Is the south easier than the north?

Considerably. There is one real mountain pass in seven days and the rest is flat delta, coast and rolling highland. If you have ridden before but never done a multi-day tour, this is the one to start with.

When should I ride the south?

November to April is the dry season and the reliable window. May to October brings afternoon downpours — usually short, but the delta roads flood and the Cat Tien dirt turns to clay. We still run it, with route changes.

Can you extend it up the coast?

Yes. The usual extension is another three or four days north from Mui Ne through Nha Trang and the Central Highlands to Hoi An, ending with a one-way bike drop. Ask us and we will price it.

7 days / 6 nightsSaigon · Mekong Delta · Da Lat · Mui Ne

Southern Vietnam — 7 Days

Delta water, highland coffee, coast road

From $840 See the itinerary

Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Distance: ~1,150 km
Difficulty: Easy
Starts: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ends: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Group size: 2–10 riders
Best season: November – April (dry season)

About this ride

The south rides nothing like the north. There are no 2,000-metre passes; there is water, coconut, coffee, red dirt and a coastline you can ride for a whole day. It is warmer, flatter, faster and a great deal easier — which is exactly why it suits riders who want distance without a fight.

This loop leaves Saigon south into the Mekong Delta for the floating markets at Cai Rang, then turns north-east through Cat Tien National Park and up the Bao Loc pass into the highlands at Da Lat. The last two days drop off the plateau to the dunes at Mui Ne and follow the coast road back to the city.

About 1,150 kilometres over seven days, most of it on quiet backroads rather than the national highway.

Easy. Flat delta roads, one mountain pass and a lot of coastline. The most accessible tour we run — good for a first multi-day trip.

Trip highlights

Cai Rang floating marketOn the water at dawn, when it is still a wholesale market rather than a tourist stop.
Cat Tien National ParkRed dirt tracks and lowland rainforest, with gibbons audible from the lodge at first light.
Bao Loc Pass to Da LatThe climb out of the lowlands through coffee and tea country onto the highland plateau.
Mui Ne sand dunesRed and white dunes on the coast, ridden in the low light of early morning.
The coast road homeTwo hundred kilometres of shoreline between Ke Ga lighthouse and Vung Tau.

Choose your style of ride

Honda CB500X / XL750 Transalp

$185/ person / day

7-day total $1,295 / person

Long, hot, fast days on open road — this is what an ADV is for.

Book on WhatsApp

One tap — a real rider replies, usually within a few hours

Your motorcycle, fully serviced, for the whole tour
Fuel for the entire route
6 nights accommodation — hotels, beach hotels and a park lodge
All meals listed in the itinerary
Professional English-speaking local guide
+ 5 more included — see the full list below

Prices in USD per person. Group and private rates on request.

Day by day

The itinerary

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) over 7 days. Tap any day to open it. Routes flex with weather, road closures and how the group is riding — the guide makes that call on the day.

7 riding days · 1,150 km total

01
South out of the city onto the delta lanes — narrow strips of concrete between the canals, with coconut on both sides. Ben Tre is the coconut capital; a sampan takes you up a side channel before the last run to Can Tho.
Delta backroads and canal bridges
Ben Tre coconut workshops
Sampan ride on a side channel
Night on the Can Tho riverfront
Hotel in Can ThoLunch, dinner
02
On the water at 5:30 for the Cai Rang floating market, where boats advertise their cargo on a pole above the deck. Then north through Sa Dec's flower gardens and old French quarter and back into Saigon for the night.
Cai Rang floating market at dawn
Binh Thuy ancient house
Sa Dec flower village
Back in Saigon by evening
Hotel in SaigonBreakfast, lunch, dinner
03
North-east through the rubber plantations, around Tri An Lake and onto the red laterite tracks that lead to Cat Tien. The park sits on the Dong Nai River; the lodge is inside it and the forest starts at the door.
Rubber plantation roads
Tri An Lake
Red dirt tracks into Cat Tien
Evening wildlife walk in the park
Lodge inside Cat Tien National ParkBreakfast, lunch, dinner
04
Out of the lowlands and up. The Bao Loc pass is the only serious climb of the week, twenty kilometres of switchbacks through tea and coffee that ends 1,500 m up on the Lam Dong plateau. Da Lat is cool enough to need a jacket.
Dambri waterfall
Bao Loc Pass
Coffee and tea plantations
Da Lat old town and night market
Hotel in Da LatBreakfast, lunch, dinner
05
The drop off the plateau on the Ta Nang road — pine forest at the top, dry scrub at the bottom, and a two-thousand-metre change in altitude between them. The road runs out at the sea in Mui Ne.
Ta Nang descent through pine forest
Pongour or Elephant waterfall stop
Dragon-fruit country on the coastal plain
Sunset at Mui Ne
Beach hotel in Mui NeBreakfast, lunch, dinner
06
An easy day, deliberately. Red dunes at first light, the Fairy Stream walk, the fishing harbour at Phan Thiet at the middle of the day, and a short run down the coast to the Ke Ga lighthouse. The afternoon is yours.
Red and white sand dunes at sunrise
Fairy Stream
Phan Thiet fishing harbour
Ke Ga lighthouse and beach
Beach hotel at Ke GaBreakfast, lunch, dinner
07
The best road of the week saved for last: two hundred kilometres of coastline with the sea on your left almost the whole way. Lunch at Ho Tram, the ferry or the bridge past Vung Tau, and back into Saigon in the late afternoon.
The Ke Ga to Ho Tram coast road
Long Hai fishing villages
Vung Tau headland
Back in Saigon late afternoon
Tour endsBreakfast, lunch

On the road

What it looks like

Swap these for your own tour photos

What’s included

Your motorcycle, fully serviced, for the whole tour
Fuel for the entire route
6 nights accommodation — hotels, beach hotels and a park lodge
All meals listed in the itinerary
Professional English-speaking local guide
Helmet, gloves and protective riding gear
Support vehicle carrying all luggage
Cai Rang floating market boat and sampan ride
Cat Tien National Park entrance and guided walk
Saigon hotel pickup and drop-off

Not included

Flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City
Hotel nights in Saigon before and after the tour
Travel insurance covering motorcycling (required)
Drinks, snacks and personal spending
Guide and support crew tips

Before you book

Is the south easier than the north?: Considerably. There is one real mountain pass in seven days and the rest is flat delta, coast and rolling highland. If you have ridden before but never done a multi-day tour, this is the one to start with.
When should I ride the south?: November to April is the dry season and the reliable window. May to October brings afternoon downpours — usually short, but the delta roads flood and the Cat Tien dirt turns to clay. We still run it, with route changes.
Can you extend it up the coast?: Yes. The usual extension is another three or four days north from Mui Ne through Nha Trang and the Central Highlands to Hoi An, ending with a one-way bike drop. Ask us and we will price it.

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