Vietnam: Gravel Cycling’s Best-Kept Secret

When gravel cyclists start planning their next big adventure, the same destinations always seem to top the list – Colombia, Morocco, the Alps, the Rockies. They’re wild, scenic, and photogenic. But they’re also predictable.

Vietnam? Rarely mentioned.

Which is odd, because it ticks every gravel cycling box. It’s scenic, challenging, welcoming, and still largely undiscovered by the gravel crowd. If you’re looking for a ride that mixes serious terrain with cultural depth, and where the roads are quieter and the beer colder, Vietnam delivers.

Here’s why it deserves a place at the top of your list.

The Gravel is Serious – and Seriously Varied

Gravel in Vietnam isn’t an afterthought. It’s the backbone of rural transport, and it takes many forms. Red clay trails through tea hills. Forest tracks in the Central Highlands. Coastal roads that weave through salt flats and shrimp farms. Empty backroads linking remote farming communities.

On our 10-day Saigon to Hoi An ride, you’ll cover everything from punchy climbs and misty pine descents to flat-out fast gravel near the coast. No two days are the same. One morning you’ll be climbing switchbacks past coffee plantations; that evening, you’ll be watching the sun set over the East Sea.

This is gravel with personality – challenging enough to keep experienced riders engaged, but always rewarding.

Quiet Roads, Proper Riding

You don’t travel halfway across the world to sit in traffic. The beauty of Vietnam is in its vast network of rural roads and trails – routes used by farmers, fishermen, and locals going about their daily lives. There’s minimal through-traffic, hardly any tour buses, and long stretches where the only sounds are your tyres and the countryside.

Even the sealed sections are quiet. And when it turns to gravel? You’ll often have it to yourself.

Landscape and Culture in Equal Measure

Vietnam’s topography is dramatic – high plateaus, winding coastlines, wide river deltas – but the cultural landscape is just as rich. Along the ride you’ll pass through tea-growing villages, fishing communities, bustling markets, and sites of deep historical significance, like the haunting My Lai Memorial.

It’s the kind of trip where you come back with more than just a suntan and tired legs. You get stories. Context. A sense of place.

And all without needing a translator app every five minutes – our local team takes care of that.

Excellent Local Support, Real Local Insight

You’ll be supported by a professional crew of riders, mechanics, and drivers – all local, all experienced, and all genuinely invested in making your ride better. This isn’t a cookie-cutter tour run out of a European office with a part-time guide and a GPS file.

These are people who ride the route regularly, who know which roadside stalls make a decent iced coffee, and which trails get washed out in the rain. Who can fix your derailleur and recommend a better brand of chilli sauce.

In other words: proper support, without the hand-holding.

Comfortable Nights, Rewarding Days

The riding is demanding – anywhere from 60 to 100km per day – but you’re not roughing it. Think: characterful hotels, beachside restaurants, hot showers, and local food that’s made fresh, fast, and full of flavour. From crispy pancakes to grilled seafood, post-ride refuelling is something to look forward to, not endure.

This isn’t a bikepacking sufferfest. You ride hard, you eat well, and you sleep in comfort, and all without breaking the bank.

Still Under the Radar, But Not for Long

Vietnam is growing in popularity among cyclists, but the gravel scene is still underdeveloped – which is precisely the appeal. You won’t be jostling with other tour groups, or queuing for drone shots at every summit. It still feels authentic, a little raw, and wonderfully uncurated.

But that won’t last forever.

Ready to Rethink Your Next Gravel Adventure?

If you’ve already ticked off Girona, had your fill of Tuscany, or done the whole Pacific Northwest thing, it might be time to widen your scope. Vietnam offers something different – a mix of grit, beauty, and culture that’s hard to replicate.

Our 10-day Saigon to Hoi An Gravel Tour is a deep dive into the real Vietnam: not just the scenery, but the stories, the people, and the rhythms of daily life – all from the saddle of a well-fitted bike, with a support team who knows the road like the back of their hand.

Take a look at the itinerary. Ask us your questions. Then clip in and go.