a hospital if you need one (we didn’t, but just FYI).
• Day 3: Houa Meuang – Sam Neua (60km)
• We had a wet and cold ride this day, but hopefully you will have better luck! There is more climbing, but our legs were getting used to it by this point, and you get a nice descent into town to top it off.
• There are many guesthouses in Sam Neua. There is internet in this town if you seek it out. It is the only place we found with internet between Vieng Thong (which closed early) and Hanoi.

Sam Neua – Nameo/ Vietnam border (2 days)

• Day 1:  Sam Neua – Vieng Xai (34km)
• An easy ride through lovely countryside- enjoy!
• We spent a few days relaxing in Vieng Xai, and highly recommend this town as a rest point. There is a lovely guesthouse right on stilts right on the lake for 60,000 a night, and a yummy Indian restaurant! (Who would have thought?!) The man who runs it speaks perfect English and we worked our way through the whole menu!
• The audio tour of the Vieng Xai caves is very well done, and absolutely worth your time!
• Day 2: Vieng Xai – Nameo (59km)
• A very pleasant day of easy cycling!
• There are couple of places to stay just on the Vietnamese side of the border. We stayed for 100,000 dong.
• You can change money at the border, but the exchange is not good. We got a far better rate from the man at our hotel. There are no ATMs (that we saw) until Hanoi, so beware! We took out extra kip in Vieng Xai just to be sure, and we needed it!
• Brace yourself!! Vietnam is much more populated than Laos, and the roads are not as well maintained! ALWAYS get right off the road for trucks and take a deep breath, because Vietnamese drivers like to use their horns!

Nameo – Hanoi (4 days)

• Day 1: Nameo – ??? (92km)
• I don’t know the name of the town where we stayed, but it was 4km southwest of the crossroads between highways 217 and 15
• This was a great day! Easy, rolling for the majority of the day- mainly slightly downhill, although we climbed from about the 70km mark. Make sure you have enough water, as there is nowhere to stop once you start climbing, and we had a very hot day!
• There is a guesthouse where you could stay at Quan Son after 54km, but we got there at noon and decided to keep going. There is another guesthouse 14km past the crossroads of 217 and 15, if you still have power in your legs!
• Day 2: to Mai Chau (70km)
• Another easy day of riding, after the hills in Laos! We actually did a 25km detour this day, making for a 95km day, and we still arrived by 4pm. There is just one big hill after you pass through Quan Hoa.
• Mai Chau is a touristy town, but we really liked it. Most people come on a package tour for one overnight, but we stayed for two nights and it was lovely and quite empty during the day. We enjoyed riding around the area. They do weaving in this town, if you are looking to buy souvenirs.
• We stayed in Pom Coong, right at the last stilt house by the rice field where it was nice and quiet and scenic! We paid 160,000 each for dinner, accom, and breakfast altogether.
• Day 3: Mai Chau- ??? (85km)
• Again, I don’t know the name of the town where we stayed, but it was 55km from Hanoi, and we stayed in a place called ‘Maison Bookshop and Fast Food’- you will see it on the left side of the road. It is not actually a guest house, but the man who runs the bookshop does have an extra room (with an ensuite bathroom and hot water!) speaks excellent English and was happy to have us stay. We only paid 100,000 dong for us both, and we paid another 100,000 for dinner and breakfast for us both. A fun little experience- you will leave chuckling! If you want, you can reserve with him in advance by calling 0906 140 945.
• There is an 11km climb to get out of Mai Chau, but you are rewarded with an 11km descent, and the rest of the day rolls nicely.
• We were going to stop in Hoa Binh, but we were loving the flat cycling so we kept going! In a push, you could get all the way from Mai Chau to Hanoi in a day, but we didn’t realize it would be so flat and we didn’t leave early enough.
• Day 4: to Hanoi (55km)
• This is an easy day of totally flat cycling, but the traffic get crazy quickly, so you have to keep your wits about you!
• A great place to stay in Hanoi is Thu Giang guest house in the old Quarter. Call +84 43828 5734 to reserve in advance- it is nice to have somewhere to go when you first arrive because the city is big and overwhelming after everywhere you’ve been! We only paid $8USD for a private room with twin beds that can push together and the owner gives excellent no-BS tourist info.

Hanoi – Ninh Binh (we took 3 days)

• Day 1: Hanoi – Che Ne (89km)
• Riding out of Hanoi, we turned off Hwy 1 at Thurong Tin to take some smaller roads. We wove through some small villages, and even got ourselves onto some muddy foot paths along the Song Nhue river, but it was so much nicer than being on the stinky highway! There are some really nice roads along the dikes that you can coast down to Hoa My. WE turned right at Hwy 429 which took us to Hwy 21B.
• We spent the night in Che Ne, a random town where nobody speaks English, but there is a guesthouse (not the nicest) for 200,000 dong.
• Day 2: Che Ne – Cuc Phuong National Park (81km)
• Today we turned off of Hwy 21B and Thanh Bo and meandered again through small villages- taking our time and taking in the off-the-beaten-path sights. We had some trouble finding a place to stop for lunch today, so you might want to pack food.
• The road from Cuc Phuong National Park gate to the park centre is amazing!!! Maybe the best cycling route we’ve been on in Vietnam! It is 18km of fairly constant 10% climbs, followed by 10% descents, but all the hills are short in length, so not disheartening. Ride this road- you will not regret it!
• When you get to the park centre, there is a cool, aged-feeling guesthouse to stay in that we really liked. The guesthouse in park centre cost $15USD including breakfast. The restaurant there is very good- we ate a yummy and filling dinner and lunch there too.
• Day 3: Cuc Phuong National Park – Ninh Binh (64km)
• In th morning we did the 8km loop hike to see the 1000 year old tree. We didn’t leave until 2:30pm because we had to fix a flat tire, but we still made it to Ninh Binh by dark.
• Ninh Binh is not an overly charming city, but we like the area by the train station, which has lots of hotels and is off the main road.
• From Ninh Binh, we spent a day cycling around to Tam Coc, Hoa Lu, Mua Cave etc. Very worth it- take a day here!

Ninh Binh – Hoi An

• We took an overnight bus from Ninh Binh to Hue because we were running out of time, and this saved us 600km of riding on Hwy 1!
• Hue – Hoi An (144km)
• This was  a great day of cycling, especially after Long Co beach because you are off the main highway. DO NOT SKIP THIS! Even if you have an open bus ticket, as many people do, this part is worth it! After Hai Van Pass, you can follow the coast all the way to Hoi An- you do not have to get back on Hwy 1.
• You could do this in 2 days and stop at Long Co Beach before the big climb over the Hai Van Pass, but we pushed through and were happy we did in the end. Aside from the Hai Van Pass, the day is mostly flat.
• Hai Van Pass is a 10km climb, but is has beautiful views over the South China Sea, and there is NO TRAFFIC!! All the trucks, cars, and buses go through the tunnel, so it will just be you and the occasional motorbike.
• In Hoi An, we stayed at Sunflower Hotel, and would highly recommend it! It is $8USD per person but included a private bathroom, very clean room, and the most amazing all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast that you could ever hope for as a hungry cyclist on a budget!
• The cheapest restaurant in town in called Sun Shine (46 Tran Cao Van St) and the woman there is super friendly. The best meal we had was at White Marble (98 Le Loi St.)- a yummy and well-priced wine bar restaurant.

LIFE ON A BIKE PART 2:     Cambodia

•  We took a train from Bangkok to Arayaprathet (Thai/Cambodia border) 48 Baht + 90 Baht for the bike.  From here it is a c. 10 km to the border.
• Arayaprathet to Sisophon 52 km.  Smooth flat road but with persistent  head wind.  Super friendly farmers and Children shouting hello and amazing scenes of people and goods crammed into vehicles: “Khmer poolers!”  The very first GH we found was $10: Pyn’s Guesthouse run by very interesting Australian. Amazing clean room, beautiful pool and good food.
• Sisophan to Siem Reap 112 km: again long flat smooth road with head wind.  We stayed at Popular GH. Great value at  $6 for fan room with bathroom.
• Siem Reap t0 Angkor temples: We bought a 3 day pass for $40.  Highly recommended.  The first day we hired a guide and took a tuk tuk ($25 +$12) the second and thrid days we cycled.  The most famous temples are only about 8km away from town.   The second day we did “The grand tour” which took us about 42 km round tirp.  The third day we cycled to the  far away temples of Bantai Srei and the river carvings of Kbal Spean and stopped on route at the land mine museum.  Excellent road through beautiful villages: 100 km round trip.
• Siem Reap to Battambang: We took a boat cruise ($20 + $5 for the bikes) Beautiful views of floating villages and wildlife.  Good lunch stop on route.  Boat dock is about 20 km from Siem Reap. (your boat ticket includes the entrance fee to the pier so don’t pay it twice like we almost did!)  We stayed at Bayon GH for $8 but apparently you can get $6 at the Royal Hotel near the central market.
• Battambang day trip: Bamboo train ($5 each, no fee for bike) we took it one way and then rode back via Banan temple and the Killing Caves ($4, one ticket gets you into both) This trip took us about 40 km with some detours while getting lost.
• Battambang to Pursat: c.110 km  Nokor GH on the south- east side of the River. $6 with WiFi.