The land program is 16 days. Below, the days are numbered to match the Dutch group's itinerary.


Saigon

Day 1 Transit day
Day 2 Arrival Saigon
Day 3 Saigon, Cu Chi

Saigon is the first stop on bike tour although we do not use our bikes on the first day. En route to the hotel you will notice the hustle bustle of mopeds, cars, cyclos (pedicab) and bicycles. The scooter is popular among the young people, who flood the streets at night. 

Saigon is a major port city and center for industry, commerce and international communications. After the division of the country in 1954 Saigon was the capital of the Republic of Vietnam. After the entry of the northern armies in April 1975 the revolutionary authorities gave the city the name Ho Chi Minh City, but most people continue to call it Saigon. French influences are recognizable in the architecture. On every street corner you can buy baguettes.   

Some fine examples of French architecture are the post office, the “Hotel de Ville" or the City Hall and the Cathedral. Pagodas and temples are also reflective of French architecture. 

Saigon is an ideal place for a cyclo ride (you sit while someone else pedals).  So you can retire the bike and go on an optional cyclo ride. You can experience the heart of the city, the bustling Chinese district of Cholon market, without having to watch the road. Early in the morning we visit the underground network of tunnels at Cu Chi built by the Vietcong in the sixties . In the afternoon you'll have time to visit the Museum of the Revolution, the historical museum or the Ho Chi Minh Museum. Also a visit to the Notre Dame cathedral and the central post office are worthwhile. Both buildings are fine examples of French influences . Or you can go to the Ben Thanh market for a fascinating walk, where you can buy everything that the average Vietnamese eats, wears or uses.

Mekong Delta

Day 4: Saigon - Ben Tre
Day 5 Ben Tre - Tra Vinh
Day 6 Tra Vinh - Soc Trang
Day 7 Soc Trang - Can Tho

We leave the city in our own buses. Bicycles come along with the "sag wagon". When leaving the city you will soon notice why we choose not to ride in the city but for the first part our journey.  It is  swarming with scooters, mopeds, cars and trucks.
Once we have left the biggest crowds behind us, we get on our bikes. The route passes through several elongated villages and the countryside gets nicer as we approach the Mekong Delta. The numerous branches of the river make this flat area very fertile.

The inhabitants of the delta work in the many green rice fields and fruit plantations, therefore, the area makes an important contribution to the prosperity of Vietnam. Our first tour is a journey of about 20 km to Tan An, where we take time for a cup of coffee or tea after the first leg of our trip.  We ride to  the upper branch of My Tho on the Mekong. Afterwards we  arrive in the quiet and friendly town of Ben Tre,in Vietnam very famous for its delicious coconut sweets.  We  cycle of about 15 km.

Along the way you are greeted enthusiastically by waving Vietnamese who would like to make a chat . During this tour you will cycle an average of 35 km per day. Cycling is a fun way to see the Vietnamese life and countryside close up. We can stop whenever we want, length of rides depend on the wishes of the group.

The route between Ben Tre and Tra Vinh, we travel for the most part with our bikes. It is a a total trip of about 40 km. We cycle on country roads and through small villages. We cross the  river twice. Once on the ferry from Ham Luong and sail a bit on the Co Chien River, so we do not have to drive through Vinh Long. From Tra Vinh Soc Trang we cycle for a trip of about 45 km. Sometimes the weather dictates that the ride be shortned.  We visit remote parts of the delta and through  pagoda Pagoda Bats. Throughout the province many Khmer live, but their homes are not all that visible.

The Khmer speak Vietnamese and the clothing and lifestyle is not very different from the Vietnamese. The Khmer culture is still evident. There are more than 140 Khmer temples. The Bat Pagoda 'Chua Doi is a special attraction in this area. Once you approach the site of the monastery you hear the "screaming" of the many bats that live here. The monks are friendly and welcome you into the convent. In Soc Trang you can see the  Kh'leng pagoda . This pagoda  was transferred from Cambodia to Soc Trang.

Between Soc Trang and Can Tho for a large part of the way we use our own bus. Only the last 10 km we take our bikes off the truck and we cycle along a portion of the Can Tho River. En route from Soc Trang to Can Tho, we visit the floating market of "Phung Hiep. It is a small but interesting floating market under the bridge. The many floating markets are among the most colorful attractions in the Mekong Delta. The largest floating market in this area is the market of Cai Rang in Can Tho.

Can Tho, Ho Ong

Day 8 Can Tho - Vinh Long
Day 9  Vinh Long - Cao Lanh
Day 10 Cao Lanh - Long Xuyen - Ong Ho
Ong Ho Day 11 - Long Xuyen - Tra Su - Nui Cam

Daily life largely takes place on and along the water, especially early morning when many wooden sailing boats to the floating markets. Early morning, is the best to capture the  lively atmosphere. You'll travel on crowded canals and villages of wooden stilt houses where children wave and women hang the laundry.

The latest cycling in the rural areas is carried out by Delta to Vinh Long and the town of Cao Lanh. From the town of Cao Lanh we cycle about 30 km to Long Xuyen. Long Xuyen we leave  the large luggage for a overnight trip to Ong Ho, nicknamed Tiger Island, where we stay one night. It is said that once it was the preserve of many tigers and leopards. We stay with a local family. The Islanders not only provide shelter but prepare meals and fresh fruit for us. After breakfast we leave the island, we get our luggage at Long Xuyen and cycle to Tra Su forest Indigo. Here you can take  a bike trip through this beautiful nature.

Phnom Penh

Day 12  Nui Cam - Tinh Bien - Phnom Penh
Day 13 Phnom Penh

We leave Vietnam through Thin Bien and ride the bus to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Here you have all day to explore the sights of this exciting city. Visit the Royal Palace and National museum with many treasures from the Angkortempels. This district also contains ancient Buddhist monasteries and other buildings with clear Khmer characteristics. The former 'French' part of town around the temple, Wat Phnom. This temple is on a hill to commemorate the founding of the city.

In the evening you should go check out the boardwalk along the Tonle Sap River. Here you will enjoy the parade on foot or on a  moped. Walk around the central market to get  a good impression of the Chinese district . Impressive and terrifying are the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in the former prison that recalls the horrible time under the reign of Khmer leader Pol Pot.

Siem Reap

Day 14 Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
Day 15 Siem Reap
Day 16 Siem Reap
Day 17 Siem Reap - depart

The cozy town of Siem Reap is the starting point for a visit to one of the highlights of this trip, the world famous Angkor Wat complex. The ornate Hindu temples dating from the heyday of the Khmer civilization from the 9th to the 13th century. On the bike we explore the first day through the overgrown jungle temple of Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei and farming villages in the area. The second day you have the time to return to the famous temple, Angkor Wat, the Bayon as there is much to see. There are many other temples in the wooded area to visit. Allow a look early in the temples to be admired in silence. At night you're in one of the many restaurants of Siem Reap great food, a drink or a traditional Cambodian dance performance groups. From Siem Reap we end our journey.