Welcome to our FAQ's page! Here, we've compiled a list of commonly asked questions to provide you with quick and helpful answers. We understand that planning a trip can involve many considerations, and we're here to address any uncertainties or inquiries you may have.
Whether you need a visa to enter Vietnam depends on your nationality and the duration of your stay. Here's a general guideline:
It's essential to check the specific visa requirements based on your nationality and travel plans before your trip to Vietnam to ensure compliance with immigration regulations.
In November, South Vietnam typically experiences warm and humid weather with occasional rain showers. Temperatures range from around 25 to 32 degrees Celsius (77 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). While it's generally sunny and pleasant, there may be short bursts of rain due to the tail end of the rainy season. It's advisable to pack lightweight clothing, sunscreen, and an umbrella or raincoat for any unexpected showers.
Dalat experiences cool and pleasant weather due to its high elevation. Temperatures typically range from around 15 to 24 degrees Celsius (59 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, with cooler evenings. November marks the end of the rainy season in Dalat, so you can expect relatively dry conditions with occasional light showers. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity make November an ideal time to visit Dalat for outdoor activities and sightseeing.
For traveling in South Vietnam and Dalat in November, it's advisable to pack a variety of clothing to accommodate the different climates and activities. Here's a suggested packing list:
By packing these essentials, you'll be well-prepared for your travels in South Vietnam and Dalat in November, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Tour de Viet (tourdeviet.com) is a new Event and Venture, a Partnership between Anytrails.com (Vietnam) and Cycling Ventures (Australia). Anytrails is a VN-Australian Company, with over 30 years experience in Cycle Tourism and Travel in South East Asia, Australia and Europe. Cycling Eventures organises Premier Road and Gravel Races and Events in Australia, East Timor and Thailand, including Tour of Margaret River, Seven Gravel Race and the 2026 UCI World Gravel Championship.
Vietnam has an amazing history, landscape and people. It is developing, hungry for peace and prosperity, traditional but technological and modernising, humble yet strong, friendly and welcoming. The roads and landscape are enough to entice bike lovers - the rest is cherries on top.
It has an uncountable number of sensational roads and routes for cycling, a real inspiration as you ride. Key characteristics are the constant winding and undulating roads and numerous mountians – making you wonder what is around the bend.
Vietnam is ideally located on the globe, between Europe, Africa, Australia/NZ and USA. Travel to and within is great value, with many professional services and industries. The society is seeking Western sports, pop-culture, culture and language to learn and emulate. We guarantee you will find something here to like or love, and part of your heart will be left behind.
Cycling has been growing in Vietnam, as the middle-class is growing, paralleled with other prestige sports such as Golf, and Gravel bikes in particular in becoming more popular around the world. Gravel bikes open up much more territory to cycle and race, taking in glorious and sublime places few have been.
The TDV Route showcases some great roads, however there are many more in almost every direction, giving potential for other events and a variety of routes.
Though this Trip is fully supported with guides and transport options, you can cycle or get in the bus as much as you wish. Invariably once you are in fantastic riding country, you want to ride as much as you can, but if you wish to just enjoy the scenery and company, take photos or cycle a bit, you will still fit right in.
For more active people, we suggest endurance training focus, with some long or steep ascending and descending (braking) skills thrown in. Your fitness is important to us - for your ability to ride on this route, to reduce health issues once here and for your general life.
The 2025 Tour de Viet will be a Gravel and Road Bicycle Challenge, over 6 Stages in North Vietnam, using sealed and some unsealed road surfaces. This event and format will continue to be offered to tour / amateur groups of any size, at any time of the year, so you can enjoy a fully supported, challenging cycling tour.
Entry in the 2025 TDV will provide accommodation and transport for Teams to have 8 members - 6 cyclists and 2 supporters. Each Team will manage themselves to ensure a minimum specified number of cyclists riding at all times. Each team will have their own transport.
The long term goal is for 2025 TDV to develop into a 3-week Grand Tour of all of Vietnam, while still providing private guided touring trips on request. Sister events include each week of the 3-week tour, or tours based in one location, such as Dalat (south VN), Da Nang (central) and Ha Giang (north).
We recommend you bring your own gravel bike due to some rough sections, ascents of 6-10%, pinches of 14% or higher. and steep descents. Some key climbs are as long as 25km. Have brakes in good condition or consider bringing spare pads, tyre. The TDV aims at being a mixed road (~75%) and gravel (~25%) event, using gravel bikes. Your own bike is an advantage for set up, size, etc., and gravel bikes are difficult to hire in VN.
Recommended parameters for your bike- Chainring/s 34-36 teeth, Cassette lowest gear 36-50, Tryes: minimum 32mm (recommended 33-36mm), Disc brakes, Cranks and Front & Rear Fork to Frame clearance (due to mud build-up).
The race route has a lot of high quality, smooth sealed surfaces, even in remote areas. Some parts have older surfaces, shared-use rough paths or concrete, packed dirt, to light gravel and lanes through villages and farms, some with potholes or bumps. Very little loose "pea-gravel" is present, so traction is usually good.
The course maps show (approximately) the lower quality or gravel sections in yellow, though this is subject to change - construction, detours, damage, etc. We check routes periodically, however road construction can occur at short notice, not to mention rock falls and small landslides.
There is often little traffic and the traffic speeds are generally lower than Australian / European open roads. Often the route has few side roads or entering traffic, and Vietnamese drivers are patient, being familiar with the unexpected. Cows, buffaloes and dogs are the most common animals seen. They are quite traffic savvy, keeping to the edge of the road or holding their lane as they go along. Just slow down, hold your line also and give a wave to the farmer who is usually nearby. Some dogs may bark or follow a short distance, but most are going their own way. Chickens are a different story, they dart across roads in village areas. Goats and monkeys are occaissionly seen, though they are usually off the road itself.
In built up areas we recommend not riding close to the curb - to avoid incoming traffic (who often don’t look or give way). Some motorbikes ride on the wrong side (usually in larger built-up areas), and beware of street furniture, drain covers or protrusions in the bitumen, street-sellers and parked vehicles.
The routes have been completed using MapOut, RidewithGPS and Garmin (Connect IQ) Apps. Garmin Connect and GPX files links will be emailed to Participants before the Event, to allow you to upload to your devices. During the event, there can be course alterations, these will be updated and sent via WhatsApp on-course.
BYO Must-haves:
Helmets are not legally required for bicycles in Vietnam, however we request participants bring and wear one.
Smart-phone for tracking / communication.
Cycle-computer with map display (Garmin compatable preferred).
Lighting - flashing red rear and white or yellow front light (for cloud / fog at altitude, or late finishes).
Tools - allan key set, tubes / patches, tyre levers (don't store in carry-on luggage).
Gel shots / electrolyte, special medications, Bidons.
Cycle jacket/s, arm-warmers / covers,
Nice-haves:
Extra jacket or layers for cold summits / descents - spare if wet. Clip-seal bag for phone / camera / cash while riding. Cycle ear-cover / beanie. Long-finger gloves.
Maybe-haves:
Spare brake pad, tyre, spokes, rear mudguard.
Spare cycle-wear and cold / wet weather gear is advised. Mountain tops can be in cloud or mist and reach 0-10°C, especially with wind-chill. Be aware you will be warmer and sweating while ascending, then on the summit and descent it can cause sickness and danger. We recommend you dry-off or change upper clothing before a descent.
North VN has 4 distinct seasons, the most pleasant being Autumn, Spring and early Summer. South and central Vietnam tends to have less-distinct seasons, with summer being hot and humid. Being tropical / semi tropical, there can be unpredicatble variety day to day, be prepared for all conditions.
We have dedicated bicycle and luggage transports.
Due to some narrow sections and to give flexibility, we have vans carrying 6-8 people each, for you to jump on and off to cycle as much as you wish, or stop for photos. These will travel with or behind cyclists. You are welcome to choose how much and when you want to ride, to miss the first or last leg, or ride key sections. This will be flexible, based on weather, cycling abilities, group dynamics and desires, our schedule, road conditions, etc. We aim to please everyone so you can ride as much or little as you feel. We understand not everyone will want to ride the same amount, however, please follow our advice as we attempt to maintain road safety and headway. Often vehicles will not be immediately behind you, as the riders stretch out.
Generally after a day or two, entrants feel safe and confident to be riding solo or alone for some time.
Remember We Are Right Behind You (WARBY), to help you to keep pedalling or enjoy the views and numerous photo-taking opportunities from your van. Drivers are happy to stop for photos, where it is safe to do so. We will provide a few snacks in your van, such as bars and coke, and we facilitate suitable places for lunch. The van will have an esky / ice cooler to store your food and drinks.
We have selected Hotels for their service, value, quality and location, considering the variety of budgets people have. They will enable our group to be placed together, facilitating faster check-in and out and sharing evening meals and post-ride get-togethers. Particpants are free to explore on their own on arrival each afternoon. We hope you will be pleasantly surprised with your time in Vietnam, enough to return and tell your friends. Anything not up to your expectation, we want to hear about it.
Hotels serve a buffet breakfast from 6:30am, and each mornings' ride starts about 7:30-8am.
Many Participants will prefer single room options, to allow privacy and quietness. If you select a double or shared room, then later or during the Trip wish to change, please don't hesitate to contact us or talk to TDV staff. We understand the impact travelling and cycling has on emotions and tiredness, the roommate who snores, has different habits or wishes to stay out later. Please don't suffer in silence, we take pride in pleasing our guests as best we can.
Tour de Viet provides a Welcome & Farewell dinner, and Hotels have a buffet breakfast from 6:30am, where you can fuel up as much as you like and make a snack to take.
Other meals and drinks are for guests to pay. TDV will facilitate a lunch stop, and ask participants to contribute (pool) money to a kity, to help pay for all lunches, snacks, drinks while on course, allowing you, to focus on riding. Vans and stop points will have water and snacks available.
Typically the lunch stop will have fresh fried rice or noodle soup options, with hot tea, water and drinks. These are in a village, giving you a local Vietnam feeling.
Post-ride evening meals are for entrants to find, either in the hotel or going for a walk nearby, eating locally (preferred by most).
VN is famous for its food – fresh, fast, cheap. It has more bitter salads, vegetables and tea than suits the western palette. Safer meals for newcomers to consider are Noodle Soups (Chicken, Beef, Fish, Tofu), BBQ Pork and Bacon Noodles, Fried Rice, Bread Rolls, Spring Rolls, Fried Chicken or Beef with Rice, whole Fish. We will be there to suggest venues or dishes we think will suit you, as we understand it is unwise and difficult to have an unfamiliar diet for every meal. Vegans and gluten-free diets are generally not difficult to accommodate.
Large VN centres and tourist places offer choices of fine dining and high-end meals, Tap water in VN is not safe for drinking, but fine for showers, brushing teeth, boiling for coffee or tea, cooking with and washing fruit & veg.
If you have special dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, allergies, etc.), please advise us on booking and remind us on the Trip.
Vietnam is developing fast, but still has traditional values, we ask you to be mindful of standard dress codes and male-female interactions.
Respect for anyone older than you is significant in language and culture. Personal pronouns (I, me, you, she, Uncle) are complicated in Vietnamese, as they change according the age difference of speakers and familial relationship (eg. the word for Aunty will change, depending on whether she is from your Father or Mother's side and whether she is older or younger than them). Don't worry though, VN recognise this complexity and make mistakes themselves, and foreigners won't cause offence by using 'you' and 'me'.
Bowing is not part of the culture, nor tipping for service. If you are a good traveller (local for a day), and not a typical tourist, TDV staff will be happy to explain some finer details of etiquette and culture, helping your eyes to open to a little hidden world in front of you. Vietnamese have strong family bonds and time for friends to share a coffee or beer. They are hard-working, but live a more relaxed lifestyle than some other Asian countries.
In remote or rural areas, it is not comfortable for girls and women to talk with strangers, especially men. Some ethnic groups have different clothing or hair styles for single and married women, these are interesting to learn if you wish to understand traditional societies more.
Children will often be by roadsides in scenic areas, to wave at people or hope for a handout. It is tempting to want to reach out and give something, however we advise this will reinforce a potential hazard. Through Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, we are happy to encourage donations. Kids and adults are thrilled to see foreigners riding, something unusal for them, and will wave, say hello, or even try to ride alongside you. Vietnamese are warm and friendly, but won't bother you by following or staring.
The internet and WIFI (3G-5G) connectivity is great in VN. Virtually every dining place, hotel, café, even some shops will have free WIFI. Passwords are typically displayed, if not ask the staff who are always happy to help you connect and allow you to use their power points.
We recommend you bring and use a smart-phone, and purchase a SIM card on arrival (easily found in numerous phone stores). Recommended carrier is Viettel (superior reomte coverage), and a 2-week SIM will cost about $12-14 USD, giving 5G data daily.
The event will use WhatsApp to help with daily messages and everyone to share info, photos, etc. While riding on course, TDV will use a phone-tracking App such as Life360, to help with logistics and safety for riders and vehicles.
VN uses a 2-pin adapter for power points (same as Thailand) and you won't need a transformer to adjust the voltage or current.
The Airport on arrival is a safe place to exchange money, for better rates try hotels and banks in the city. The Vietnam Dong (VND) is quite stable, and shopkeepers are almost always very honest in exchanges. Learning some basic greetings helps to oil the wheels of good prices and service. Common currencies (AUD, NZD, Euro, etc.) are easy to exchange to VND, however the USD exchange rate is commonly known or quoted.
A few typical street-level purchases may help you familiarise with the exchange rate and value of VND – bowl of Noodle Soup (with Beef) = 25-35,000 VND ($1-1:50USD), Café Cappuccino = 40-60,000 VND ($1:80-2:50 USD), roadside glass of Beer = 10-15,000 VND (40-60 cents).
Simple Cafe or street-food meals can be as cheap as $1-2 USD, with $3-10 in Restaurants getting you a range of nice dishes.
Breakfasts are included in your booking, lunches, drinks and dinner are for participants. A kitty will be collected from entrants, to help pay for roadside lunch-stops which we will arrange, taking pressure off you to find good food while cycling and tired.
Participants will be asked to sign an Event Indemnity Form, which includes Policy details for travel, health and equipment Insurance.
On the home page, click on Bookings. This will take you to a simple fill-in-form, where you provide some basic information for yourself. You will receive an automated email, followed by one from our team (hello@tourdeviet.com). We will send a form, where we can find out about your needs to customise your trip, include add-ons, to prepare your travel package. You will receive an email to confirm your details, with electronic funds transfer information. A $250 USD deposit will be required (refundable if position subsequently filled, or on reasonable grounds), held by Anytrails.com, Hanoi. Full payment is requested 45 days before the event.
If you change your travel plans, add-ons or wish to cancel the Trip, we will endeavour to make this as painless and quick as possible. Alternatively. if you have a booking, but cannot make the Recon Trip as scheduled, you may wish to defer it to another time in the year, to do a private or cutomised tour alone or with other friends.
Several factors have led to Tour de Viet's (TDV) partnership with Blue Dragon Childen's Foundation (BDCF).
The TDV founders are Vietnamese and Australian, and BDCF is an Australian NGO working in Vietnam from 2002. BDCF rescues Vietnamese children caught in human trafficking, even bringing them home from other countries, and leads the way in helping change applicable laws. The victims often feel they have no choice and knowingly walk into danger, or are taken advantage of with false promises. BDCF has a Nationwide & International reputation for it's honesty, effectiveness and real results, and provide ongoing education and workforce training for kids saved from the streets. TDV seeks to use the characteristics of cycling, such as resilience to keep going and freedom to go where you like, to inspire the Staff, Families and Kids of BDCF to keep going one more day. It will also help to inspire you as you see a mountain ahead - one pedal-stroke at a time. TDV will provide opportunities for Particiapants to meet BDCF to understand their story and feel a connection to them, seeing the results of donations - not just putting cash in a container. The TDV will be going through many areas affected by trafficking and where BDCF works.
These insights will inspire Particiapants and give more meaning to your Trip. We believe you will be able to more readily inspire others to join you, to fundraise for donations or help obtain sponsorship for your Team. Ultimately we want to increase the ability of BDCF to help more Vietnamese families and communities, to give a little thanks back for the wonderful country and opportunity to visit this land.
TDV are very honoured to be associated with Blue Dragon, and during our Welcome Dinner we'll ask Participants to kindly donate $1 USD each to BDCF.