We had asked for an abridged version of the tour, hoping it would reduce the number of land-based “activities” that inevitably accompany a trip like this. With jungle on both sides, birds screeching and insects buzzing, I couldn’t help but have Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries running through my head. Nice.īy far the best part of the trip was the first hour or so, slowly puttering through the river’s back channels. By the time we emerged for a coffee, he’d already been to the morning market, down to the docks, found a driver, negotiated a price (400,000 VND for 3-4 hours), and probably written his first novel while he waited. Luckily Stuart seems to have a masochistic love of early mornings. Getting an early start before the buses rolled in was vital. My Tho is the nearest real town south of Saigon, and is very popular with tour groups wanting to taste the Delta in a day.

You can find less back-destroying alternatives here.ĭay 2: Rivers, Snakes, and My New Favourite Meal

Stayed at: Rang Dong Hotel, My Tho – 200,000 VND (~$10) for a run-down double with uncomfortable beds, a/c, and hot shower.

And there weren’t many good roads in our future… The Lowdown Sure that was the scenic route, but it was obvious that even on good roads this was not going to be a fast trip. It should have been a warning, however, that it took nearly three hours to get to My Tho, a distance of less than 100km. Other than our first couple of ferry crossings, the first day was largely uneventful. If this was what the rest of the trip had in store, it was going to be something special. Rattling metal bridges, water buffalo beside the road, small children waving from doorways, that kind of thing. Fortunately, early afternoon on a random Monday in December, it wasn’t so bad.Īfter only a couple of interesting moments, we found ourselves on a remarkably-quiet Route 50 heading south, and it took no more than twenty minutes for the built-up city to give away to rural goodness. I had been secretly dreading the ride out of Saigon, a city renowned for having motorbike traffic that is totally insane on a good day. That strategy proved (mostly) sound, but without two passports it probably wouldn’t have - something to bear in mind if you’re planning a similar trip yourself. In the end I took the only available option, leaving my visa-filled passport in the hands of the wily old woman at the bike company, and hoping to talk my way out of any hotel problems. I have two passports, but only one had a valid visa in it - and everybody wants to see the visa. Now again, that’s typically not such a big deal - except you need your passport to check into any hotel in Vietnam. When we finally found one that was happy for us to take a bike out of Saigon, they insisted on either a several hundred dollar deposit in cash, or to keep my passport. You need a local license to legally ride a scooter in Vietnam - typically not a problem, except that rather than accepting an “on the spot fine” from unlicensed riders like they used to, police have apparently taken to confiscating their scooters instead.Īs a result, most rental companies balked at the suggestion that we’d be riding around the Mekong Delta for several days.

Day 10: Saving the Best Til (Nearly) LastĪfter coming up with what looked like a plan, it almost fell apart in the first five minutes.

Day 8: It's About the Journey, Not the Destination.

Day 7: Google Translate, the Comedy King.Day 6: Weddings, Weddings, and More Weddings.Day 4: Temples, Markets, and Very Few Storks.Day 2: Rivers, Snakes, and My New Favourite Meal.

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