Thursday 12th –15th September 2015
A Hanoi weekender to help raise money for the KOTO training centre.
The KOTO dream ride is Sunday morning (7 till 12) so plenty of time to get flights back home for work on Monday.
To make it worth your while Bike Aways has put together a three day Hanoi and the Red River explorer package, starting from Thursday 12th -14th which includes accommodation, bikes and two extra days riding through Hanoi and out to the countryside along the famous Red River.
Or just come for the Dream Ride.
Itinerary:
Thursday: Arrive, check in and begin eating.
Friday: Hanoi Old Quarter Urban Cycle and Food Exploratory (think Pho Bo, Bun Cha, Kem Trang, Tien Ice Cream, Catherine Deneuve’s favourite old quarter yoghurteria, and of course a meal at KOTO).
Saturday: Red River Countryside Ride.
Sun 15th Kotos Dream ride – Cycle to Chua Thay Pagoda and back – finishes at midday (plenty of time for flights back home and work on Monday morning).
Price: USD 588
(includes KOTO dream ride registration and contribution)
About Bike Aways
Bike Aways believe travel by bike is the best way to authentically experience a place and escape the tourism jam.
Rides are specifically designed for NON hardcore riders. We use bicycles to access remote places, be one with the landscape, and go where others don’t.
ECO is our Philosophy.
No flags, no mega phones, off the beaten track, heritage destinations and forgotten villages where we can spread our business, are some of the criteria in designing our trips. We stay in accommodation with personality – traditional or family run where possible.
Food is always an important part of the experience.
Join Bike Aways on our first Hanoi weekender and support a great cause.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter
A maze of at least 36 guild streets between Hanoi’s famed Hoan Kiem Lake, the Red River and former Hanoi citadel make up the 1000 year plus Old Quarter.
Streets specialising in silks, silver, bamboo wares, paper goods, lacquer wares, are also home to pagodas, communal guild houses and tall narrow tube houses (avoiding street frontage taxes.)
More importantly this chaotic maze dating back to the retreat of the Mongols, is home to many of the worlds best street foods ( Bun Cha, Pho Bo, Cha Ga) – easier got on bike.
French colonial townhouses converted into elegant restaurants; Parisian influenced cafes; street markets, wandering hawkers, fresh street side beer hoi and snake-wine bars make all make for an adventurous foodie get away.
Join us as we cycle eat cycle coffee cycle snack cycle drink through the old quarter on route to Hanois must see sites: Ho chi Minh’s mausoleum, temple of literature, KOTO restaurant, Hoa Binh prison, Hoan Kiem Lake, the lake with the drowned fighter plane and more.
Red River to Co Loa Citadel
Broad and muddy – the Red river is a famed trade link between Yunnan in Southern China and Hanoi all the way to the Port of Haiphong on Halong Bay.
Discover the old village ways along the river as we cycle the dikes and cross the river by Ferry to discover Hanoi’s first citadel at Co Loa.
Rice paddies fertalised by the silt from the Red River, get you up close to the familes who have employed wet rice cultivation as the basis of their culture since the Duong Vuong dynasty, two thousand years ago.
Cross the historic Long Bien cantilever bridge, still scarred from bombs in the American War (as the Vietnamese calle the Vietnam War) and very emotionally memoralised for its defence.
Chua Thay Pagoda and The KOTO Dream Ride
The 11th Century Pagoda of the Heavenly Blessing – Chua Thay is the destination for our Dream Ride. This is the love part of the ride, as by participating you are turning the dreams of Vietnamese youth into reality in the form of culinary talent.
KOTO is a 15 year old street kids social enterprise, that now trains up disadvantaged youth to 5 star hospitality levels. And you get to ride with a bunch of them in a group with local Hanoians and expatriates who are obviously also awesome for joining the ride.
16 cyclists is our maximum group size.
Included: All meals from Friday morning, twin-share accommodation (single supplement available for USD 60 per night), mountain bike, helmet, two days supported cycling with guide bike, entry on the KOTO dreamride and vehicle transfers.
Not included: Your onward travel, Visa, water (which you can buy or refill along the way – refillable bottles recommended to bring along.)
Departing from Hong Kong
Dragon Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines all fly to Hanoi.
Hong Kong Airlines is often the cheapest and syncs well with this itinerary.
Departing Shanghai
1 flight dialy 3:50 pm→6:10 pm
Vietnam 531 PVG-HAN
Departing Beijing
3:30 pm→6:25 pmVietnam 513 PEK-HAN
Return options: the trip finishes back in Hanoi around 1pm. Leave 1 hour to get to the airport.
Full payment required by November 5th
Contact bruce@bikeaways.com to reserve your place.
KOTO DREAM RIDE 2015 – INFORMATION PACKAGE
About KOTO Dream Ride 2015
KOTO Dream Ride is an annual fundraising event where all proceeds will be used to support the continued work of providing hopes and brighter future of KOTO. Growing from 30 riders to over 100 riders mainly through word of mouth, since 2002 when KOTO held its first ride, the Dream Ride has raised US$250,000.
2015 marks the 14th KOTO Dream Ride has been organized. This year, KOTO Dream Ride bikers will venture a loop ride from United Nations International School (UNIS) to Chua Thay, to join hands and raise money to support at at-risk and disadvantaged youth through the KOTO not-for-profit vocational training program. The fun ride will take cyclists through the most beautiful countryside, lakes, pagodas and rice fields.
We aim to attract 200 hundred bikers to help us fundraise, to bring awareness and attention to the wonderful work that is being carried out at our training center. We hope to raise US $50,000, which will be used specifically to cover the annual rental cost of training centers and housing for 200 trainees.
Program Detail
Date: Sunday, 15th November, 2015
Start/Finish Point: UNIS, G9 Ciputra, Lac Long Quan, Tay Ho, Hanoi
On the Day Agenda:
07:00Cylists Meeting & Registration
08:00 Start the Dream Ride
09:00Break & Snack
10:00Chua Thay: Entertainment & Snack
10:30Start from Chua Thay back to UNIS
11:30 Break & Snack
12:30Finish Dream Ride 2015
How to join KOTO Dream Ride 2015
To join our event, please visit:
Koto.com.au/dreamride2015
For online registration, please visit: koto.com.au/dreamride2015
Registration fee:
- General Biker: VND 2,000,000 / person
- Group of 6: VND 10,000,000
- Family Package (2 adults, 2 kids under 17): VND 5,000,000
- Bike Rental: VND 200,000 / bike
Registration before 11:59PM Oct 26, 2015 will receive 10% discount on total fee.
Contact Information
Mr Nick Ippel
Marketing Manager, KOTO Hanoi
nick.ippel@koto.com.au
+841265180498
About KOTO
KOTO (Know One, Teach One), the not-for-profit hospitality training organisation Jimmy Pham founded and is now Executive Chairman of, has trained in excess of 500 street and disadvantaged Vietnamese youth in its Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) training centres. Its 24-month program includes front-of-house and kitchen, as well as English and life skills training and provides trainees with accommodation, food and medical care, all free of charge. It has two restaurants in Hanoi and HCMC where trainees work to get practical experience and all profits are invested back into the program.