According to the itinerary, we’ll wake early to join the local Vietnamese and our guide in Tai Chi exercises around Hoan Kiem Lake.

 For the duration of this bike ride in Vietnam I have decided to put my vegetarian tendencies ‘on hold’ to enable me to sample the culinary delights of the local cuisine… when in Rome do as the Romans do and all that! I’ve been told that a breakfast of Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) in the town is particularly tasty so I might try that rather than a continental breakfast!

After breakfast we are leaving early to cycle to the outskirts of Hanoi on a morning loop ride (only 35kms). Most of the ride will be along the Red River on a dyke path and gives a fascinating introduction into life outside the big capital.

We then return to the hotel for lunch and the rest of the afternoon is free, as the bikes will be transferred to the station in preparation for their journey to Hué. During this free time I hope to take in some of the city’s highlights such as the One Pillar Pagoda:

Dinner will be early and then we will transfer to the station at 6pm for the overnight train to Hué… once the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty of Emperors from 1802-1945… more on that later

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!