Cycling to Chau Doc & Cruising to Phnom Penh

Vietnam Backroads mapped a four-day bike tour experience that perfectly suited our family needs. To give some context, my partner and I were travelling with our 14- year old and 11-year old daughters. Our girls are competent riders, but prone to whinging if they have to ride for too long! So we aimed for about 40kms a day, with lunch and regular drink stops. We couldn't be happier with our guide Phuc, not only did he confidently steer us through the myriad of pathways that criss cross the Mekong Delta (he even took us through the village where he grew up), but he also shared his extensive knowledge of Vietnam and its history. An amazing way to experience rural Vietnam. 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 Nov, 2017

This trip had everything extremely well organised. from the mirror details which did not go unnoticed to the greater details. Everything was exceptionally well planed and very well catered for. The option to upgrade the hotels was a great idea. Viet was faultless. His English was excellent. He had great stories to share was friendly, fun and had a great sense of humour. We enjoyed happy hour with him each night and nothing was too difficult for him. We love our trip and our guide. 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 Dec, 2016

My wife and I would like to pass a big thank you to the entire Vietnam Backroads team for the trip we have just had (24 – 27 DEC). It was extremely well run, well timed and well thought out. The route was fantastic and all the spots were brilliant. Special mention to our guide Viet who was outstanding. He is a great asset to your company and so well spoken with extensive knowledge about the area and Vietnam in general. He was fantastic with a special highlight being the Happy Hour beers every night after a long ride. He went above and beyond so please ensure Mr Van knows how good Viet is as well as the driver we had. 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 Dec, 2016

Dat was an amazing guide guide - Everything we could have asked for. Always taking our needs into consideration + very flexible, excellent knowledge - gave us a wonderful introduction to Vietnamese culture and people. We could not have asked for anything more. We could recommend him very highly. Absolutely amazing! Even better than expected. I really enjoyed seeing so much rural Vietnam. Dat was phenomenal and made the experience extra special. He gave perfect amount of information and was great at giving us a lot of new food to try. I also thought that he led the group very well. I really enjoyed all the scenery and all of the sights we went to. Dat was amazing! He was great at telling us knew about the culture and answering questions, great at giving us local food and we could not asked for a better tour guide. I had an amazing time but was improved a lot by Dat. 31 July - 03 August, 2016

The absolute highlight of my Vietnam trip. Fantastic way to see the country. Thang was awesome- so nice and accommodating THANK YOU SO MUCH. April 18, 2014 Nicole Floyd from Australia Biking 4D/3N Saigon - Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh For a most terrific tour everything was wonderful - your staff, the tour itself, the price, the way everything runs so smoothly.... i can go on and on. I've been to vietnam twice before but this was the best thing (not counting the food in hoi an) i've experienced. Dat was absolutely amazing - as was, Ms. Quang and of course, you! gun (spelling?) is a very competent driver although the quiet type who seems to like to keep to himself. but! when he was needed, he was there. the food was more than enough -- and some of it was quite a treat when we stopped to rest, and the hotels were very good. so thank you to everyone. please tell Dat that i will forward a few photographs to him, via you, in the next few days if i can. thank you for everything, yet again!!!. --tamar 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 April 2014

Good combination of physical extension, interesting combination of cultural exposure & experiences, great food, excellent guide and bikes. We will recommend your services to others. Feel free to send me trip tour updates as you created more tour packages in future. December 22, 2013

Thanks to Dat- our tour guide, we had more than just a backroad cycle- this was a full cultural tour including local food & I have life threatening peanut allergies and he guided me with what to eat and made sure I was ok. Great scenery, lots of flexibility to stop when we wanted to take pictures. Dat was able to explain so much to us about the way of life for Vietnamese people, rice growing, weddings, funerals, etc, all the things we saw along the way. Thanks for an amazing memory. December 22, 2013

Thanks, this was amazing. I will rave about it. Now we have done the best bike trip in the world we can retire! Great variety of scenery. December 22, 2013 Walter Shepherd from Australia Biking 4D/3N Saigon - Mekong Delta - Phnom penh Good to hear from you. We are in HCMC today and will leave for MuiNe tomorrow. We stay at the The Luxe Hotel on 261-263 le Thanh Ton St. My wife expects to be needing size S. Would be great if you'd manage to bring one to the hotel. We had a great time cycling through the Mekong Delta. Hi Hue, We have found the shirt and short at the reception today, the are very beautiful and are a perfect memory of a very nice trip. Thank you very much. If friends of us plan to travel to Vietnam we will certainly advise them to organize a biking tour with your biking agency!2012

If you have ever dreamed of experiencing a National Geographic moment, you enjoy biking, you want to see the real Vietnam, and you want to get off the beaten path then follow ‘Van the Man’ from Vietnam Backroads. , December 18, 2010

Sadly we just completed our bike tour through the Mekong delta from Ho Chi Minh city to Chau Doc. We will be completing the tour by boat to Phnom Penh tomorrow. We had an absolutely amazing time and feel so fortunate to see the Mekong delta in this way. Our guide Cong was fabulous. He was very informative about each area we rode through and so kind and generous. Each day was a new experience. We loved meeting the local people and having the opportunity to interact with them. The food was incredible too and Cong was always sure to make sure we stayed well hydrated. We are active seniors and found the ride certainly doable. Highly recommend Vietnam Backroads and hope we can do another ride with them again sometime soon! 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 Nov, 2018

We had the most wonderful experience with this company! We only cycled for three days and really felt that we got to see the true rural Vietnam. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to get away from the tourist hotspots and see the real country in a safe manner (as your guide is always to hand). Our tour was brilliantly organised and led. Our guide, Dat, made the trip even more special. He was very good at listening to our concerns and even factored in very last minute itinerary changes. He also plied us with fruit and local drinks at every opportunity. Water is also very plentiful. We only had to pay for our drinks at dinner and lunch, all other food, drink and transport was included. It was brilliant to cycle through very remote villages where all the locals would come out and wave as you pass. The tiny bridges linking the islands are beautiful and occur fairly regularly. However, some can have a few holes in them but don't be undeterred, the local Vietnamese use them all the time. We caught the minivan for small sections so that we didn't have to cycle on too main roads (quite a health hazard in Vietnam). This was far more pleasurable than expected as you still get to see the sights and fit in lots of cycling. The only negative would be that I felt we were misinformed about the boat trip from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh in the last day. This was a slightly cramped public boat that takes five hours including long stops at the border (most passengers didn't get visas in advance). Top tips: - see if you can get Dat as your tour guide - personalize it: don't be afraid to ask for a shorter/ longer day or for the itinerary to be changed - be prepared with mosquito spray - bring clothes that you don't mind getting torn or stained - try as much of the local cuisine and fruit as possible

Great trip. Thang is wealth of knowledge + food choices were brilliant. Cuong- the driver was great, friendly and really knew his way around! All around great time. Some bum but enjoyed it immensely. You guys rock! April 18, 2014

Thanks, this was amazing. I will rave about it. Now we have done the best bike trip in the world we can retire! Great variety of scenery. December 22, 2013

The bike tour was very enjoyable. Will highly recommend to others. Mr. Cong was an excellent guide. He made the tour extra special. The driver was very good and helpful. One thing that could have been better was the positioning of handle bars. They were swiping too low. Needed to be adjusted up and back toward rider. Wonderful experience! Our guide was very good and stopped to show us interesting things along the route. We loved meeting the local villagers. The bike tour was very enjoyable. Will highly recommend to others. Amazing time! 06 - 09 Nov 2018

Michelle Blanch and Paul Sagent, We loved our 4 day - 3 night Mekong cycle tour. Cong was great. His English is good. He was informative and was always on hand to translate for us- He modified our cycling for us so it was comfortable. The back roads are great. No hills. The first night accommodation was ok however we understand it was the best in a small town- We loved the Votoria hotel. What a suprise! Our driver Loc was a very good driver. He negatives the traffic well. He was always available to pick us up! We loved all the food. Local, tasty amazing Vietnamese. We would highly reccommend this tour to our friends and colleagues. We work in the travel industry as Air Zero crew for Quantas, so we will spread the word Vietnam Backroads for the experience. 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 Mar 2019

This was a trip of a lifetime! We ended up riding with just my wife and I and our wonderful guide to Vietnam, Cong. He was awesome and took us to great places. When it rained we stopped at a local’s barn and he struck up a conversation, which led to cool coconut water and a warm visit till the rain stopped. We went at a great pace, visited local artisans, ate great tropical fruits, met Cong’s Grandmother and Father, saw awesome sights and ate delicious food. I can’t recommend Vietnam Backroads highly enough and if you schedule a ride, ask for Cong! We will consider a return trip for a longer ride as our life journey allows. Thank you so much for the great memories! 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 June 2019

What a great way to learn about Vietnam culture and see how people live. Cong is an excellent guide and explained everything we saw. He did a great job getting fresh local fruits for us to eat, and took us inside little factories to see noodles being made, coconut fiber rugs and more. The paths took us through the beautiful countryside which we loved. Cong had a great knowledge of food, agriculture, life styles and shared this. He kept a good pace and watched out for our safety. Cong took us to some local restaurants on dinner great food and gave us tips on what went new together. His easy going, friendly manner. Our driver was great too navigating through traffic and was always there with cold drinks. A life time experience. Thanks! 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 June 2019

We had a great time with Vietnam Backroads, cycling three days from Saigon to Phnom Penh. Viet Tran was our guide and he was exceptional, very knowledgeable, friendly and funny. Our driver was also good, very safe and calm. The trip allows you to see real life in the Mekong Delta, it's really very interesting and feels authentic rather than a spin on the usual tourist merry go round. Hotels, bikes and food were all great! Viet Tran was really good at selecting local specialities for us to sample. Be aware that when you book you will need to pay a deposit on the phone. The company are 100% legit and reliable so don't let it put you off. 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 December 2019

Mr Viet Tran really made the trip exceptional for us, he is a great guide- he know so much about Vietnam and he has a great sense of humour. Our driver was also very good, we felt safe with him and he was welcoming. The tour was very interesting with a good variety of things to see. The local people especially the children, were very friendly and it was delight to meet them. It felt like we were meeting "real" people and seeing their lives, rather than something which was just touristy. The food was excellent and Mr Viet was very good at showing us the best things to try and how to eat them. The hotels were good although the government hotel was more "basic" - still it was an interesting place to stay. Thank you for a great trip - We will definitely write a good review on Tripadvisor for Vietnam Backroads. 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 December 2019

Dear Kieu,

 Just a short note to say a huge thank you to Vietnam Backroads and to Phuc in particular for a fantastic few days cycling. The organisation was excellent and Phuc’s (and the driver’s) expertise, friendliness and knowledge made the whole trip run smoothly and great fun. Please pass on our thanks to Phuc. I will ask him (via Whatsapp) but also you if it would be possible to send us a map showing broadly where we went. Best regards and many thanks. 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 November 2019