The back roads through Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and Can Tho

Van's three-day cycle tour of the Mekong delta was a truly memorable way to experience a must-see part of SE Asia. We took our three daughters (ages 9-12) who would not be described as avid cyclists and they all had a great time. I truly can't imagine another way to see and experience the life of the people of the Mekong. We took many breaks to enjoy some of the best (freshly picked and cut) watermelon, mango, banana, and coconut of our lives. We got to meet many friendly people and see a wide range of ways of life in the Mekong. The cycling is quite easy -- we were almost exclusively on paved pathways -- and Van was extremely attentive at every point of the way... We loved the biking trip. It was one of highlights from our time in Vietnam. Hope to see you again one day-- you certainly will be seeing some of our friends in the years ahead! 24 - 25 - 26 Mar, 2018

It would be good to advise customer to bring a padded cycling short (and maybe even gloves) We every happy with the high-quality bikes. Big fans of the local food and dishers. We were able to sample thanks to the expert advice of our guide Mr Dat. He really made the difference. 15 - 16 - 17 Dec, 2017

We had a fabulous time and really appreciate the effort that was made to adjust our itinerary, as we were delayed 12hrs due to the volcano eruption in Bali. I have done a TripAdvisor comment and would recommend you to friends Thank you Belinda Walker July 4 - 5 - 6, 2015

Excellent trip, The guide was great with our children, keeping them motivated and interested. We met local people, tried many tropical fruits, learned about local culture, farming, etc... It was very hot but the guide and driver were accommodating with water stop and when we decided to drive on A/C van in stead of cycle. Our only thing is that we never managed to eat all the food we were served at lunch and dinner. Perhap it would be better to have a child rate (lower rate) and provide less food at meals. We fell we wasted a lot of food. The trip was really fun and interesting. We learned about ride and coconut factories and more... Loc was great guide that stopped at places to show us fruits or people. When we did not have water, he would stop to more. The driver was nice and good. The routes were amazing. 13 - 14 - 15 April, 2015

Great all around experience beyond just the cycling. We were also having a great culture experience with the Vietnamese cruise and very interesting about the way of life for the people of the country and also the country history. Our guide was amazing. Thang was very accommodating . We would always happy and having a good time. Would highly recommend Vietnam Backroads Bicycle Tours. 19 -21 Jan, 2015

The tour was flexible to our preference. Lunches & dinners a bit too big but fruit was wonderful. I think advice to bring cycling parts would be good. Andrew Watson_ January 8, 2014 I enjoyed Dat's choice of snacks. I got to try lots of things I hadn't eaten before. Harry Jones_ January 8, 2014

The trip was excellent. We enjoyed every part of it. In particular, Thang was outstanding- he was a pleasure to be around & was very knowledgeable & went at of his way to make our trip more interesting. The food was excellent & we tried so many different things thanks to Thang. The dinner was excellent. The only recommendation to avoid to the fancy restaurant in Can Tho- It was too touristy & the food was dull & not Vietnamese- our worst meal in the country so far. We felt like Kings & Queens on the trip!! Thanks so much! December 22, 2013

It was very nice to meet you on the trip. Mr. Nghi just dropped us off at our hotel and we had a great time on our trip with him. Does Mr. Nghi have an email address? Thomas and I would like to write him a note of thanks and stay in touch if we can! Thanks so much 2 - 5 June, 2013

My friends and I were so happy with our tour with Harry and Mr. Huong. They were so flexible at planning our tours. Harry was always willing and knowledgeable to change the tour if we were tired and change the route if we wanted to see something else. We were also a little complicated with our diet and they made every effort to accommodate us. The only thing we said that we, personally, would have done differently is we would have asked to have no dinners. After the big lunch that was always arranged, none of us felt like a sit-down meal in the evening. After our tours, when we just climbed in the van and enjoyed a cold drink while Harry and Mr. Huong dismantled the bikes, we often said that their service was worth every dollar! We are now back in Ha Noi working. We will always remember our lovely tour guides and the friendly people in the Mekong Delta fondly. Hopefully we can still fit in another tour while we live in Vietnam. Please feel free to post this on your website. 2013

Thanks for your e-mail. We really enjoyed the trip! Bobby (as we called him) is a good guide and he knew where to go. Never been lost in the kampong! Your tour is really off the beaten track which we like! Good that you ask for recommendations because that will help your company. We all have cultural differences and people from Europe (like us) will appreciate other things than people from Vietnam or other Asian countries. I will list them: - we appreciate taking backroads where no tourists are (this is all done by your company) - we like the flexibility in distances on a day - bikes are ok - plenty of drinks available - Bobby is an honest guide and he calculated costs of diner etc very well! some advices from our side (do not take it personal) - drinking sugar cane is very good, but we prefer to drink it in the Kampong green instead of a busy street or a big empty restaurant - we value the authentic living style of the Vietnamese so we therefore like to sleep in the Kampong; e.g. home stay - we think you can make a lot of money by opening a small guest house at a nice spot in the Kampong. Just explore 5 to 10 rooms. Simple western breakfast (no buffet) with baguette, egg, orange juice, jam, butter and some yoghurt, make sure that it is clean. It can be very simple and keep the idilic spots of having hammocks, table and chair outside, just like the other people live. There aren't many hotels and the available hotels are more business style hotels which we don't like. They are too big, have no atmosphere and they are not in nature and the kampong.... - we prefer having lunch and dinner in small eateries, not in the big very empty restaurants offered in the tour. Let the tourists eat where the locals eat in the kampong with a nice view over the rice fields or palm plantations. make sure food is hygienic and it can be Vietnamese and simple. Do not offer complete chickens as they are too 'rough' for us. Thanks again Van and we will recommend your organization to our friends. 18 -19 - 20 Mar 2012

Hi Van,

We loved the route - it was lovely to be on quiet back roads away from the traffic, and the scenery was amazing. The scenery was also very varied which made it so interesting, from rural villages to sunny rice paddies, shaded coconut plantations, and villages along the river - it was all just quite fascinating to see, and we really felt we were seeing a very different side of Vietnam from that which you see from a vehicle on the road. Our guide Thai was excellent. That's all I can think of for now, thanks again for arranging our trip - we have great memories (and photos)! 14 June 2011

Hi Van, 

We loved the route - it was lovely to be on quiet back roads away from the traffic, and the scenery was amazing. The scenery was also very varied which made it so interesting, from rural villages to sunny rice paddies, shaded coconut plantations, and villages along the river - it was all just quite fascinating to see, and we really felt we were seeing a very different side of Vietnam from that which you see from a vehicle on the road. Our guide Thai was excellent. That's all I can think of for now, thanks again for arranging our trip - we have great memories (and photos)! 14 June 2011

Many thanks for your email. We very much enjoyed the trip - and will certainly contact you if we plan another trip to Vietnam! I'm back in Europe now, missing Vietnamese weather, food and cycling! 12 - 15 May 2013 

Best regards, Pieter

We both thoroughly enjoyed our three day cycling trip around the backroads of the Mekong Delta. From the start, everyone was friendly and happy to talk to us (through our guide, Hai, as an interpreter). A farmer climbed a tree to give us a pomelo to taste, we were given dragon fruit straight from the plant, we ate fresh watermelon and sugar cane juice and were served coconut water from coconuts cut straight from the palm tree. It was these everyday things that interested us and Hai was very knowledgeable and happy to answer all our questions. Our route was along paths and back roads and for most of the three days we never saw another tourist. We visited temples, pagodas, a floating market and crossed the delta many times on small ferries. The bikes were good and Hai was happy to make any small adjustments as required. We were pleased we chose the homestay options (as opposed to hotels). The people were welcoming and the food was delicious. 18 - 19 - 20 November 2019

We were very happy to cycle 3 days with Phuc (meaning happiness!!!) because he gave us a unique impression of everyday life in the Mekong delta by not only cycling in the backyards with us but also visiting local families and pagodas. This way we had a very scenic ride and saw that beyond the main roads this area is full of beauty and surprises. The restaurants and hotels were all well chosen and the dinner in Cui Long was the best food we got during our whole 14 days trip. 06 - 07 - 08 September 2022

Dear Vietnam Cycling Tours,

I want to let you know that my wife and I were extremely happy and satisfied with the three days with Hai and the driver in the Mekong Delta. Hai is an excellent guide and his explanations and support were stimulating. The driver also did an excellent job. One minor critical remark. The dinner in KanTo on Tuesday night was terrible. I think you can better let participants (with help of the guide!) find their own way in a city where so much is possible. The selected overnight stays were worth a detour. One request. Could you send me the photos and videos Hai made in such a way that I can open them?? 20 - 21 - 22 February 2023

With my best wishes, 

Paul Citroen. 

The trip was excellent, and Bao and Bot were amazing. We had no complaints; it was exactly what we wanted. The flexibility of the length of the ride each day and Bao's only going places where there were no tourists were two excellent parts of the trip! 04 - 06 July 2024 Thanks, 

Daniel Thompson

Hi Lam,

 We are in the van diving back and I wanted to reach out to you to say thank you. Ms Linh was truly the perfect tour guide so knowledgeable and kind. She took such good care of us and the tour couldn’t have been better. Everything was so amazing. Mr Qui did an outstanding job as well. We were so honoured and felt so blest to meet some of his family and the lunch was truly amazing. After such a large lunch they brought out the hammocks and we had a little siesta. That time at Mr Qui’s home will remain a top highlight of our trip. Mr Bot our driver always had cold cloths and cold drinks and fresh fruit ready for us. He was fantastic. Your staff are over and above professional and kind thank you so much. Oh and our kart hotel was so beautiful and just perfect after a very hot day of biking. 04 - 06 Mar 2025 

Thank you. Yours Tara

Dear Mr Phuc, Thank you for the organisation of our wonderful cycle tour and also the cycling jersey’s. We will be wearing them in the hope of encouraging others to use your company. You asked for negative feedback and so Emily and I spent some time trying to come up with some improvements. Unfortunately we couldn’t think of much to report. Our issues were mainly about the difference in cycling skill between Emily and I. Where I might have wanted less vehicle time and was happy on more difficult trails, she preferred the rest during the transit sections and wide easy paths. I found having Danny as a guide was wonderful. He is a very intelligent and interesting young man and we had lots of great conversations around religion, food, culture, cycling etc. It is very valuable when you are travelling with a guide for a number of days if you can ask questions and get well considered answers. Some of our other Vietnam travel experiences with guides less capable in English were more difficult as they have a set amount of information to communicate but can’t answer questions. The accommodation was great and we really enjoyed the lunch and coffee stops where Danny introduced us to specific dishes. The only thing that maybe would be worth considering is maybe some more information about what gear to bring such as bike pants, jersey and rain jacket etc. ( maybe you do have this information and I missed it).So thank you again for a wonderful cycling experience. 

Kind Regards 

Richard Gardner