Summer is coming and it is now the best time to get away from the madness of Old Quarter and cycle round the 17km shoreline of what must be one of the largest lakes to be found in a city centre.

As well as escaping the busy streets of Hanoi, the lake also provides an opportunity to watch fishermen at work, to see some very pretty temples – which are scattered liberally around the shore – and to enjoy a coffee or beer while enjoying the breeze that comes across the lake. And the views across the lake on a sunny day are impressive.

West Lake in Hanoi is often described as the most romantic place resplendent in its beauty and vastness. Its beauty has been immortalized in the works of several poets, writers and artists. Often been described as a mirror of Hanoi, this lake is also considered as the ‘lung of the city’. Its vast blue water and the violet and red blossoms create an indescribable beauty.

Start the bike ride right from your hotel, you follow either the Quan Thanh or Dien Bien Phu street to get to the Quan Thanh temple or Tran Quoc pagoda. Join the West Lake and start cycling along the small road running around the lake.

The first place you will stop is Yen Phu temple. You have time to visit and listen the history of the temple. Then biking to the second place which called Kim Lien pagoda. Shot break inside pagoda and listening the explanation from our tour guide about the Buddhism in Vietnam. After that, leave the pagoda and proceed to Tay Ho palace. Our tour guide will introducing the particular kind of religion in Vietnamese spirit life – Mother Saint worshiping. Continue biking and enjoin the scenery around the lake.

Arriving back to your hotel around 3 PM.

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Cycling is one of the best way to discover the Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. The city includes many cultural heritages and tourist attractions such as the Ho Chi Minh complex which consists Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ba Dinh square, Presidential Palace, Uncle Ho’s House on stilt, One pillar pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

In his will, the President stated his wish to be cremated, and to have his ash buried on the hills of the North, the Center, and the South of Vietnam. Yet, in honor of his huge dedication for the country and for the love of all Vietnamese for him, the successor Communist Government decided to keep his body so that he can see the whole country’s reunion, and the following generations can come and visit him. Accordingly, on September 2nd, 1973, his mausoleum started to be built in Ba Dinh Square, where he read the Independence Declaration on September 2nd, 1945, and was completed on August 22nd, 1975, with the Soviet Union’s help.

The Mausoleum, which was made of marble and granite, features a three-stored structure. In the second store places the famous President’s body, lying as if he were sleeping in the simple clothes worn when he was alive. Outside, visitors can see his popular quote “Khong co gi quy hon doc lap tu do” (translated as “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”) on the top face of the mausoleum. In front of the mausoleum is the 79 cycad trees, symbolizing Uncle Ho’s 79 springs of life.

Temple of Litterature.

Continue your bike tour with a visit to the Temple of literature, located on Van Mieu Street, 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake. Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a famous historical and cultural relic consisting of the Temple of Literature and Vietnam is first university. The Temple of Literature was built in 1070 in honour of Confucius, his followers and Chu Van An, a moral figure in Vietnamese education.

Quoc Tu Giam, or Vietnam’s first university, was built in 1076. Throughout its hundreds of years of activity in the feudal, thousands of Vietnamese scholars graduated from this university.

Ethnology Museum.

You then follow the Nguyen Thai Hoc street, cycling through Kim Ma, Ngoc Khanh before arriving in Nguyen Khanh Toan street where you make another stop for visiting the ethnology museum. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country.

The museum is packed full of information detailing traditional Vietnamese ways of life, from religious events to the symbolic rituals of all the Vietnamese ethnic groups, providing a rich tapestry of the culture melting pot existing in Vietnam. The exhibition hall features everyday objects representing each group, a research centre, library and auditorium.

The outdoor display area exhibits a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas, with great attention paid to the varying architectural styles set within the authentic and tranquil gardens. In addition, there are also leisure pursuits on display including traditional water puppet theatre and calligraphy. The future aim of the museum is to also showcase the many cultural practices and civilisations across Southeast Asia.

Of course there are other travel highlights in Hanoi which can be included or taken out from your itinerary. Just let your Lotussia Travel consultant know what you are interest in the most, he or she will draft an itinerary for you.

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A Day Bike Tour to Cu Da Village and Perfumed Pagoda

The Perfume Pagoda, located about 1.5 hour drive from Hanoi  is a vast complex of pagodas and shrines built into the limestone Huong Tich mountains. From the middle of the second lunar month to the end of the third lunar month, it is the site of a very popular religious festival which draws large numbers of pilgrims.

Joining this day biking tour, you have the opportunity to visit one of the biggest spiritual sites in Vietnam, the Pefume Pagoda. Also enjoy pedaling on rural, village road to experience the life of a farmer.

The tour begin with a car transfer from Hanoi, your hotel to the suburban area. The car transfer takes about one hour before you leave the busy streets behind, arriving  in the To village where you begin your bike ride along the Nhue Giang river.

After about one a half hour ride, you will arrive in Cu Da village. Nestled inside the Nhue river,  village stretched and shaped fish with bones stabbed neighbor across the lane, narrow, red-tiled. Gate also run to the river with brick veranda  to rise up water edge. The planned nature of the village typical for an ancient Vietnamese village have agricultural while trading. To Cu Da village, we do not praise out before the ancient beauty, but by the time the traditional preserve and promote until today. Ancient village famous for do the job soy-bean, this village is also known as vermicelli where the largest production vermicelli  in the North now.

After spending for about one hour visiting the village ancient houses, talking with local peoples and learning how to make the sauce, you continue cycling on the village road for about another half hour before being picked up again by your vehicle and transferred to the Perfume pagoda.

Upon your arrival in the Hanoi Perfume pagoda, you first start the trip by boating on a river among a beautiful karstic landscape, then you hike quite a long trail, which is all lined up with stands of food and religious souvenirs, to reach eventually the main sanctuary in a cave. Along the way, there are a great number of other places to worship.

Around mid-afternoon, you take the boat to cruise back to the pier where your car is waiting for you for the journey back to Hanoi.

You arrive back in Hanoi at late afternoon. Trip ends.

Need further information? Contact us

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Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi based tour operator offering a wide selection of bicycle tours in and around Hanoi. These bicycle tours can be divided into two categories as follows.

Hanoi Easy Bicycle Tours.

The easy bicycle tours are the tours which include only about two or three hour cycling. You mostly cycle on flat, paved roads in countryside area or rural villages. Sample itinerary of this category are the day trip to Duong Lam ancient village, the day tour to Hoa Lu and Tam Coc, the overnight trip to Kenh Ga village and Tam Coc.

We use private vehicle with driver for transfers, from Hanoi to the site where you enjoy the bike ride. The type of car is up to group size. We use a 4-seater car for a party of one of two people, 16-seater minibus for a party of 3 – 6 people. If the group size is bigger, we will use either 30-seater bus or 45-seater bus.

The bikes we use are classic push bikes (one speed) and are only available in the field. It is possible for you to cycle as long as you like around this place before being picked up again by your vehicle and transferred back to Hanoi.

If you look just some easy and fun ride, these bicycle tours are for you.

Hanoi Active Bicycle Tours.

Most of our active bicycle tours are arranged out of Hanoi. We use a support vehicle taking you, along with our bikes from Hanoi to the destination. As the bikes are taken from Hanoi and carried by the support vehicle, you can stop and cycle whenever you like, even before you arrive in your travel destination.

Sample itineraries of this category are the day tour to But Thap pagoda, the day trip to Bat Trang village, the day tour to Tram Giang and Thay pagoda, the day trip to Co Loa and rural Hanoi…

Booking this option, you will have the opportunity to cycle for about 4 – 6 hours per day on flat, paved roads in countryside area or rural villages. The bikes we use are trek bikes or giant bikes (24 speed drive train). These imported bikes are of good quality making your trip as safe as possible.

If you look for active bicycle tours but you don’t have much time to spend on biking, then these day trips and overnight excursion are for you.

For more information either mail to travel at lotussia.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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The one-day cycling tour is customized for active adventure travelers, family travel, holiday with kids and all those who would like to cycle in countryside village lanes, through rice fields and rural villages. The one day biking tour starts at about 7:00 am in the morning and ends up in mid or late afternoon. This depends on how long they will cycle. The day biking tour is provided with support vehicle, experienced English-speaking tour guide, meals, mountain bikes, bottled drinking water and snacks. The day trip takes you to Van Huong liquor village and Tho Ha village where you will see the real Vietnam. The best time to do this one-day bicycle tour is the dry season starting from October until April the following year. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

7:00 am: You will be met up with Lotussia Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi (Please let us know your hotel name and hotel contacts upon your confirmation). You will be then transferred by car through Bac Ninh to Bac Giang province, in the northern Hanoi.

As the car leaves the Hanoi busy streets your guide will give a short briefing about the day tour, the biking trail and other useful information.

After about one hour drive, you will arrive in the Duong Riverside where you cross the river and turn left following a dirt trail. Take your bikes out of the car and start riding along the dykes. This portion of the road offers beautiful scenery of the countryside and rural villages. Some stops can be made en route for you to enjoy the wild nature and to take picture of the rice paddy fields of the immerse fields of lotus.

After about one hour cycling, you arrive in a dirt biking trail. This is a small dirt road that runs along the Duong River. You turn right sometimes taking small village lanes to visit rural villages which are located amidst rice fields. The bike ride offers you the opportunity to cycle to one of the less traveled places in northern Vietnam. There are very few tourists coming to this area. We are sure that the local villagers will be surprised to meet up any foreigners there.

Keep cycling along the dykes until you arrive in Van Huong village. The village is said to be home to a special kind of liquor for which the recipe is a closely guarded recipe that has survived since the early 18th century. Liquor distilled in Van village was renowned and in feudal times bottles made it as far as the royal court. Nowadays there is a factory making liquor but you have the opportunity to meet up with local villagers who will tell you how they make this in traditional way.

Continue cycling through Van Huong village, you arrive in Tho Ho Village where you make a stop for lunch.

Located at the waterfront Bridge, Tho Ha village famous as the career list with pottery from the 14th century. Tho Ha was an economic center for pottery, full of kilns, businessmen, and boats trading in ceramics. These days, young people only know of Tho Ha’s former fame through the splendid walls, roofs and houses made using broken pottery.

After lunch, enjoy a short walk through small village alleys to experience the local life. Most of the houses are built with tiles roofs. Pigs are growth in almost every house since the villagers now make noodle for living.

Take the ferry and cross the river to the other side where you vehicle will be waiting for your drive back to Hanoi.

Arriving back in Hanoi around 16:00 – 17:00, you will be dropped off at your hotel. Trip ends.

Need further information? Either mail to travel at lotussia.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

The post Day Trips out of Hanoi: Biking to Van Huong and Tho Ha Villages Bac Giang Province appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

The one-day cycling tour is customized for active adventure travelers, family travel and those who would like to spend hours biking on village lanes in the rural Hanoi. The tour starts at about 7:00 am in the morning and ends up about early afternoon. The day biking tour is provided with support vehicle, experienced English-speaking tour guide, meals, mountain bikes, bottled drinking water and snacks. The best time to do this one-day bicycle tour is autumn or spring when the weather is cool and the rice fields are green.  for more details.

Itinerary:

7:00 am: You will be met up with Lotussia Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi (Please advise your hotel name and hotel contacts upon your confirmation). You will be then transferred by car to the outskirts of Hanoi.

As the car leaves the Hanoi busy streets your guide will give a short briefing about the day tour, the biking trail and other useful information.

After about a half hour drive, the first stop will be made. You will take your bike out of the car and start your cycling adventures. You turn right following a small village lane leading to Hoa Binh village. The ride is easy as you bike on paved road without up and downhill ride. You pedal through popcorn fields, vegetable gardens and passing by smiling faces.

You will bike through this small rural village and reach the river dyke. Keep cycling on the dyke further to the west. Enjoy beautiful rural scenery along the ride. You may have a chance to visit a local market which is open twice a week following the lunar calendar.

You then cross the river and enjoy some more rides before arriving in Tram pagoda. The pagoda was built in early 16th century by a General. It is exactly located at Tu Tram mountain, an architecture that combines architecture of pagoda in North, mountain architecture, and natural cave.

It is possible for you to have short rest by the pagoda before continue bicycling to Tram Gian pagoda. This portion of the road is also flat without much traffic. If you arrive here around 11h00 you will meet up with lots of local pupils going out their school. They are happy to pedal along with you as they are keen to see foreigners and to try practice English.

After about one more half hour biking, you will arrive Tram Gian pagoda. Tram Gian Pagoda is the folk name of the pagoda which is also known as So Pagoda, Nui Pagoda and Tien Lu Pagoda. The pagoda is thought to have been built in 1185 during the reign of King Ly Cao Tong and sits on top of a low hill named Tien Lu. The pagoda keeps precious artifacts such as a stone dragon of the Tran Dynasty made as a banister, many bricks of the Mac Dynasty used to build a Tam The (past, present and future lives) statue, and many paintings and bas-reliefs depicting animals and Arhats.

You may wish to spend a little time visiting the pagoda before taking an off-the-beaten path road which goes through rice fields, vegetable gardens and noodle village. This portion of the biking trail is the highlight of the day since the cycling trail is beautiful, off-the-beaten path offering authentic life scenery. There you may want to make a stop by a local house to learn how the noodle is made.

Keep cycling until you find the dyke again where you turn right following a paved road. You may want to cycle a bit more before making another stop for lunch.

After lunch, you upload the bikes on your vehicle and get transferred by car to Thay pagoda. Built in the 11th century during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong, Thay Pagoda consists of three sections: the outer part for offerings and ceremonies, the middle part for worship of Buddha and the inner part for worship of the monk Tu Dao Hanh, the master after whom the pagoda is named.

Visit the pagoda and travel back to Hanoi. Arriving back in Hanoi at about 16:00 – 17:00, you will be dropped off at your hotel. Trip ends.

Need further information? Either mail to travel at lotussia.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

The post Day Trips out of Hanoi: Bicycling to Tram Gian and Thay Pagodas appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

The one-day cycling tour is customized for active adventure travelers, family travel and those who would like to spend hours biking on village lanes in the rural Hanoi. The tour starts at about 7:00 am or 8:00 am in the morning and end up about early afternoon. The day biking tour is provided with support vehicle, English-speaking tour guide, meals, mountain bikes, bottled drinking water and snacks. The best time to do this one-day bicycle tour is autumn or spring when the weather is cool and the fields are green. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

7:00 am: You will be met up with Lotussia Travel at your hotel in Hanoi (Please advise your hotel name and hotel contacts). You will be then transferred by car to the outskirts of Hanoi.

As the car leaves the Hanoi busy streets our guide will give a short briefing about the day tour, the biking trail and other useful information.

After about a half hour drive, you will take your bike out of the car and start your cycling adventures. You turn right following a small village lane which leads to Hoa Binh village. The ride is easy as you bike on paved road without up and downhill ride. You pedal through popcorn fields, vegetable gardens and  smiling faces.

You will bike through this village and reach the rive dyke. Keep cycling on the dyke further to the west. Enjoy beautiful rural scenery along the bike ride. You may have a chance to visit a local market which is open twice a week following the lunar calendar.

You then cross the river and enjoy some more rides before arriving in Tram pagoda. The pagoda was built in early 16th century by a General. It is exactly located at Tu Tram mountain, an architecture that combines architecture of pagoda in North, mountain architecture, and natural cave.

It is possible for you to have short rest by the pagoda before continue bicycling to Tram Gian pagoda. This portion of the road is also flat without much traffic. If you arrive here around 11h00 you will meet up with lots of local pupils who are happy to pedal and to try practice English with you.

After about one more half hour, you will arrive Tram Gian pagoda. Tram Gian Pagoda is the folk name of the pagoda which is also known as So Pagoda, Nui Pagoda and Tien Lu Pagoda. The pagoda is thought to have been built in 1185 during the reign of King Ly Cao Tong and sits on top of a low hill named Tien Lu. The pagoda keeps precious artifacts such as a stone dragon of the Tran Dynasty made as a banister, many bricks of the Mac Dynasty used to build a Tam The (past, present and future lives) statue, and many paintings and bas-reliefs depicting animals and Arhats.

You may wish to visit the pagoda before being picked up again by your vehicle and transferred back to Hanoi. Trips ends.

Need further information either mail to travel at lotussia.com or visit www.lotussiatravel.com

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Tay Tuu village is located in the western Hanoi. The village has become famous for its large variety of beautiful flowers that not o­nly grace local markets but are also exported abroad, and all the households in the village have become involved in this industry. The one day cycling tour to Tay Tuu flower village is customized for small groups tours, holidays with kids. The ride is easy as you mostly cycle on flat roads. The best time to travel this one day biking tour is before the Tet festival.

Itinerary:

7:30am You will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi (Please advise your hotel contact details). Depending on the location of your hotel, you can either enjoy a short walk or take a taxi to get to our bike store.

Arriving at our bike store, the guide will give a short briefing about the bikes such as how to change the speed drivetrain (there are 24-speed drivetrain). He also gives useful information about the biking trail, biking tips. You can try to test our bikes riding for some rounds before starting your outdoor adventure.

You start your day adventure by cycling along the Red River. You mostly cycle on the back roads are small alleys that run zigzagging along the dyke. After about half hour riding, you arrive in a small hamlet, located by the riverside where people live of selling ceramics.

You may want to spend some time taking picture before continue your bike ride. You keep cycling through Bonsai and flower gardens until you reach a catholic church where you may make one more stop for a short rest/visit.

Then continue cycling on the back roads, along the Red River dyke to the Dong Ngac communal house where you make one more stop. The communal house, known as an ancient temple in the 17th century, was built to the north of the village near the dyke of the Red River. In 1635, it was restored and expanded to worship three spirits, including Thien Than (Doc Cuoc who was invited to the communal house by Phan Phu Tien from Sam Son, Thanh Hoa), Dia Than (the tutelary god who helped the villagers prevent disasters, fight against drought and performed some miracles) and Nhan Than (Le Khoi, a nephew of King Le Thai To, who was a famous general and was awarded the title “Senior lieutenant-general”. The communal house also pays homage to Pham Tho Ly, who gave land to build the communal house in 1635, and Doctor Pham Quang Dung who restored the communal house in 1718.

After visiting the communal house, you keep cycling along the Red River dyke, crossing the Nhue Giang river, arriving the outskirts of Hanoi. You continue biking for some kilometers on the flat roads until you turn left, finding yourselves in Tay Tuu flower villages. Tây Tựu is considered as the oldest flower village in the suburban area. The village was formed about 10 years ago. The most popular flowers in this area are rose, gerbera and lily.

You cycle amidst the flower and vegetable fields. A stop can be made somewhere else for you to learn how these flowers and vegetable are grown.

Your picnic lunch is provided on the spot.

After lunch, it is possible for you to ride for some more time before being picked up by your vehicle and transferred back to Hanoi city center. Arriving back at your hotel at mid afternoon, trip ends.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi based tour operator offering a wide selection of cycling tours in all over Vietnam. The above cycling tour is only a sample we list on this site for your reference. That can be flexible, customizable and subject to weather conditions and other circumstances. We have lots of other itineraries which can be available upon request. If you need further information or have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to email us at travel at lotussia.com or visit www.cyclinghanoi.com.

The post Hanoi urban adventures: Cycling to Tay Tuu flower village (one day) appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

The one-day bike tour takes you to the outskirts of Hanoi city center. You begin the tour with a short walk from your hotel to our bike store, at about half hour walking from the old quarter. You then cycle the Hanoi back roads going through small lanes and busy streets where you can experience the other side of Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. Opportunity to visit, bonsai, flower gardens, ceramic shops, catholic church and different spiritual sites such as communal house, temple and pagodas…The one day cycling tour is available all year round and highly recommended to those looking for something active and different discovery. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

7:30am You will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi (Please advise your hotel contact details). Depending on the location of your hotel, you can either enjoy a short walk or take a taxi to get to our bike store.

Arriving at our bike store, the guide will give a short briefing about the bikes such as how to change the speed drivetrain (there are 24-speed drivetrain). He also gives useful information about the biking trail, biking tips. You can try to test our bikes riding for some rounds before starting your outdoor adventure.

You start your day adventure by cycling along the Red River. You mostly cycle on the back roads are small alleys that run zigzagging along the dyke. After about half hour riding, you arrive in a small hamlet, located by the riverside where people live of selling ceramics.

You may want to spend some time taking picture before continue your bike ride. You keep cycling through Bonsai and flower gardens until you reach a catholic church where you may make one more stop for a short rest/visit.

Then continue cycling on the back roads, along the Red River dyke to the Dong Ngac communal house where you make one more stop. The communal house, known as an ancient temple in the 17th century, was built to the north of the village near the dyke of the Red River. In 1635, it was restored and expanded to worship three spirits, including Thien Than (Doc Cuoc who was invited to the communal house by Phan Phu Tien from Sam Son, Thanh Hoa), Dia Than (the tutelary god who helped the villagers prevent disasters, fight against drought and performed some miracles) and Nhan Than (Le Khoi, a nephew of King Le Thai To, who was a famous general and was awarded the title “Senior lieutenant-general”. The communal house also pays homage to Pham Tho Ly, who gave land to build the communal house in 1635, and Doctor Pham Quang Dung who restored the communal house in 1718.

After visiting the communal house, you take another road cycling back to Hanoi. After about one hour or two, you arrive in the restaurant where your Vietnamese lunch will be served.

After lunch, you continue pedaling along the shores of Hanoi West Lake to get back to Hanoi city center. Another optional stop can be scheduled when you cycling to Tran Quoc Pagoda. Located on an islet connected to the eastern shore of West Lake (Ho Tay, Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest in Vietnam. Its construction dates back to 514 and its restoration in the fifteenth century (according to a stele placed on the pagoda in 1639).

On the way back to your hotel, you have the opportunity to visit some other city highlights such as the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (outside), the flag tower, the north gate of the ancient citadel in Hanoi.

Arriving back at your hotel at mid afternoon, trip ends.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi based tour operator offering a wide selection of cycling tours in all over Vietnam. The above cycling tour is only a sample we list on this site for your reference. That can be flexible, customizable and subject to weather conditions and other circumstances. We have lots of other itineraries we don’t put all here since there are some dishonest individuals have copied, without our agreement our contents and pasted on their site for commercial purpose. If you need further information or have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact us at any time. We look forward to seeing you soon in Vietnam!

The post Hanoi by bike: Cycling along the Red River to Dong Ngac ancient village (one day) appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

Enjoy a short walk from your hotel to our bike store, located in Hanoi city center. Those staying in Hanoi outskirts can take a taxi or hire a private car to get to our bike store.

8:00am: You will be met up with Lotussia Travel English-speaking guide at our bike store. He will give a short briefing about the bikes such as how to change the speed drivetrain (there are 24-speed drivetrain). He also give information about the biking trail you can try to test our bikes riding for some rounds before starting your outdoor adventure.

Begin your day tour by cycling along the Red River dyke, taking the Long Bien bridge, formerly known as the Paul Doumer Bridge – was one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the French colony and a showpiece of colonial infrastructure.

After crossing the Red River, you continue riding along the dyke for some kilometers before joining a small biking trail that furrows among pop corn, vegetable and fruit gardens. You mostly cycle on the back roads amidst the wild nature.

After about two hour cycling, you arrive in Bat Trang village, a small village in the north of Việt Nam, is about 13 kilometers southeast of Hanoi center, on the other side of the Red River. The village is famous for ceramic and pottery products of high quality.

Lunch will be provided in a local restaurant in town.

After lunch, you will have a short walk to visit the village, discovering the village ceramic market, the Bat Trang temple, Bat Trang communal house. Discover the real life as you walk through tiny alleys that furrow continuously right and left.

Before taking the ride back, you stop by a local workshop where you learn all the steps of making a pottery. You have the opportunity to make your own pottery before saying good bye your “teacher” and enjoy two more hour cycling back to Hanoi. Those are not fond with the ride back can take a car to get back to your hotel. Trip ends.

Lotussia Travel is a Hanoi based tour operator offering a wide selection of cycling tours in all over Vietnam. The above biking tour is only a sample we list on this site for your reference. That can be flexible, customizable and subject to weather conditions and other circumstances. We have lots of other itineraries we don’t put all here since there are some dishonest individuals have copied, without our agreement our contents and pasted on their site for commercial purpose. If you need further information or have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact us at any time. We look forward to seeing you soon in Vietnam!

The post Cycling to Bat Trang village (one day) appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

Duong Lam is a small village that has somehow managed to escape the winds of change sweeping through the country. A bike journey to Duong Lam village is a cycling trip to trace back the origin of Vietnam’s culture and Vietnam’s traditions. This is also the great chance to explore architecture of ancient houses while cycle along its narrow alleyways, visit temples dedicated to the two kings who were born there, and most interesting of all, chat with locals living in the ancient houses.

Itinerary:

8:00: You will be met up with Lotussia Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi and transferred west of Hanoi to Duong Lam village, a purely agricultural village of the Northern Red River delta where still preserve many hundred-year-old houses. It will be your unique experience as you walk along tiny ancient alleys. Arrive in Duong Lam village after for about two hours, visit Mong Phu temple, the only hamlet whose original village entrance gate remains intact. Have some talks with the locals in their ancient houses where your lunch will be provided (optional).

After lunch, take the bike and start cycling to the Mia Pagoda (other hamlet in Duong Lam village). The pagoda is built in 15th century containing 287 statues of different sizes. Bike then to Ngo Quyen temple and Phung Hung temple. These are two places are dedicated to Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung, the two National Heroes of Vietnam. Cycle back to Duong Lam village and return to your hotel in Hanoi. End trip.

Need further information? Contact us

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The Hanoi cycling tour one day is provided to those are familiar with cycling in the city where the local traffic is quite busy. Lotussia Travel biking guide will meet you up at your hotel in Hanoi and you start your day adventures right from your hotel. You cycle as the local do, through the busy traffic to all the major sights of Vietnam’s capital. Depending on the weather and individual interest, the tour can be the one-day cycling or just for some hours in the early morning. If you just like doing some hours cycling in the early morning, when the traffic is not busy yet, the tour can be combined with a Tai Chi lesson. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

At 08:00am, you will be a met up by Lotussia Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi. After briefing and a short warming up exercise, we will leave hotel for a full day sightseeing tour of Hanoi by bicycle.

The tour is split into a morning session with a visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (closed on Mondays, Fridays and Afternoons), his House On-Stilts, the One-Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature.

After lunch (not included), we will visit the Museum of Ethnology where you can find the biggest object collection of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Return you to your hotel at around 17:00. End trip.

Need further information? Contact us

The post Hanoi city tour by bicycle appeared first on Cycling In and Around Hanoi.

The one-day outdoor adventure tour takes you to the urban of Hanoi. You begin the tour with a short walk from your hotel to our bike store, at about half hour walking from the old quarter. You then cycle the Hanoi back roads going through small lanes and busy streets where you can experience the other side of Vietnam’s capital. Opportunity to meet up with Hanoian peoples, bonsai gardens, peach garden, ceramic shops, local church, temple and pagodas…The day cycling tour is available all year round and the most recommended for those looking for something active and different. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

You will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi. The one-day cycling tour begins with a short walk through the Old Quarter of Hanoi. You will walk through the Dong Xuan market, the ancient gate of the citadel of Hanoi and the Long Bien Bridge before arriving at the departure point.

After a brief introduction to the use of our bicycles and the biking road, we begin our adventure by cycling along the Red River. Visit the market of ceramics, located by the riverside. Then continue cycling until we reach the village of Bonsai where we will make another break. We make another stop in a church. Then we cross the street which is also the dam to reach the West Lake.

We cycle a little more before we arrive in the restaurant where the lunch will be served. We will the the opportunity to taste the fried shrimp, a specialty of Hanoi.

After lunch, we continue to ride along the shores of West Lake. We stop at the Tran Quoc Pagoda for the visit of the pagoda. Located on an islet connected to the eastern shore of West Lake (Ho Tay, Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest in Vietnam. Its construction dates back to 514 and its restoration in the fifteenth century (according to a stele placed on the pagoda in 1639).

After visiting the pagoda, we have the opportunity to visit some other sites such as the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (outside), the flag tower, the north gate of the ancient citadel in Hanoi. We reach the hotel around late afternoon. End of our adventure.

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The one day cycling tour is arranged in the north-western Hanoi where you have the opportunity to experience the farming and spiritual life. Begin your day adventure with a car transfer to Song Phuong village. Make a stop and assist to the real life as you learn how to plan vegetable and other agricultural activities. Enjoy your home-hosted meal before continuing your bicycle ride further south-west to Thay pagoda. Visit the pagoda and cycle for some more kilometers to Tay Phuong pagoda. You cycle through a rural area where people live of planting rice. Ending the cycling activity, you will be picked up again by your support vehicle for the drive back to Hanoi. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

7:00 a.m you will be met with Lotussia Travel team at your hotel in Hanoi. After a short briefing about the day tour and the biking trail, you will be transferred out of Hanoi city center. After about one hour drive, you will arrive in a countryside village where you will have the opportunity to do gardening with local farmers. The local farmers grow different type of vegetable and orchards which include cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, green peas, Chinese peas, corn, oranges, pomelo, papaya and more.

Join with local farmers to work on the farm. Depending on the season your works might involve with raking, sowing, watering greens, picking greens and other gardening activities.

This morning is ended with a lunch in a local house and you will enjoy local dishes, seasonal vegetable, fruits and Vietnamese green tea.

In the afternoon you will visit the Thay Pagoda – a complex of temples, communal houses and pagoda nestled at the foot of a large limestone cliff formation, characteristic of the area. Built in the 11th century during the reign of King Ly Nhan Tong, Thay Pagoda consists of three sections: the outer part for offerings and ceremonies, the middle part for worship of Buddha and the inner part for worship of the monk Tu Dao Hanh, the master after whom the pagoda is named.

In front of the pagoda is a small stage built on stilt in the middle of Long Tri Pond. It is the place where water puppet performances are held during festivals from the fifth until the seventh days of the third lunar month.

We then proceed to Tay Phuong Pagoda which is situated on the top of Buffalo Mountain. This pagoda could be the most beautiful pagoda in Northern Vietnam with an ancient architecture, impressive wooden statues of Buddha and Arhats.

After visiting the Tay Phuong pagoda, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Hanoi. The end of our services.

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The one day bicycle tour, provided by the Hanoi based tour operator Lotussia Travel takes you to the outskirts of Hanoi. Begin the tour with a taxi transfer from your hotel to our bike store. Then you start your Hanoi urban adventure visiting some local houses, bonsai garden, going through villages lanes before embarking on a local ferry to the other side of Vietnam’s capital. Just after one hour cycling, you find yourself in the outskirts of Hanoi, the Hanoi rural area. Cycling along Duong dykes, through agricultural villages, rice fields and meeting up with local friendly people. Opportunity to visit Co Loa citadel before taking another biking trail to get back to Hanoi. The day biking tour is recommended for small groups touring, family travel, holidays with kids or those loving outdoor, active, fun tour to the rural Hanoi. Contact Lotussia Travel for more details.

Itinerary:

7:00 am you will be met up with Lotussia Travel guide at your hotel in Hanoi (please inform us your hotel name). After a short briefing about the bike, gears and the biking trail, you will begin your adventure by pedaling from your hotel to the other side of the Red River (for those who are not familiar with cycling in the city where the traffic is quite busy, we recommend booking a support vehicle. The extra charge will be advised by your Lotussia Travel consultant when you book the tour).

After about a half hour, you will leave the Hanoi busy town behind. You cycle across the Long Bien Bridge,  the first steel bridge spanning the Red River in Hanoi, built by the French (1899-1902) and named for Doumer, read as though-love (the name of Governor Paul Doumer Indochina).

Once you are on the other side of the town, you will cycle along the dyke, goring into the rural area of Hanoi.

Visiting an ancient village that is located by the Red river will help you know further the real life of Vietnamese people. You may want to visit a master of martial who practices Vietnamese Kungfu for years or a retired person who has lots of beautiful Bonsai.

Then take a ferry crossing the Duong river. You will arrive in the area where people live of agriculture. You cycle from villages to villages, through rice fields and friendly people. You will arrive Co Loa citadel around noon. This old fortress attracts many foreign tourists for its historical and cultural value. It would be interesting for tourist to find that this Citadel is not only built in a large scale, but also took a very long time to construct. Especially, it has also been the source of various relics of the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age. This would be a precious chance for tourists to explore such large site and its potential beauty. This spiral-shaped complex will take you to the mysterious ancient Vietnam thousands of years ago.

Lunch will be provided in a local restaurant or picnic lunch can be arranged.

In the afternoon, it is possible for you to cycle for some more kilometers before being picked up by our vehicle and transferred back to your hotel in Hanoi. The end of Lotussia Travel service.

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About Co Loa citadel:

Co Loa Citadel is a citadel built near Phong Khe, about 20km to the North of today’s Hanoi, during the end of the Hong Bang Dynasty (about 257 BCE). The fortress is a spiral-shaped complex of the then new capital. Its name is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese, meaning “old spiral.” The site has been the source of various relics of the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age.

According to folklore, Thuc Phan (An Duong Vuong) defeated the last of the Hung kings in 257 BCE and founded the kingdom of Au Lac, choosing the site of Co Loa as his capital. Co Loa is a very large site and is the dominant presence in the northern floodplain of the Red River Delta, which would have required a large amount of labour and resources to have built in its time.

The site consists of two outer sets of ramparts and a citadel on the inside, of rectangular shape.

The outer rampart comprises a perimeter of 8 km and is lined with guard towers. The ramparts still stand up to 12 m high and are 25 m in width at their base. Archaeologists have estimated that over two million cubic metres of material were moved in order to construct the entire fortress, including moats that were fed by the Hoang River.

Excavations made by archaeologists have revealed Dong Son style pottery that had stratified over time under the walls, while a drum was found by chance by Nguyen Giang Hai and Nguyen Van Hung. The drum included a hoard of bronze objects. The rarity of such objects in Southeast Asia and the range found at Co Loa is believed to possibly be unique.

The drum itself is one of the largest Bronze Age drums to have been recovered from the Red River Delta, standing 57 cm high and boasting a tympanum with a diameter of 73.6 cm. The drum itself weighs 72 kg and contains around 200 pieces of bronze, including 20 kg of scrap pieces from a range of artefacts. These include socketed hoes and ploughshares, socketed axes, and spearheads.

The artefacts are numerically dominated by the ploughshares, of which there are 96. Six hoes and a chisel were in the set. There were 32 socketed axes of various shapes, including a boat shaped axehead. This was almost a replica to a clay mound found in the grave of the bronze metalworker at Lang Ca.

Sixteen spearheads, a dagger and eight arrowheads were also found. One spearhead generated special interest because it was bimetallic, with an iron blade fitting into a bronze socket.

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