Excursion
Fabulous ride 4 days/3 nights Chau Doc - Ho Chi Minh
This is a fabulous ride through Mekong Delta with Vietnam Cycling Tours. Throughout these four days, to be a local rather than a tourist! You will have an opportunity to explore the Mekong Delta's best gentle cycle routes and destinations; Long Xuyen, Can Tho, Tra Vinh, and Ben Tre.
Our team will leave HCM for Chau Doc one day before so that your bike guide could meet you at your accommodation in the evening. After you are picked up in the morning, your guide will make the tour brief before the ride starts. A short transfer to a rural village of Chau Doc, then explore immense rice fields and villages along the border to Tra Su cajuput forest. Home of a wide variety of flora, including lotus, water lilies. Tra Su forest knowns as a bird sanctuary and famous for its diverse wildlife. You'll have a leisurely sampan rowing boat and motorboat riding through the forest. After the boat ride, the ride will continue bicycling on the dirt tracks to Tan Phu village, stop here for lunch. In the afternoon, our bike guide led you to ride through new farming lands that local settlers have been here after the Vietnam War since 1978. We will ride through a large human-made canal with water trucks moving as the primary means of transport over here. Get on our private vehicle for a short transfer to Long Xuyen city
Depart from the hotel at 8:00 am by vehicles to rural to Thot Not for a beautiful ride and villages to villages. There will be a short break at the crocodile farm to warm up the body. Sharing paths with locals on the bike, meeting farmers on their farmland, pedaling over wooden bridges into remote villages, see farmers raising animals, raising ducks, frogs and fish along canals and on rice-paddy fields. After lunch at Co Do market, we continue our adventure on the country back road through bustling local markets, rice paddies and cycle across many tiny villages by canals to Tho Lai. If time permitted, we continue to pedal to Phong Dien. Right here, a 30-minute transfer will take you to Can Tho city.
Travelers who are coming to Can Tho because they wanted to see its real Cai Rang floating market and they can see more than their expectation. After breakfast, check out for a boat trip to the floating market of Cai Rang before morning cycling starts. On your morning biking, you explore islands on shady paths through gardening villages and tropical fruit orchards with many ferry crossings. The morning ride is a stop at Tra On the town. After lunch in Cau Ke, we ride through countryside rice paddy fields into Khmer villages, stopping at some colorful temples, and visit local family houses at Khmer community on the beautiful country back roads to Tra Vinh city.
Your last day’s ride begins at the riverside after a ferry takes you to the other side of Mekong River. You will have a pleasure to ride through coconut farming lands, fruit orchards and passing many local workshops in villages; coconut fiber and jelly family workshop. There will be many stops on the way; enjoy coffee, fresh fruits at local markets, small ferry stations, and taking photos from kids at primary schools. You’ll meet such happy people with their daily lives on their land. After lunch in a local restaurant on the way to HCMC. Tour End!
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta, Vietnam, has complicated rural path network systems, well-developed and maintenance by governments. The region comprises 12 provinces: Long An, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, An Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau, along with the Mekong Delta Capital of Can Tho. All country back roads are asphalt, concrete paths connecting villages to villages as it's a rural transports. The rest are dirt tracks, so do not worry about exploring the Mekong Delta by bicycle, even you are a beginner. Depending on each province's regions, lowlands, or jungles, and rural villages, our hand-picked routes are the best for your biking trips. Mekong Bike Tours
Flexible route - The most important key is to your trip
You do not have to ride the exact kilometer distance as it's showing on the daily biking of each itinerary. It will be flexible as you want. Even you could choose the longest distance that more than 80km per day if a whole day ride. You could spend more time cycling if you think the biking distance is too short! Or you can enjoy short routes and spend more time taking photos, stopping at villages/ small markets, or the home of locals to find something interesting.
Throughout the Mekong Delta and its rivers with thousand branches! You will ride on various roads; flat trails, paths, rural roads, and country back roads where they are too small for vehicles. However, the Mekong Delta River network has natural creeks and canals that small ferry boats are such essential ways of travelling in the countryside, and riders have no choice!
Cycling routes
We tailor-make unique bike trips depend on the specific route and terrain of your tour. Vietnam Backroads is the first cycle tour operator to explore and build up many adventure trips to Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Rach Gia, Vi Thanh, Cao Lanh, and Sadec and remote villages. Our top cycle tour operator and the pathfinder are Mr Van, nicknamed "Van the man" Each cycling route has to be meticulously well-scouted, investigated, scouted out, and mapped out beforehand by Mr. Van the man. Our guides are licensed, well trained in bike maintenance and navigation and know all routes as they are on their hands. All bike guides can tailor a custom route suitable to your wish and levels of cycling skills.
How were the backup vehicles support cyclists on the trip?
Most routes are small, narrow, just wide enough for two bicycles OR mopeds. There are vehicles to support riders on the entire trip (van/minibus to take up all cyclists and truck to carry all bikes and spare bikes), but they are too big to drive on, follow riders along through the countryside. Do remember! All support vehicles are permanently closed and not far from the group. Where are the support vehicles during the trip? Depends on routes, vehicles sometimes move along the high roads, second highways, or country roads as close to riders as possible. If one of the riders wants to relax on A/C vehicle, the tour leaders will find the shortest route that leads he/she to the support vehicles that are always on standby. That is very easy and also the way Vietnam Backroads organized.
- The weather in Mekong Delta has two distinct seasons. Rainy season from May to last November, and the dry season from May to last April. The weather will be more relaxed from November to February. In general, the preferred travel time is from August to April in both the dry and wet seasons. It will be more humid, a little bit hot from May to July, and farmers start to make rice crops this time of the year. Travellers can take bicycle tours in the wettest months from the last of May to August because the rains usually come in short, heavy showers, mainly in the afternoon, and only lasts for an hour, then sunshine turns back to normal.
Private Support Vehicles
We organize cycling holidays, cycling adventure trips and mountain biking tours. All are flexible with luxury, fully air-conditioned vehicles to support riders on the entire journey. It depends on how many riders are in the group, and the vehicle support services will be well-arranged to satisfy your travels. There are air-conditioned 16-seat van/minibuses to take up all riders, luggage, and a truck to hold all bikes during the trip.
Every morning, the vehicles will transfer you out of the bustling city, and then you will ride to explore the stunning countryside, and you will back on the vehicles to avoid traffic in town when the daily's ride ends in the late afternoon.
Every 20 - 25 km, the support vehicles will be waiting at the high road if you are tired and really would love to ride on A/C van. Your guide will escort you to vehicles easily because many country back roads are linked to the main roadways where keeping vehicles are on standby.
Then you can relax on a support vehicle when others in the group can continue cycling as long as they wish! You will meet the others at the next point/ destination where you love to re-join the group and continue to ride.
All your luggage/ suitcase and day bags are safe on the vehicles and well kept by the company's drivers and its team.
2 to 4 riders in a group
There is only one A/C 16 seater van to take up all riders, luggage & suitcases, and bikes. There are four rows of seating for passengers on the A/C 16 seater van. Two people sit on each row. The third row is for luggage and suitcases. The last row of seats will be folded up, so all bikes will be uploaded here.
A medium group tour: from 5 to 7 people
There will be two vehicles to support riders on the entire trip. One 16 seater van to take up all riders, luggage & suitcases. Another truck to carry all bikes, spare bikes, tool kits, icebox to keep cold drinks, and so on
A large group tour: 8 to 14 people
One minibus to take up all riders, including luggage & suitcases, and one truck to carry all bikes, spare bikes, water, cold drinks, and snacks...Iceboxes
A group has more than 15 riders and more than 20 people
We provide two vans and one minibus, and one truck to escort large groups of riders and help ensure their safety. Our pro guide will motivate a team with support vehicles to bring the best services to riders.
Giant MTB & Trek Hybrid MTB Bikes & Gears
Trek Hybrid MTB Bikes - Wheelsize 700c x45/1.95 - Gravel tires
Giant MTB Bikes - Wheelsize 27.5 x 1.95
Positives of the tour!
Top marks to guide, Loc for the personality, local general knowledge, proficiency with English. We enjoyed the fact that we went to non-touristy sights took time to visit with locals and that the guide adapted the tour when the planed item was not of interest to us. It was nice that the guide arranged for such a lovely dinner and setting for our wedding anniversary. An the particular highlight was the Khmer village ride afternoon due to the amazingly beautiful settings. All in all, a very satisfying tour experience. 28 - 29 - 30 -31 Dec, 2015
Flexible is your key!
Thanks very much to the entire team for the excellent organization of our vacation in Vietnam. Thanks to our excellent guide Loc, we could really see how beautiful Vietnam and its people are. The Mekong delta is surprisingly rich in the variety of activities, fruits and vegetables that you can find, but you absolutely need a good guide to spot it all. The cycling is making it not only a very interesting, but also sportive and pleasant experience. We especially appreciate the good care that was given when our daughter got sick. Your team did everything to help her and still make it very pleasant for everybody involved. She is getting better now, but still needs further recovery. 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 July, 2015
Hello Vietnam Backroads
we really enjoyed the BackRoads trip in the Mekong Delta. The guide Hai was very good and tell us a lot about Vietnamese culture, history and daily life. We really enjoy the beautiful paths through the green paddy fields, small villages and wonderful nature. It really good way for our kids to interact with local people. Oscar and Mona loved it very much as well. The bikes and cycling equipment were perfect. We will come back to explore another region in Vietnam with Vietnam Backroads. 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 January 2020
We will definitely be back for another trip!
Tha took really good care of my special diet needs (Vegan). We were impressed by how well Tha knew the landscape, and enjoyed going down super local roads that aren’t frequented by tourists.
I particularly enjoyed our farm shop; we visit fruit, frog, and fish farms. Tha also asked local people if we could get closer look at farm equipment like rice husking/polishing and ride harvester. Very interesting he took us to the place where we saw very interesting birds. One of our members got very sick and Loc make sure he was very comfortable on the day he couldn’t bike with us because of illness. All the bikes were really, really good quality and well-maintained. 01 December – 04 January 2020
Thank for a great trip!
It’s the first time I‘ve been on a guided trip- usually we find our own way. This trip was excellent and I would absolutely do it again. Our guide Tha took very good care at the group and paced the trip every well. He took us to some roads where these have never been tourists!!!
Each day he took us to very different parts of the delta and it was great to see many different things in the short trip. The only thing I would skip is the crocodile farm – it was very touristy and our first got food poisoning there. The bikes were excellent and also the team of Tha as driver Loc very good. 01 December – 03 January 2020
The best bike rides of my life
Tha was an excellent guide. From small detailed (giving us a hotel card) to general habits (staying behind/with the last biker) to constant awareness. Always knowing when a bike would fall) to culture awareness (chatting with locals) technical knowledge and local knowledge. Tha was superlative on every point. I was never worried and never felt uncomfortable at many point. One of our group become very ill and Tha was able to make sure he was okay, changed the itinerary and adjust for his temporary illness.
But I’m living out the best part: the rides! The paths were well chosen for the beauty, food, people, experience, and nature. Perfect length, exquisite, views on path I would never find, even as an experienced traveler. 01 December – 04 January 2020
Unique and Wonderful Trip
We (a group of four, plus our guide and driver) spent four days cycling the Mekong Delta with our excellent guide, Tha Ra. We took routes that he had developed himself, using his extensive local knowledge of the area. We spent a lot of time cycling through different farming communities, visiting farms and tasting the excellent local fruit and roadside snacks. We also spent lots of time on ferries, which added great variety to the trip! We would never have been able to complete a trip like this without Tha's guidance. We were also very happy to have the support vehicle traveling with us when one of our company got sick -- he was able to take it easy for a day or two to recover, but still meet up with us throughout the day. Also, Tha did a great job accommodating the vegan member of our group. The bikes were in excellent shape and very comfortable for the variety of roads that we traveled on. 01 - 04 January 2020
I am still dreaming about fresh pressed sugar cane juice with kumquats! I can't wait to go back to visit Cambodia!