ACTIVE HOLIDAY IN VIETNAM

Day tours on foot or bike is the ideal way to visit Vietnam

Ever since our first hiking trips in the Sapa Mountains in Vietnam in the 1990ies we have been comitted to do day tours and multiday tours on foot or bike, because we believe this is the best way to meet the real local people of Vietnam. That is way we often say all of our travels is “active holidays”. 

Choose your own level of activity

When traveling with Topas in Vietnam you have several options for activities. You decide how far and how fast you would like to go, and we provide an experienced local guide with knowledge about the area to help you get the most of your visit. 

When cycling og hiking you not only get to see the highlights but also to smell and hear what is going on around you. Your guide will also take advantage of your mode of transportation and stop now and then to taste local fruits, talk with locals to hear ther story and take you to places where few other tourists go. On top of that Vietnam serves you with nice waters for svimming, diving or kayaking. 

Self guided bike ride

Explore Sapa Region’s mountains and valleys at your own pace on our unique Topas Self-Guided Bike Tour

You can enjoy the freedom and the experiences at your own pace, and feel confident that we take care of all the practicalities and safety of the trip.

During the day you ride on your own, guided by our GPS-enabled smartphone, which is also packed with information about the route, recommended restaurants and meals and points of interests along your route.

We carry your luggage and make sure the accommodations are ready to accommodate you. In addition, you have access to our service person via phone.

This is the perfect way to travel through this fascinating region and meet the locals where they live.

Cycling tours in Vietnam

Both the mighty Mekong Delta and Hoi An and its surroundings are completely flat areas, making cycling in these areas easy for everyone. 

Paths and roads are often narrow with limited access for cars, so guidet tours in these areas will take advantage of the bikes easy handling and opportunities for going almost everywhere. Here you will often get in contact with vietnam-style bikes, older ladies bikes that are easy to get on and of when you want to stop and visit locals. 

In the mountains in Sapa we use mountainbikes as the area is more hilly. Road conditions vary through the your, both our local staff know the status and can make the right choice for each day tour. 

Cycling tours with us can be from only a few hours or multiday with overnight accomodation in homestays or hotels.

Biking in Sapa alongside buffalos

Hiking in Vietnam

Whether you want to visit the colourful minorities in Sapa or the well known highlights in Hanoi such as Ho Chi Minhs Mausoleum or Old Quarter, you should go by foot to get the most of this experience. By foot you can get close to the locals, and while you walk you can both see, smell and hear what is going on. 

There are several National Parks in Vietnam that is well worth a visit. And more than you can usually fit into one trip around Vietnam. We have written about some of the most interesting National Parks here. 

You shall not expect to find well marked hiking trails. In Vietnam there usually is only a path if the locals need to go for a reason – visit the neughboring village or their field. In the mountains you will get to walk on the rice terraces, but from time to time they get damaged by the weather and leads to routes changing to new areas. We use local guides that are farmers of the area, so they are up to date on usable paths and tracks and their conditions. 

Where is the best place to dive or snorkel in Vietnam?

With more than 3000 kilometers of coastline Vietnam has also good places for activities on and in the water. 

The diving scene in Vietnam started of the coastline in Nha Trang, but nowadays multiple sites offer very good conditions for snorkeling or diving. Depending of time of year you can consider Phu Quoc og Ninh Van Bay if you want to go below the surface. Or Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long bai if you are more into kayaking. 

An extraordinary mountain trail series

Our dedication to making active travels, our love with Sapa region and close cooperation for many years with locals in the mountains led to the creation of Vietnam Trail Series.

The races began in 2013, when we launched the Vietnam Mountain Marathon, now one of Asia’s largest trail races with more than 3,500 runners.

Vietnam has much more to offer than the Sapa mountains. So following our original idea of creating a race way beyond the usual trail run, with a route that follows paths and tracks through some of Vietnam’s most beautiful scenery populated by the countries many ethnic groups, we added two other races, Vietnam Jungle Marathon and Vietnam Trail Marathon.