What Makes Vietnam Such A Special Place To Ride Your Bike?

Paige Taylor White is the Content Creator on the 2026 Bamboo Road Cycling Adventure.

As soon as I step outside the hotel in Hanoi, I’m sweating. It isn’t the heat alone that gets you, it’s the humidity. If you’ve been to or read about Southeast Asia before, this should come as no surprise and since it’s my second tour with TDA in this part of the world I knew what to expect. I went to my first hot yoga class back home right before this trip to remind myself what I’d be in for once I arrived.

The hustle and bustle on stage one leaving Hanoi

It is one thing to walk around in this kind of climate but it’s another thing entirely to ride your bike here. Crossing roads on foot feels hazardous at first, and yet I love the feeling of weaving through Vietnamese traffic on a bicycle. It’s a flow, or maybe even an art form here to join the sea of scooter traffic which feels like both a whirlwind and a meditation all at the same time.

>>Related Post: Swimming Down the Bamboo Road: Cycling In Southeast Asia

Eventually though, you hit a red light. This is enough to snap you back into reality and remind you how hot it is when not gliding through the world at 20 kms/hour. What was once a warm breeze comes to a halt as a stifling, stale heat. In some ways what makes Vietnam unique is how the heat alone incentivizes you to keep riding a bike. In Vietnam it is a perpetual anything-to-keep-the-breeze-flowing kind of weather (especially if you’re from Canada like me).

Locals stop and chat in Hoi An as scooter traffic wizzes by

It is also the kind of place where riding your bike in the rain isn’t so bad after all. Most of our riders seemed to almost prefer it some days. Of course though, there are different kinds of rain. The torrential downpour that lasts 5 minutes and requires quick cover, or maybe the kind that is a constant trickle while a cloud chases you for 5 hours.

Bertie takes on the last few kilometres of a rainy ride with smiles in Vietnam

Beyond the weather, what makes Vietnam so special is how the locals are friendly everywhere you go. Almost every interaction in Vietnam is met with a smile, from a sweetened condensed milk with a side of coffee, or a quick “xin chào” from the saddle. Vietnamese people have the kind of warmth that makes room for a meaningful exchange even if you only share the common knowledge of about the same 5 words as one another.

Riders say hi to locals after leaving breakfast in a small town in Vietnam

Landscapes and scenery are also a highlight in Vietnam. This country has seemingly everything from rice fields dotted with water buffalo, karst mountains, tropical rainforests, and sweeping coastal beaches. While riding in Vietnam the road is always varied and full of life that spills over into every lane of traffic. The charm here is endless, and although I’m still in the country right now I already know that I want to come back again.

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