Excursion
Cycling from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Tien 4 days
Depart from Ho Chi Minh city at 8:00 by private vehicle. After one hour of driving on a freeway, we arrive at Tan An’ rural village, where your cycling holiday starts. The morning ride is about 25 km on countryside rural roads, going through dragon vegetable farming, pennywort…….and corn plantation, and ride paddy fields. You will have many stops on the way so you can visit the family workshop, have photos taken, and enjoy coffee and fruit at a local market on the way. We will have lunch served at a nice restaurant in My Tho city. On your cycling adventures in the afternoon, we will ride past fruit gardens, lovely and lively villages that locals are doing their business at home. Transfer to Ben Tre Riverside Resort
Cho Lach and Cai Mon are Dists of Ben Tre and very well-known with mangosteen fruits, nursery gardens, ornamental plants, and bonsai trees. This is a chance you could meet locals and experience and learning the techniques of these plants. Visit some greenhouses of locals, also having lunch at the home of people. In the afternoon, we continue cycling on paths by small branches of Mekong River to Dinh Khao ferry, Vinh Long’ countryside where we get on A/C van for an hour driving to Can Tho city
Anyone had been to Can Tho and seen a busy floating market and will never forget it! A boat ride will take you to the floating market before your biking starts. We cycle through Phong Dien’ countryside; the area owns many small natural creeks across many villages. After a fruit stop at Phong Dien, we continue to pedal our bikes on smooth concrete by the river to Thoi Lai District. There are many things to see when you ride along with villages; grocery boats advertising plastic household goods by loudspeaker. Cargo boats selling sands for building, small, fast boats bring pigs, ducks to local markets, and many small ferries taking passengers to further side. In the afternoon, we cycle on narrow paths, pass thatch house on stilt by canals, see sampan boats used along long tails engines to carry farm products to home, to markets. The primary means of transportation over here are waterways. We will stop at Bang Lang storks before transferring to Long Xuyen city in the late afternoon.
On your last day on the bike, adventure is travel across farmland, where people live in removed villages where boats are the primary means of transportation. It was a tranquil area, and not so many people live here before 1975. But today is an excellent place for bike adventures because governments encouraged people from major cities to move to this place to make the settlement. It’s the chance for us to see the new way of local living. By cycling in the afternoon, we will have a leisurely ride along a beautiful back road. Stop at Tra Su forest for a short boat ride before enjoying beautiful rice paddies and blue skies through Tri Ton's mountainside on country back roads to Tri Ton, to Ba Chuc village. It was a killing field before. Spend time walking around the memorial before a transfer taking us to Ha Tien town. 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
A great trip !
Hi Van, We had a great trip - our guide Thang was great, everything went like clockwork - we did a lot of eating of all sorts of food we never would have tried on our own or known what to order as we told Thang we were interested in trying foods, he introduced us to iced coffee and we had one or two every day. The bikes were good, minivan driver excellent and as we expected our bums a little sore at end of day 3 but what we expected. Our three days were excellent but I strongly suggest you change the last night hotel. I tell you this as I also own my own business and feedback is important - I strongly think you need to change the hotel. We will write good report on trip adviser and will recommend you to others as we did not see another westerner on the days we were on the bike as you promised. 16 Jan 2012
Phuc Le and Vietnam Backroads
Dear Kieu
Thanks for your email. In the mean time back home and back to work.
We had a great time on our cycling trip, an exceptional experience:
- Phuc Le is indeed a great guide - took very good care of us, was flexible, shared very interesting information, knows his way around for nice backroads, etc.
- Very good driver - Always there on time and we felt very safe
- Coordination (you ;-) ) was also exemplary - responsive, patient, clear communication
- Great Trek bikes
- First two hotels were very good (the second one was the best one of our whole trip through Vietnam...), the last one was less
- Most restaurants were well selected, except for the one on the first night which didn't make us feel at ease - but as said, all the others gave us a good introduction to the local cuisine and its specialties
Bottom line, the 4 days with Phuc Le and Vietnam Backroads were the best part of our trip through Vietnam. Thank you very much !! 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 July 2019
Cycle through Mekong Delta and Chu chi tunnels
Amazing trip surpassed expectations.
Bikes good quality and well maintained- we even travelled with a bike mechanic, and bikes were cleaned and serviced daily. Our guide was Phuc (happiness in English ) he was excellent, very knowledgeable and good fun- and lived up to his name.
Lunch was provided every day and always tasty the best was the authentic Vietnamese.
Day 1 small van trip and 25km cycle to Chu Chi tunnels, cycle through rubber plantations and stopped at rice paper making industry.
Day 2 we started cycling the Mekong Delta, another 45mins In van then started cycling, through rice fields, dragon fruit plantations and magic mushrooms !
Dinner was at the homestead - which was lovely with a swimming pool and air conditioning in room.
Day 3 delivered some different scenery and again our guide was great taking lots of photos of our whole family. Our hotel in Can Tho was smart and the city very busy, it was good to have the evening meal booked.
Lovely restaurant - but again we all preferred the traditional non- touristy cafes ! The next morning we went round the floating market - very interesting.
Day 4, great cycling we were all glad of our padded cycle shorts ! This is the night in Long xuyen where our best meal was - great food, and lovely eating with happiness(our guide). 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 November 2019