4-Day Self-Launched Cycle Through Saigon & the Mekong Delta

Arrive into Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Take the 109 airport bus into the city centre for around £0.50, or a metered Vinasun/Mai Linh taxi for roughly £4-6. Check into a hostel or guesthouse in District 1 or the Bui Vien backpacker area — this puts you within walking distance of most Day 2 sights. Spend the evening getting your bearings: grab a bowl of pho or banh mi from a street stall, pick up a local SIM card (Viettel or Vietnamobile, ~£5 with data), and sort your bike hire for tomorrow. Plenty of hostels and local shops in District 1 rent decent hybrid or mountain bikes for £3-6/day — ask at your accommodation.

🚌Bus 109 from airport to city centre (~£0.50) or metered taxi (~£5)

🛏Budget hostel or guesthouse in District 1, e.g. The Common Room Project, Long Hostel, or similar — dorm from ~£8/night, private from ~£18/night

• →Arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport — take bus 109 to city centre (~£0.50) or metered taxi (~£5)
• →Check into hostel or guesthouse in District 1 / Bui Vien area
• →Pick up a local SIM card at the airport or a phone shop (~£5 with data)
• →Arrange bike hire for Days 2–4 through your hostel or a local bike shop (~£4-6/day)
• →Explore Bui Vien Walking Street for street food and a cold Saigon beer

Today you'll cycle your way through Saigon's most iconic landmarks — the same route covered in the original operator's guided day. Start early (7–8am) to beat the heat. Head to Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, then pedal along the Thi Nghe Canal before looping south to the Jade Emperor Pagoda (free entry). Continue to the Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral (both free, exterior), then on to the Reunification Palace (entry ~£1.50) and finish at the War Remnants Museum (~£1.50). You can do this entirely self-launched with a free Google Maps route or download the 'maps.me' offline map. Alternatively, book a guided cycling city tour via GetYourGuide (search 'Ho Chi Minh City bicycle tour') for around £18-25pp if you'd prefer some local commentary. Fuel up on street food throughout — bánh mì for breakfast (~£0.80), bún bò Huế for lunch (~£1.50).

🚌Self-hired bicycle (~£4-6/day rental)

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse as Night 1, District 1

• →Morning cycle to Ho Thi Ky Flower Market — best atmosphere before 9am
• →Cycle along Thi Nghe Canal
• →Visit Jade Emperor Pagoda (free entry)
• →Visit Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral (free, exterior viewing)
• →Visit Reunification Palace (~£1.50 entry)
• →Visit War Remnants Museum (~£1.50 entry)
• →Optional: Book a guided cycling city tour via GetYourGuide (~£18-25pp) for local insight
• →Street food lunch en route — try bún bò Huế or cơm tấm (~£1.50-2)

Take an early morning bus from Mien Tay Bus Station (western bus terminal) to My Tho — buses run frequently from around 5am, take ~1.5 hours and cost roughly £1.50-2 (or grab a shared minibus from District 1 for ~£3). From My Tho, the easiest self-launched option is to book a Mekong Delta day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (search 'Mekong Delta day trip from Ho Chi Minh City') for ~£18-28pp — these typically include a boat cruise, Phoenix Island visit, Ben Tre orchard and bee farm exploration, coconut candy factory, and a rowboat ride through narrow canals. If you want to cycle, rent a bike locally in My Tho (~£2-3) and follow the riverside tracks independently. A Vietnamese set lunch at a riverside restaurant in My Tho or Ben Tre costs ~£2-4. Return to HCMC by bus or shared minivan in the late afternoon (~£2-3).

🚌Bus from Mien Tay to My Tho (~£1.50-2 each way); local bike rental in Mekong Delta (~£2-3); return minivan (~£2-3)

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse in District 1, HCMC — or opt for a local guesthouse in My Tho/Ben Tre (~£10-15/night) for a slower-travel experience

• →Early bus from Mien Tay Bus Station to My Tho (~£1.50-2, ~1.5 hours)
• →Book a Mekong Delta day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18-28pp) covering boat cruise, islands and villages — or self-navigate by local bike and ferry
• →Mekong River cruise by local wooden boat
• →Visit Phoenix Island (Coconut Monk Island)
• →Explore Ben Tre orchards and a bee farm
• →Visit a coconut candy-making factory
• →Rowboat ride through narrow Mekong canals
• →Cycle through Quoi An village on local rental bike (~£2-3)
• →Vietnamese set lunch at riverside restaurant (~£2-4)
• →Return to HCMC by bus or shared minivan (~£2-3)

Head to Cu Chi for the final day — a highlight of any Vietnam trip. From HCMC, take bus 13 from Ben Thanh Market toward Cu Chi (change at Cu Chi bus station, total ~2 hours, ~£1). Alternatively, book a Cu Chi Tunnels day trip via GetYourGuide (~£12-20pp) which includes return transport from HCMC. At the tunnels, entry to Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc is around £4-6pp. For the cycling element, hire a bike near the tunnels site (~£2-3) and follow the rural tracks through rice paddies, fruit gardens, and rubber plantations yourself — the roads around Cu Chi are flat and signposted. Ask locally about rice paper-making villages (bánh tráng) nearby — several are open to visitors. Grab lunch at a local village restaurant (~£1.50-3). Head back to HCMC by late afternoon — the tour officially ends here. Celebrate your 4-day ride with a rooftop beer in District 1.

🚌Bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi (~£1 each way) or GetYourGuide tour with transport included (~£12-20pp); local bike rental (~£2-3)

🛏N/A — tour ends in Ho Chi Minh City. Extend your stay or arrange onward travel.

• →Take bus 13 from Ben Thanh toward Cu Chi (~£1, ~2 hours) or book a GetYourGuide day trip with transport (~£12-20pp)
• →Explore Cu Chi Tunnels — Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc site (~£4-6 entry)
• →Cycle through rice paddies and rural tracks on self-hired bike (~£2-3)
• →Cycle along river tracks through fruit gardens and rubber plantations
• →Visit a rice paper-making (bánh tráng) village
• →Lunch at a local village restaurant (~£1.50-3)
• →Return to HCMC by bus or included tour transport