Before You Go Factors affecting grading include: degree of up/down, difficulty of the surfaces to be ridden, amount of bike handling skill required, distances covered and other factors such as heat, altitude or remoteness. All our trips require basic fitness, preferably acquired through riding your bike, and please remember that any cycling involves some physical exertion, so you cannot expect that you will not feel tired on an 'easy' trip.   PLEASE NOTE: Conditions for a particular tour may vary from one month to the next. The main benefit of grading is to provide an overall indicator to compare one trip against another. Biking Grade Guide   Easy Suitable for anyone who can ride a bike and can manage a bit of exercise. No routes are 100% flat, so there might be the odd climbs and descent, but on the whole - easy.   Moderate   Suitable for reasonably fit people who are confident riding long distances. Fitness is more important than technical ability for trips of this level, and some specific training or preparation is recommended, e.g. running, cycling, swimming or aerobics once or twice a week (preferably cycling!).   Active Longer cycling days mainly on tarmac, broken tarmac but no real off road. There may be some hills and descents but not too many. 100% vehicle support and you should have some fitness and be prepared for the bike trip.   Challenging Long cycling days and tougher terrain (for both on- and off-road trips) requiring specific experience of more demanding and technical cycling. Vehicle support may sometimes be more limited; the routes can contain rough tracks, so some off-road riding skills are an advantage. You should be confident of your physical condition and bike handling skills.   Extreme Cycling for up to 7-8 hours a day over mountain passes requires you to be in great physical shape. Roads/tracks are well defined but some off-road riding skills will help. You will be spending time at altitudes above 1500 meters and could go as high as 2000 meters at certain times in the tour. Riders should be happy to undertake a long tough rides up and down steep mountains or following very technical trails in testing conditions. A high level of fitness required, as well as proven mountain biking skills.

Before You Go  Life on the Roads  Our bikes  Road surfaces  Photo Gallery Foods & fruits Supported vehicles Safety & insurance Rest stops & restrooms Helmets & road rules Water & snacks Climate Local boats & ferries Accommodations Travel gears   Life on the Roads Nowadays traveling is very easy and popular to all people. Especially the classic trips or called regular trips touring by car, by bus and many others included adventure trips. Traveling by bike is the best way to experience the country; chatting with local people, eating with them and sleeping in the same house... During the bike trip with us, you will have chances to be done something, to be seen something, to be touched something, to be tasted something that make you inspired, excited,...as you have never thought it will be happy like that before. Experiencing the country by bike is great, you just dream it, live with it and we will do the rest to support your perfectful trip. On the left side, we provide as well as mentioned the services in your bike adventures with us. Click them to see what is going on for your tour... Have a good choice for your trip.     Road surfaces Road surfaces vary along the way from point to point, we inspect every 6 months where we can find the best roads for our tours; they are all suited from gentle to iron man bikers. Road conditions are different in the regions; Mekong delta is quite flat from Ho Chi minh city(saigon) to Cambodia borders, central highland (Laos , China ,Da Lat and Ho Chi minh all southeast  asia trails included) is hilly and undulating; north west of Vietnam is mountainous as well and mixture of terrain in the central coast provinces from Nha Trang to Hue in Vietnam... They are from easy to tough cycling, that satisfy all your own trip.   Foods & fruits Southeast Asia is a culinary delight, and almost all meals are taken in clean, friendly local restaurants and café's. Of course, there would be no adventure without the occasional challenge, so sometimes in remote areas food is simple, but its always plentiful and we rarely have a situation where we go hungry or thirsty, even for people with special dietary requirements. Viet Nam , Thailand , China,Laos,Cambodia and Myanamr is famous for healthy foods, we have plenty of fresh tropical vegetables, the second rice exporter in the world and criss-cross rivers supply lots of fresh water fishes, prawn, ... ; furthermore with coastlines from China to Myanmar also have a reputation of fresh seafood. Experience Southeast asia by bikes, are the best way to enjoy whats the creator awarded! The local specialties are the first priority to our tours ... please let us know if you are a diet or allergy of any foods that we will prepare to suit all your tastes. The biking guide will buy frest fruits everyday for your cycling trip, they are changing daily from frest bananas, apples, watermelons, pomelos, mangos...   Safety & insurance Your tour leader or tour guides are trained in first aids and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. Please follow your tour leaders instructions on all matters related to safety.We highly recommended that you must take out travel insurance before joining the tour. We will take every precaution possible to ensure your safe enjoyment of the tour. Helmets must be worn all times when cycling and insist they are worn during down-hill or off-road. Cycling gloves are also highly recommended. Emergency hospital: http://www.internationalsos.com/en/asiapacificregion_vietnam.htm Emergency Call in Vietnam: 115   Helmets & road rules We supply helmets with all our biking tours (except when just renting a bike) but you may want to consider bringing your own if you are taking a long tour as helmets are a personal item. We recommend helmets to be worn at all times when riding, always wear a correctly adjusted helmets (that fits snugly on your head and does not tip forwards or backward). Always ride at the speed you are comfortable with. Do not over do it or ride beyond your abilities as accidents are not fun. If some stretches are too technical for you, it is better to walk than fall ! Always ride at least on other person in case of difficulty. Give each other plenty of space on the tracks- nothing is worse than a pile up! The person in front has right of way and may not be aware of what a person behind is doing. So if overtaking, let the person in front know which side you are passing on. Always stop at junctions unless specifically told not to by the guide; if in double as to the route, stop and wait for the rest of the group or the leader. If you get lost, go back to the last place where you were sure saw other group members and wait there where will will find you. In general, the leader rides at or near the back of the group and the supported vehicles (where applicable) are right at the back. With 2 guides, one will be towards the front, one will be at the back. For safety, always know the final destination for each day and carry some money, emergency numbers. Drink plenty of water and take some energy bars in case you get hungry between meals. Dogs warning: do not try to race off. Stop and get off your bike, keep it between you and the dogs and pretend to throw a stone and throw one if you have.   Climate   There are no good or bad seasons for visiting Vietnam. When one region is wet, cold or steamy hot, there is always somewhere else that is sunny and pleasantly warm. Vietnam has a remarkably diverse climate because of its wide range of latitudes and altitudes. Although the entire country lies in the tropics and subtropics, local conditions vary from frosty winters in the far northern hills to year-round, subequatorial warmth in the Mekong Delta. *The South Viet Nam: With its subequatorial climate, has two main seasons: the wet and the dry. The wet season lasts from May to November (June to August are the wettest months). During this time, there are heavy but short-lived downpours almost daily, usually in the afternoon. The dry season usually runs from December to April. Late February to May is hot and very humid, but it cools down slightly when the rainy season begins. In Ho Chi Minh city, the average annual temperature is 27 Celsius degrees. In April, daily highs are usually in the low 30s. In January, the daily lows average 21 Celsius degrees. Average humidity is 80% and annual rainfall average 1979mm. The coldest temperature that has ever been recorded in HCM city is 14 C degree. *The Central Viet Nam: The coastal lowlands are denied significant rainfall from the southwestern monsoon (April to October) by the Truong Son Mountain Range, which is very wet during this period. Much of the coastal strip's precipitation is brought by the northeastern monsoon between December and February. Nha Trang's long dry season lasts from late January to October, while Da Lat's dry season is from December to March. Da Lat, like the rest of the central highlands, is much cooler than the Mekong Delta and the coastal strip. From November  to March, Da Lat's daily highs are usually in the low to mid-20s. The cold and wet winter weather of the north-central coastal lowlands is accompanied by fog and fine drizzle. *The North Viet Nam: Areas north of the 18th Parallel have two seasons: winter and summer. Winter is quite cool and usually lasts from  around November to April. February and March are marked by a persistent drizzling rain that the Vietnamese call crachin. The hot summers run from May to October. The north is subject to occasional typhoons during the summer months. For safety, always know the final destination for each day and carry some money, emergency numbers. Drink plenty of water and take some energy bars in case you get hungry between meals. Dogs warning: do not try to race off. Stop and get off your bike, keep it between you and the dogs and pretend to throw a stone and throw one if you have. Climate another country Accommodations Accommodation can be provided in local village homestays. Here the family may supply a simple mattress, mosquito net, pillow, sheet and blanket or in the case of remote locations, bedding will be provided by us. The houses are usually on stilts with a bamboo wooden floor and are surprisingly comfortable. The facilities are clean but very basic. Hotels can also be provided in small towns. We choose the hotel categories ranging from 2 stars to 5 stars in our package tours. However, you can recommend us the hotels you prefer and we will book them for you. Other accommodations are cruises, tourist boats. They are available for some tours in Mekong delta and in Ha Long Bay,  Sap Tonle lake , Chay River , Yuangztay river , Mekong rive...   Our bikes Indochina Bike Tours has  a fleet of GAINT and TREK 4300, 4500 , 3900 mountain bikes which give you a variety of choices for the sizes  ranging from 13 inches to 22 1/2 inches. On our cycling tours includes bike hire in the tour price, while if you prefer to bring your own bikes we can subtract the hired bike prices. Our Bikes We generally use GAINT and TREK ,3900 - 4300 -4500 mountain bikes as they have high quality, durable pieces of equipment. However, we also use others kind of bike depending on the grade of the tours and places. Please be advised  that a certain frame model is not guaranteed. We prefer the Trek, Gaint  mountain bike as it has been special designed to deal with different types of road and riding.  Even on a our road trips, the asphalt can often be broken or potholed, and there are usually unsurpassed sections included, so mountain bikes are the most suitable. The bike has 24 and 27 gears, which you can change easily when padding up hill or down trails. As the case of soft cycling in the country side, where the road is paved and flat, we general use simple Japanese pushed bikes Renting for our tours Renting  our bikes, not only saves your time but all so give a  hassle free biking tours.  You don't have to worry about how to pack your bikes as well as you exceeded luggage on the air plane. Our bikes are new and be maintained  after every trip. We always have  from 1 to 3 spared bikes depend on group size. Our team is very well equipped with tool and has plenty of tubes We strongly recommend you to bring your own helmets, bike shirts with long sleeves, bike pants, bike water bottles  as in  Southeast Asia biking is the " stranger sport" and finding the right equipments for biking is not easy. Each bike comes with a single water bottle cage, if you prefer more you are welcome to bring your own.  On our bike seats are general performance seats. Bikes also have gel seat cover slips if you prefer a softer ride. If you have your own "broken-in" seat, you are welcome to bring it and we'll fit it for you . Women that are sensitive are encouraged to bring a seat designed for women We fit strap style toe-clips if requested, but you might like to consider bringing SPD clip pedals if you use them. If you do pick SPD pedals, please make sure to bring your shoes and cleats. For shorter tours, we provide reusable water containers inline with our responsible tourism policy of reducing waste.   Supported vehicles On bikes, all equipment and luggage will be carried by the supported vehicle. Try to keep baggage to a minimum weight. Often a 'camelback" will accompany the tour to keep hydrated and small backpack for carrying cameras, sun cream, money,... You are supported by our air-conditioned vehicles, it depends on each group that we supply the different kinds of vehicles; the private trip from 2 - 6 cyclists will be supported by 16 seat-van.   Rest stops & restrooms Depending on how fast you are but usually we stop every from 10 km to 20 km ride for a rest-stop to recover your breath by cool water, cool soft drinks, snacks and frest fruits. The stops will be at a local cafe, or at a sidewalk beside your supported bus or on a hammock! The restrooms are inside local house's toilet or somewhere outside like at a bush....they are all simple, comfortable and close to nature.   Water & snacks Water, soft drinks are cooled in an iced box daily and tour guide buys snacks and fresh fruits everyday as what you like. We buy enough for during your trip to keep you energy. Depending on how fast you are but usually we stop every from 10 km to 20 km ride for a rest-stop to recover your breath by cool water, cool soft drinks, snacks and frest fruits.   Local boats & ferries Sometimes, boat-trips are useful for our exploration beside a bike; and we can not avoid crossing  rivers without bridges when traveling from village to village. And ferry is oftern if we are on the Mekong Delta, it is the flat land but criss-cross with thousand of rivers and canals. Local boat trip and ferry will carry people, bikes together. It happen more for Mekong Delta tours, and rarely in the rest regions of Viet Nam. Beside these local boats, you may take a bigger boat or speed boat to some island such as Ha Long, Noertwest, Phu Quoc, Con Dao.China , Myanmar,Laos...and also to Cambodia.   There’s a lot of history and information floating around about the origins of mountain biking, some that’s recognized and some that depends on who has the best public relations firm. Mountain biking would have happened somewhere and it did. Did it begin with the Buffalo Soldiers, a turn-of-the-century infantry who customized bicycles to carry gear over rough terrain? It was August 1896, the riders, black enlisted men and a white lieutenant, rode from Missoula, Montana, to Yellowstone and back, an arduous 800 miles. Their mission: to test the bicycle for military use in mountainous terrain.   Or was it the Velo Cross Club Parisian (VCCP) of France? Comprised of about 20 young bicyclists from the outskirts of Paris, who between 1951 and 1956, they developed a sport that was remarkably akin to present-day mountain biking. These riders juiced up their French 650-B bikes with an extraordinary degree of technical sophistication. Maybe it was John Finley Scott who was probably the first mountain bike enthusiast in the United States. In 1953 he built what he called a “Woodsie Bike”, using a Schwinn World diamond frame, balloon tires, flat handlebars, derailleur gears, and cantilever brakes. John was more than twenty years ahead of his time, and while he remained an off-road cycling enthusiast, at the time there were not many others who shared his passion. We believed that the inception of mountain biking needed to be a continuous series of events that connected with one another as opposed to an isolated incident. Another example, in the early 1970s there were a band of cyclists - The Cupertino Riders, AKA - the Morrow Dirt Club, from Cupertino California, 75 miles south of Marin, who were modifying their bikes. They were grafting thumb-shift-operated derailleurs and motorcycle lever-operated drum brakes to their klunkers to help them get up and down the south bay hills. They competed against some future hall-of-famers at a Marin County Cylcecross race in late 1974, where their technology was noticed. Then they disappeared. We believe that the continuous history of the mountain bike is most evident in Northern California. There are a few areas that will claim to be the first mountain bike community, but every history book will lead you to Marin County. The origins of mountain biking were totally innocent. It came into being not as some faddist vision of profit-oriented marketing types, but rather as the product of true cycling enthusiasts trying to find something new to do on two wheels. These cyclists found through fun and competition that the old one-speed klunkers they were using could be improved with modern cycling technology. One thing led to another and mountain biking - “the sport” - was born.