Mekong delta cycling tour 3 days

We arranged the 3 day, 2 night Mekong Delta biking trip through Sinhbalo in HCMC. Our guide for the trip was Loc and he was key to making our trip a most excellent and safe dive into the world of Cuu Long (the river of nine dragons). He is originally from An Giang province in the delta and was a deep source of history and info. We spent the first night at the Coco Riverside Resort north of Tra Vinh which was an excellent $25 upgrade from the government-owned hotel in Tra Vinh that is part of the basic trip. It was beautiful, clean, tranquil, in the jungle and on one of the numerous canals in the delta. We think Sinhbalo should offer this as the standard lodging option. The second night we booked the Victoria Resort in Can Tho ourselves directly (low season deal) for the second night. It is classically luxurious. Just across a walking bridge from the heart of Can Tho and a raging deal in the low season. Loc showed us all kinds of out of the way paths, temples, sights, detours, etc. on our trip. We saw coconut peeling and processing, harvesting the milk, coconut caramel sugar getting made, rope production and a traditional boat repair facility all while avoiding the main roads (for the most part). We were invited to crash a wedding, take photos with the bride’s family and witness a Buddhist monk initiation ceremony at a Khmer temple that was mostly empty but for the initiate’s parents and a few monks. We met a small boat to check out both the Cai Riang floating market in Can Tho and then a cruise through some of the very small canals in the area. We were the only westerners we saw on the trip until Can Tho, and people of all ages said “hello!” constantly as we biked past. Loc also shared his people’s culture and a lot of insight into the burgeoning country of Vietnam. We highly recommend this trip!!

Cycling the laneways along the river was a highlight - each day had surprises - seeing locals picking fruit, building boats, weaving mats. Local guide Cong facilitated interactions, fruit tastings and conversations with the villagers - informative and fun. Thang skilfully negotiated the busy traffic and provided great support setting up and stowing bikes so that transitions were smooth and efficient. Cong designed routes taking into account our requests and cycling ability. We were very pleased with the trip and would recommend it to other families seeking a less touristy and active experience of the Mekong.

My family of 3 (2 adults, 1 11 year old) enjoyed cycling through the Mekong Delta with Cong as our guide. You bicycle through different farming communities live amongst their crops—rice, dragon fruit, durian, jackfruit, bananas—and how they go to market with boat excursions on the Mekong River. One night is a rural homestay in a nice historic home and the other is urban in a hotel in Can Tho. The best part is cycling past all the homes and sharing a smile, a wave and a hello with the kids...who eagerly greet you too