Excursion
Bike trip from Ha Tien- Ho Chi Minh
The bike trip start in Ha Tien border town and cross the Mekong Delta, Rach Gia, Giong Rieng, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City. This tour will welcome tourists from different locations: in Ha Tien and travellers from Cambodia. Otherhand, tourists can join on the second day in Rach Gia city. The following days you travel across the Mekong Delta and its rivers to Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh. Your guide and driver will be in Ha Tien township one day before, and they will come to meet you at your hotel in the evening with a short introduction of the trip.
Have early breakfast, and depart at 7:00 am, and you will transfer 1.5 hours to Kien Luong's rural Dist. We ride on back roads, along the coast to Hon Chong. The Hon Chong local beaches are beautiful with few rock pinnacles, limestone karsts, and caves with colourful pagodas. Local pilgrims visit the beautiful pagoda hidden in the mountain. It's a nice place for us to ride around beautiful surroundings, visit the pagoda, then undulate the jungle, mountain along the coast, cross the idyllic farmlands until we leave the mountain jungle behind. We travel by bike into small hamlets along the coastal route, passing little fishing villages, stilt-houses, and the Khmer community. We pedal the coast, the first-hand witness, and experience the life of locals living in little seaside towns through vast lush farmlands—lunch en route.
We have a chance to venture through remote hamlets and meet the friendliest farmers at the country seafood farms, mangrove forests. Enjoy a coffee break at tiny small markets along the countryside, enjoy endless photos taken at your pace. The routes are small, mixed of concrete, some tracks, and asphalt back roads—rolling hills at the beginning and some undulating in the afternoon but almost flat in the middle parts.
After leisurely breakfast, a quick transfer to a rural village in Rach Soi, and we ride across the verdant fields of vegetation. Adventure to the rice basket of Mekong Delta, ride along the rivers as you race with sampan boats alongside, and waving children as you cycle along small paths along tiny paths through endless rice paddies, stop at a bustling market in the rural area. You will have many opportunities to stop at some colourful Buddhist pagodas and temples, local markets to experience life along the banks, with stunning views across the Mekong countryside. Stop off at Giong Rieng tittle town, visit the local market, enjoy a coffee break, taste fresh fruits, coconut milk. Afterwards, continue the ride to discover the maze of small canals and see how locals live fishing, farming, enjoy riding on small bridges over water channels, passing stilt houses along waterways, and experience people's lives—lunch en route.
The vibrant scenery, the quiet country lanes and charming Khmer villages give more chances and time to meet friendly people and explore more about rice plants, vegetables and fruits. The paths are pretty smooth and in good condition, with many narrow bridges up and down. These also offer magnificent views of the fertile region, rice crop and fruit harvests. Today's ride ends on Thoi Lai and has a 1-hour transfer to Can Tho City.
After breakfast, check out, and we board on a motorized boat ride on Can Tho River to Cai Rang, a great time to watch the vibrant daily life along the river bank. Can Tho is known as the capital of the Mekong Delta. It is famous for its floating markets running in the morning with wholesale bigger boats and retail smaller boats moving around to create picturesqueness. Cai Rang floating market is one that travellers love to go there and see. It is open all day, but it is busiest from sunrise to about 9:00 am. Most of the main items for selling are farm products, commodities and specialties of locals from neighbouring areas.
Following the floating market, a quick transfer over the Hau Giang River to Binh Minh's rural village for the half-day ride to Vinh Long. Experience Khmer lives along narrow paths through stunning countryside, and you'll pass by colourful Khmer temples, lush orchards on the route towards the Tam Binh. Lunch will be served locally before a transfer to HCM.
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
Van Please find attached my feedback
I am sorry it is not more constructive but really I have no criticisms. For us we were very lucky as you we incredibly flexible and could be as there were just the two of us. You have two converted bike tourers! As for value for money it is certainly not the cheapest trip but good value for what we do, the quality of equipment and for 2 comfortable hotels. However payment is tricky! I understand the need for a deposit but it was surprisingly difficult to do an international bank transfer. None the less I was more comfortable with doing that than supplying my card details. Payment of the balance at the end would have been much easier to do with a card or knowing dollars was your preferred method of payment I would have taken dollars out in Cambodia and carried them with me. So maybe some more info on that before the tour could have been helpful. Anyway thank you again for a fantastic few days - a real highlight of the trip as a whole! I hope it is ok but I suggested my biking friends from Cambodia get in touch if their tour is taking them through Saigon. Feb 2012
Ms. Hue,
Ms. Hue, My sister and I just got home after our month-long travels in Southeast Asia. We had an amazing trip! We really enjoyed our experience with Vietnam Backroads Bicycle Tours. Our guide, Nghi, and driver, Mr. Loc, picked us up promptly from our hotel in Ha Tien. Mr. Nghi showed us how to adjust the bicycles and then we were off on our adventure! The bicycle tour was a great way to experience the Mekong Delta. We biked through many villages and saw the surrounding countryside that we probably wouldn't have seen otherwise. It was an eye-opening experience as we biked through villages and greeted the local people- many of whom had not seen a foreigner in a long time. We would highly recommend Vietnam Backroads Bicycle Tours! We would suggest that drinks be included in the price of the tour for lunches and dinners. Also, if it would be possible to set up payment through credit card on your website that would be a lot easier than the hassle of the money transfer. 6 - 7 - 8 July 2012