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Cycling Southeast Asia on the Golden Buddha Ride Thru Vietnam, Laos and Thailand
As I write this, our Bamboo Road cycling tour is in Cambodia. The group is steadily pedalling their way west towards Siem Reap and Bangkok, eventually reaching Singapore at the end of their epic Asian adventure. I thought this would be a good moment to highlight our next southeast Asian tour, scheduled to start just under a year from now in Saigon – the Golden Buddha Ride. This tour is one I am particularly fond of as I was fortunate to work with our longtime tour leader in this region, Andreas Pakenham, as well as our fantastic local support Sene (Vietnam), Chit (Laos), and Tick (Thailand) to research, design and scout parts of this route. I wrote about my scouting mission when I returned. You can read about that here.
The 2023 edition of this tour was our first time running it after we had finalized the route and organized the tour. From all accounts it was a big success!
The Basics of the 2025 Route
When: Starts October 26, 2025 in Saigon.
Where: The route heads north through Vietnam and enters Laos, then turns west following the Mekong River before turning south entering Thailand and heads towards the finish in the Thai capital, Bangkok. There are section stops in Hue, Vientiane, and Chiang Mai as well.
How long: You can choose one of the four sections (each of which are 10 – 15 days long) or sign up and ride the full tour which is seven weeks long.
>>LEARN MORE – full dates, details and pricing can be found here
Video Preview
We put together this detailed preview of each of the four sections of the tour that make up the Golden Buddha Ride. Through stunning video from the air and on the ground and many interviews with the participants themselves and our Laotian guide, you will learn what they think of the tour as they progressed along the route.
Good Morning Vietnam
After experiencing the energy and heat of Saigon the riders climb into the mountains and get to experience another side of Vietnam on their way to the historic imperial capital of Hue.
The Mighty Mekong
As they head north along the coast past karst formations, they climb into the mountains where they meet the Mekong River as they enter laid-back Laos.
Over the Hills & Far Away
Leaving Vientiane, the riders head further north to the charming town of Luang Prabang, and its saffron-clad monks. Then they tackle the hills of rural Laos before turning south into Thailand.
The Three Kingdoms
Leaving behind the relaxed atmosphere of Chiang Mai, the riders head south through the rural Thai countryside, and soon arrive in Sukhothai, a UNESCO site and the first of the three Kingdoms of Siam they pass on the way to Bangkok.
A special thanks to videographer Coby Werlin who travelled with the cyclists in 2023 and created this stunning video series for us.
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