Cannot think of a better way to get a taste of Vietnam. Our tour, the one which visits a number of UN World Heritage sites, offers a diversity of both riding and cultural experiences. The riding is fairly rated as a 3 out of 5, so it is designed for recreational riders who are in decent shape. The riding is quite diverse, from mountainous roadways (mostly going down), to trails of dirt, asphalt or concrete along seaside trails and trails through rice paddies, villages, and forested areas. Along the coastal plain, the term backroads is very fitting. Aside from biking, the tour also caters to historical, cultural and recreational interests. Among others, the tour includes time at the ancient sanctuary at My Son, the Vietnam War Memorial at My Lai, and the Citadel at Hue. The stops during the day and the evening meals focused on Vietnamese fare. More “touristy” activities like the mud bath at Dark Cave and an overnight cruise at Ha Long Bay add to a great holiday. A lot of work went into putting this package together. Depending upon what one is used to, the accommodations range from adequate to very good. (one of the hotels was the nicest we have ever stayed at) Because the tour covers a long distance, quite a bit of time is spent in the van during transfers from the centre of a city to the tour departure point, or taking us to our hotel at the end of the day. It was nice that there was internet access in the van during these trips. Finally, a word has to be said about the guide team. A van to carry us and a truck to haul the bikes followed us wherever that was possible (and met up with us when the trails didn't allow it) There was always a guide behind the last rider to ensure that no one ever got lost. And our main guide, Dat, was fabulous, both in leading the group, or letting keener riders ride ahead when the way ahead was straight forward. He was also great at giving us advice when we got to our destination at the end of the day. And he was an excellent guide at the historic sites we visited, providing the background necessary to make the visit worthwhile. Like a few other bike adventures we have been on, there were one or two “misadventures”. Our own view is that “misadventures” become part of the adventure when the tour operator puts in the work to overcome them with minimal inconvenience to participants. So, if you are going to Vietnam, do some bike riding, and want to experience a variety of the flavours which the country offers, you should seriously consider what Vietnam Backroads has to offer. 16th - 29th Mar 2014

Dear Vietnam Backroads,

Thank you for the trip - it was a real highlight of our stay in Vietnam. I posted review on Tripadvisor. We really enjoyed the trip immensly. I was thinking of what to do during 4 days around Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in Saigon and then found the vietnambackroads.com website. The Mekong delta tour - Ben Tre - Tra Vinh - Soc Trang - Can Tho, 4 days, 3 nights. Van offered us to run that trip despite Tet holidays, when everyone takes time off with family. So Van himself was our guide (we were just with another English guy) on that most unforgettable experience. Van's knowledge of the area, his ability to select lovely by-roads, and tracks, tell stories about the places we visit and local customs, and care he took of us as customer was really a key success factor. This is THE way to see Delta - you pass different landscapes (coconut region of Ben Tre, Tra Vinh rice fields, Khmer villages near Soc Trang, channels near Can Tho) and beautiful places where white guests are still a novelty. Delta people are very friendly and helpful, fruits fresh and very tasty and whole experience is almost surreal. Mekong Delta in the spring is immensely beautiful and interesting. Trip is organized extremely professionally, with back up vehicle that takes all you stuff and also takes you on boring (i.e. very busy roads) stretches, bikes new and durable, everything ready when we arrive. We stayed in hotels - and all except Soc Trang were located very well and good quality. Van arranged food (everything except for beer is included in price) - and his choice of restaurants was very interesting, though I would probably prefer more street food. It was my first that close experience with Vietnam - and for me close to trip of my lifetime. Not cheap (we paid premium because of Tet holidays), but worth every 2014

Hello Mr Van the man,

I sent yesterday our note on Trip Advisor ( excellent of course ). I wrote it in French so that it may bring new bikers from french countries. It also is easier for us to express our deepest gratitude in French. So many moments filled with peacefullness and beauty are now part of our memory. Thank you for joining us those two days. Your sharp awareness for details made the journey a little more special. We are now planning a short stretch to Phnom Penh, as you know. Thanks to Ms Quang for the arrangment. By the way, we think she would be a great guide!!! May Vietnam Backroads lead you into your furthest dreams, best regards. Feb 6th-10th 2014

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know we had a fantastic time on our recent cycle tour of the Mekong Delta region with Vietnam Backroads. Both you & Dat were fantastic guides and made the trip a memorable one. We are more than happy to blog our experience / feedback on your web site and that of LonelyPlanet and TripAdvisor in the coming weeks. We would have no hesitation in recommending your company to other travelers or travelling with you again in the future. In fact we are already contemplating returning next Jan with our teenage daughters. Thanks also for providing the Backroads cycle jerseys and shorts. We had intended to pay for them as a souvenir of the trip, we didn't expect them for free. You are very kind. We will wear them regularly at home and take every opportunity to promote your company to others considering a cycle tour in Vietnam. 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 Jan 2014.Yours sincerely.

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

Thang was an excellent guide! Fun accommodating, very considerate and hospitable. We had a great time exploring the Mekong Delta and learning a bit about the region. December 27, 2013

Very good tour. Would recommend some tuition on riding over bridge + road awareness a bit especially for novice riders. I would never have done this on my own so very happy I did. December 27, 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

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

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