The mighty Mekong spreads into tentacles and tributaries in southern Vietnam, making the delta fertile and the region one of Vietnam's highest producers of rice, vegetables, and fruits. Cycling through rice paddies, orchards, along and over a myriad of small irrigation canals will let you see a unique area of Vietnam.
An outstanding experience for biking, scenery, culture and food. Our guide, Tu Xuyen, was a superstar.
SpiceRoads managed to provide a guide on my solo trip who was sheer pleasure to spend 15-16 hours per day with. Please take well care of the guide, Lam, who is a very nice person and excellent guide. I have only good things to say about him.
DestinationsVietnam
Tour MeetsAt your hotel in Saigon
Fly in toTan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
Group Size2-16 riders
Water bottleSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)Hotel pick upHotel drop offAccommodationBike and helmetSnacks and drinks
International flightsVisa feesAlcoholTips
The cycling is on a mixture of well-surfaced roads and the option to go off road onto single track. An air-conditioned bus will travel behind the group to support us. On the occasions when it is impossible for the bus to follow, our guide follows behind on a motorcycle. Participants can cycle as much or as little as they like and still enjoy the same views as the rest of the group.
Suitability: The daily distances are not too long and the terrain is gentle so this trip is suitable for most people, but it’s advisable to have a modicum of fitness to enjoy the riding! Fast cyclists can ride at their own pace, as detailed directions are available from the leader.
Transfer with bikes to Cai Lay. Ride to Cai Be on back roads approx 1.5 hours. Have lunch on an island before continuing onto our local home stay run by a lovely retired couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ba. They live in a typical Mekong Delta Vietnamese house, with airy rooms and outdoor kitchen. The rest of the afternoon is free to bike the dirt paths surrounding the home stay. Dinner will be prepared by the home stay hosts.
Mr. and Mrs. Ba’s Home stay
Lunch, Dinner
Ride 30kmFrom Vinh Long enjoy a boat journey out to one of the Mekong islands. Bike along narrow country lanes, easy dirt tracks and trails. This is biking at its most glorious -- through tiny orchards, witness colorful life along the riverside, pedal past picturesque delta homes, pause to chat with welcoming villagers, clack across innumerable wooden bridges. Cross a narrow canal on a local sampan, before finishing at the main ferry for a refreshing boat trip across the expansive Co Chien River. Ride a final few kilometers to the very pretty Khmer town of Tra Vinh. There will be plenty of time to explore side tracks and trails as the cycling distance today is not far. This gives a great first impression of the ‘heart of the Mekong’.
Local hotel in Tra VinhBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 40kmA special ride today as much of the area is populated by Khmer people. The regional architecture is interesting and there are many Khmer temples to stop and admire en route. Cycle as much or as little as is preferred; the road is peaceful, narrow and very pretty all the way to Can Tho! Pedal to Ba Om Pond with its magnificent lotus flowers, and observe local women having their future predicted in the small temple nearby. En route, stop to visit a local Buddhist Temple School if possible. Arrive finally at Can Tho, the Mekong’s largest town located at the confluence of the Can Tho and Hau Giang rivers.
Local hotel in Can ThoBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerRide 40kmWeave through the teeming early morning market bustle along the banks of an active riverfront. Ride on a narrow paved road to Phong Dien floating market, absorbing the sights of endless cottage industries, timber merchants, coconut shredders and small docks loading/unloading rice. Continue by bike on the narrow lane and loop round to the main road. Ride to O Mon or Binh Thuy. Lunch in local restaurant in town. Return to the hotel, check out and drive four hours back to your hotel in Saigon.
Breakfast, LunchRide 40kmThe bikes you will be riding are well-known makes of Hybrid or Mountain bikes (depending on the tour) with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes and Shimano components and front suspension.
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
For 46 nationalities – including Australians, Canadians and Americans – an e-visa can be obtained. This must be applied for and received before departure to Vietnam. To check for the E-visa and tourist fee for single entry and multiple entries please check the Visa fee. You must scan a copy of your photo and passport when applying and get your approval letter of your visa on arrival at international airport of Vietnam. To learn more click Visa process. The processing time is 1-3 working days (not include Saturday,Sunday and Vietnamese holiday).
Alternatively you can obtain a visa to Vietnam from the embassy worldwide. Here is the list of locations. You must specify your arrival date when applying for a visa and it is from this date that the 30 days will be calculated. When picking up your visa check to be sure the dates match your travel plans and that it is stamped directly into your passport as it will not be accepted if it is stapled in.
Recommended vaccinations are typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days. Vietnam is a malarial area and you will need to take anti-malarial tablets. Please speak to your doctor for the most up to date information.
Weather in Vietnam is divided into 4 main regions - the far north, north, central and south.
The far north can get very cold in December and January while the dry season runs from October to late March and the wet season between April to September.
In Hanoi & the north, it is hot, wet and humid from May to October while November to April is cooler and dry.
Central Vietnam experiences hot, dry weather between January & August with temperatures ranging in the mid 30°C. High levels of rainfall are during September - November.
Southern Vietnam is dry and hot from November to April, and warm and wet between May & October, with the highest rainfall in June, July & August.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are Vietnamese food and features noodles, rice curries and soups. Vietnamese cuisine is world famous and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Vietnam but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. As a general guide, we suggest US$ 3-4 per person per day is appropriate.
The official national currency is the Vietnam dong (d), but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place: Read our Booking Conditions
From the tour page click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office. For the next steps you'll need to know the names of the people traveling and have either a Visa or a MasterCard. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height, or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). However, if you wish to get a children's discount, please do fill out the date of birth of the riders. If you are having any problems, please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 2 381 7490) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
For Long Tours (7 days or more) to guarantee your place we require a 30% or 500 USD deposit, whichever is the greater. For Short Tours (6 days or less) we require full payment to guarantee your place. We also require that you take out travel insurance when you book your holiday. Besides covering you during your holiday it will also enable you to claim for any money that you have paid to us, including your deposit, should you have to cancel your trip.
Full payment must be paid 45 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights. Our confirmation will include personal details you provided us (including your flight information), visa application advice, a packing suggestion list and a detailed tour itinerary. It will also include a checklist to ensure you get everything ready for your holiday.
On the rare occasions when we, SpiceRoads, must cancel a trip, all payments received to date will be 100% refunded, which constitutes full settlement. There will be absolutely no deductions. If you, the client, must cancel your reservation, your cancellation fee will be determined according to when you cancel. For full details, please read our cancellation policy.
For those who have been on several long tours with us we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts can not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for loyalty discount.
International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.
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The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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We really enjoyed the guides and driver, They all really went out of their way to accommodate and tailor the trip to our needs and desires.