Cycling Siem Reap to Saigon 9D/8N with Vietnam Backroads

After a leisurely breakfast, we quickly transfer to starting point of cycling, just 1.5 km from the hotel. The road alongside the river leads us through rural villages and fertile farmlands. This is a beautiful time for us to see the daily life of farmers, water buffalos working rice paddies, the elderly selling vegetables and other farm products, and locals harvesting the lotus followers on the lakes. We resume the ride through the vast wetlands on the edge of Asia's largest freshwater lake, Tonle Sap. Enjoy the pleasant, passing small shelters, and ride on the quiet dirt route through this wetland filled with farmers and locals doing their daily business. Stop at a local market for a walkthrough en route to Kampong Phluk, the floating villages. Following our bike guide, we walk through the stilted-house villages and experience how local lives when the water is high up in the flooded season. Local houses are mostly built with almost local materials. We'll enjoy a truly private experience canoe ride with countless photo opportunities. Visit the floating village, and interact with locals. Many small grocery sampan boats move around the village, and other vessels buy and sell different items. Then canoe rides will get through the mangrove forest, where we'll learn more about the forest's wildlife. After lunch, select the option to cycle back to Siem Reap on different routes or have a transfer to the hotel.

Start the early morning travel on the shuttle across the iconic towers, and enjoy rural landscapes through many small towns to the south of Siem Reap to the urban District of Kampong Thom. We briefly visit Naga Bridge in Kampong Kdei before we pick up the bike in the urban district of Kampong Thom and cycle to Sambor Prey Kuk (615-650). The temple site was constructed in the 7th century and functioned as the capital of the Chenla Empire. We have time to look around Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk and the jungle surroundings. After lunch, we roll onto the dirt tracks and back roads, cycle through the authentic countryside and palm trees, pass stilted wooden houses, and cross the vast rice paddy fields to Kampong Thom City—Check-in at the Sambor Village Hotel.

We start the day with an early transfer to Uodong, about 2.5 hours driving to the former capital of Cambodia. Climbing 400-plus steps to the top will tire the legs, but the opportunity to view the stunning countryside plain is. Then we have time to walk around the surrounding area before lunch at a local restaurant, and everyone is ready for a fantastic bike ride to Prek Pnov. The afternoon ride is on dirt roads. It allows us to see rural Cambodia, stilted houses, rice paddies, ox carts, pass colorful temples, schools, little markets, and waving children along the villages. The last transfer is about 45 minutes and takes us to Phnom Penh City. Free to explore the capital city on your own with your dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast, we spend 1/2 day sightseeing in the capital city. Visit sites related to the Khmer regime; the notorious Tuol Sleng Museum & Choeung Ek Killing Field. This former school was used as a prison by Pol Pot’s security forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Then we explore the Russian Market and return to the hotel to check out and enjoy lunch before leaving Cambodia for Vietnam.

Board on a speedboat down the Mekong River, where we will cross the immigration Check Point at the Border from Cambodia to Vietnam. Enjoy the scenery along the river banks and the life of Cambodians and Vietnamese on the waterways. Enjoy the views as we float toward the following days through Mighty Mekong Delta to Chau Doc-Border town.

As you arrive at the dock in Chau Doc around 6:00 PM, you will be welcomed and taken to the hotel for check-in, followed by dinner with your Vietnamese team

Note: Please keep your passport, visa photos, and other related documents in your day bag for your visa application process. Your local guide will help you with exit/ entry and visa procedures at Vietnamese and Cambodian border gates.

- Exit point: Kaamsamnor Border Gate
- Entry point: Song Tien Border Gate

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we cycle through a Muslim village, and we will have time to walk around the mosque and experience local along the Mekong River, stopping at some little markets and verdant vegetation farms before we cross the Basac River by local ferry. We cycle along country trails and paths through lush farmlands and rustic villages to the Vam Nao River. After the ferry crossing to the rural Dist of Cho Moi, An Giang, we resume the ride, cross numerous small bridges over canals and creeks, and have many stops to interact with the locals along the villages. Enjoy fresh fruits at local orchards. Today lunch will be at a local home and well prepared. The afternoon is more leisurely, passing fish farms, Buddhist pagodas, and brick factories, taking a ferry to Ong Ho Island, resuming the ride through Island, and having the next ferry to Long Xuyen City.

We begin today with a-30 minute transfer to Tho Not, where we cycle to Bang Lang Stork Garden, a bird sanctuary with peaceful views of thousands of storks, cormorants, and snowy egrets. We will have time to walk around it before we ride through quiet villages on back roads, sometimes along rivers to Co Do. After a coffee break in this town, the day ride resumes to Thoi Lai, passing rice husking mills, peal on shady paths along canals, and will have lunch at a local restaurant in the town of Tho Lai. By cycling in the afternoon, we experience local lives along creeks and windy rivers, and then we keep exploring the charming villages of Phong Dien's backwaters and take a short transfer to Can Tho City.

Your day begins with a scenic boat trip to the famous Cai Rang Floating Market. As the sun rises, you'll witness the daily routines of locals along the riverbanks and experience the market in full swing, where vendors trade goods directly from boat to boat in a vibrant, floating exchange. After the market visit, we’ll cross the Hau Giang–Mekong River by short transfer and begin our cycling journey through the rural Binh Minh area.

In the morning, you’ll ride through quiet island paths, pedal along riverside trails, hop on a few local ferries, and sample fresh, seasonal fruits straight from the source. This immersive ride ends in Tra On township, where we’ll transfer to Cau Ke for a well-earned lunch.

In the afternoon, we continue deeper into the Khmer heartland, cycling past peaceful villages and elegant temples. You’ll visit local homes and experience the warmth of Khmer hospitality firsthand. The day concludes with a transfer to your bungalow homestay, where you can relax and reflect on a full day of cultural discovery and scenic adventure.

After a leisurely breakfast, take a shuttle transfer to the ferry dock by the Co Chien River to begin your final day of adventure through the authentic rural villages of Ben Tre. Cycle along paths shaded by coconut trees, cross scenic water channels, and stop at local home-based factories producing coconut jelly, fiber products, and more. The cycling route ends at Mo Cay Nam, by the Ham Luong River. From there, hop back on the shuttle for a transfer to My Tho, where lunch will be served. Afterward, enjoy a two-hour drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Tour ends.