I went on a bicycle tour directly on my first day of my vacation in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was a great way to get to know the city and get a bit of background of Hanoi and Vietnam from a local tour guide.
Details of the Bike Tour
I already arranged this tour in the Netherlands through Baja Bikes. This organization cooperates with local entrepreneurs in different countries. So you can book a bike tour not only in Hanoi but also in 200 other cities around the world! This Hanoi bike tour took about 3.5 hours and you can book the morning (8:30 am) or afternoon (1:30 pm) bike tour. Check out the link here.
By taken the morning tour, I forced myself to get up early and beat my jet lag. Fortunately, the meeting point was only a 10-minute walk from my highly recommended H Hotel Hanoi. After a brief check-in at the Friends Travel Vietnam office in downtown Hanoi, we were given the bikes. I was together with another Dutch girl, and both of us also wanted to wear helmets, these were also available luckily. It felt a little safer in the busy traffic of Hanoi. Water bottle in the bike basket and my backpack with sunscreen, camera and cash to pay for the tour. I’m Ready!!!
Sorry my pictures are not as what you expect it to be, it was cloudy and it was difficult to take pictures during the cycling!
The level of the bike tour is perfectly doable for everybody. The traffic can be a challenge though. Strangely enough, the Vietnamese traffic seems to be chaotic to us, but in reality it is not that bad. Our guide said that we should cycle with confidence, then the other road users will pay attention to you. And it really worked! After the first turns you get used to following the guide next to the buses and in front of cars, and you can really enjoy the vibe of the city.
I was fortunate that the Vietnamese New Year, also known as TET Lunar New Year, would take place in the next few days. Because of this, the streets were bustling with all the New Year essentials. Paper offerings, red and gold placards and the local Christmas trees! The Vietnamese Christmas tree is a kumquat, or small orange tree; you see them all over the streets. The guide led us through the shopping street and told us about local TET customs.
Saint Joseph’s Cathedral and Flag Tower
Cycling through the busy streets of Hanoi’s to the most impressive and oldest cathedral. St. Joseph’s Cathedral. It was built in 1887 and inspired by Notre Dame in Paris but this one is standing in The Old Quarter of Hanoi. The color of the cathedral has been repainted again now to almost black; locals didn’t like the whole church white anymore. What do you think?!
The next shortstop was the Flag Tower of Hanoi. The tower was built around 1805 during the Nguyen Dynasty as an observation post for the Hanoi Citadel. Unlike many other structures in Hanoi, it was not destroyed during the French invasion (1896-1897) and was used as a military post. The tower is now part of the Vietnam Military History Museum. During my visit, the tower and rest of the citadel were under reconstruction.
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Tran Quoc Temple
We cycled past Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s most iconic and popular leader) and the Presidential Palace but were not allowed to stop here because of security. There were guards everywhere along the road. After this, we cycled through a sort of embassy district; it was very nice to see the different neighborhoods of Hanoi by bike like this.
From here, on to the next stop the Tran Quoc Temple. This oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi is located in the middle of West Lake. Beautiful location and a wonderful temple. Nice to hear a little more about this temple from the guide. It was crowded, but nice to see many people laying offerings and lighting incense. Included in the tour is a drink and lunch. So time for an iced coffee at Vintage 1976 on West Lake with great views.
Long Bien Bridge and Banana Island
Now a challenging bit of the cycling tour started through heavy traffic toward the Long Bien Bridge. This steel bridge was built over 120 years old during the French colonial period. The bridge over the Red River is nearly 1.7 kilometers long, with bicycle and motorcycle traffic on both sides and a railroad line in the middle. The Long Bien Bridge is an icon in the city of Hanoi that had to endure much during the Vietnam War. It is very fun to ride along in traffic across the bridge like a local.
Across the bridge we biked through the narrow streets of a residential area and then the same bridge back, across the Red River and over Banana Island. This is a stretch of land in the river used exclusively for agriculture, with extensive banana plantations, what’s in the name! The September 2024 typhoon had flooded much of this area, requiring everything to be rebuilt. Some Vietnamese live on boats in this Red River. It’s impressive to see and hear the stories. Love this tour!!!
Lunchtime: Street Food!
Meanwhile, we did get hungry from all that biking, so ready for some Vietnamese Street Food!!! Glad the guide took us to a nice little place, where I normally wouldn’t eat, and ordered the specialty Pho (soup). It was delicious!!!
Via a detour and another neighborhood cycling back to our starting point. Parked the bikes, handed in the helmet and walked into the office for a sanitary stop. When I came back, tea and coconut cookies were already waiting for me! It was also so delicious. After taking care of the finances, we were given a Goody Bag with a printed picture in front of the famous cathedral and a pack of those too-delicious coconut cookies! I had a super fun morning. I was back at my hotel around 2pm, perfect for a little power nap, not too long; jet lag is kicking in….
Note: I did understand that the tour is different each time, also according to tourists’ wishes, weather, wind, traffic crowds and holidays. So the above-described route is a description of my tour; but which route with which guide you will do the tour, I believe everyone will have a splendid experience!
