Tra Vinh to Bac Lieu

January 24, 2026

134 km / 291 m elevation gain

Last night I kept myself up until 9 pm but I still couldn’t sleep through the night. I managed close to 7 hours but I was wide awake again at 4 am. I could already hear roosters and birds outside so I got up and made some instant coffee at the home stay. Last night’s place ended up being a good experience. That meal and their kindness will stick with me.

I decided to start at light. I went to leave at 6:15 am only to find that I was locked inside. Fortunately, within a few minutes a guy came out and opened the gate. I headed the 10 km to Tra Vinh where I needed to find more sunscreen and ride through the city. I quickly found a place. On this trip I’m using AI for some help and in this instance it gave me 4 choices with links.

Iced coffee! Tomorrow I want to try the egg coffee.

Riding through the city was nice. People wake up really early in Vietnam! At 6:30 the city is bustling with activity. More people exercising and generally a really nice vibe. I started riding and soon found a coffee place. I sat down and through the translation app learned it’s an iced coffee place so I said surprise me. The coffee was very good!

I got riding again and then I received a WhatsApp message from last night’s home stay. She said that I left without paying. I thought I paid through the app. I apologized profusely and she said it’s fine. Just get to the next place and work with them to transfer the money.

The riding today was mostly just a main road so that was a bit disappointing. A few times Ride With GPS had me go down a side alley. Those were interesting and I’ve learned how to say hello so I try to respond to their hello with Xin chao. I got some really fun reactions especially from the teenagers in sport jerseys. They loved it and gave me a thumbs up.

My first few days here are similar heat wise to when I arrived in Auckland. It’s a fairly sticky 31 C every day. I find the heat is definitely zapping my energy so I’m stopping regularly for sugary drinks and pounding electrolytes in my water every bottle.

Ferry 2. Note the huge load of cardboard on the motorcycle

This morning I had 2 big river crossings and this time there was actually a ferry. I was the first one in the 2 wheel lane so I rolled right past the ticket window. There was no sign or obvious indication. I pedalled back when I reached a gate. It did not seem right. Soon enough the scooters started showing up so I watched what they were doing and they all paid so I went to pay and she waved me through free. The ferry was pretty old but super efficient. You roll on and it’s moving in seconds.

The first ferry drops you on a river island so I pedalled across to the next ferry. This time I paid 2,000 vnd ($0.20). I got in the scooter line and three ladies approached me laughing. I got out my phone and she said “what’s this toy!?”. In Vietnam people don’t ride bikes for pleasure. I see bikes but it’s almost exclusively a scooter. The scooters/motorcycles account for 85% of vehicles. And that’s what makes riding a bike in traffic feel much safer.

The ferry rides were about 20 minutes and I was riding again. There are so many places to eat road side. It’s endless choice of open air mom and pop type places either in front of their house or small business. I stopped and had a simple meal. The ladies smiled and laughed when I thanked them in Vietnamese. I’m sure I sound really funny.

Simple lunch roadside. No point making your own food here.

In the afternoon I rode through a couple of decent sized cities. Again it was pretty easy getting around. There are lots of roundabouts and the lights they have all have counters so you can see when the lights will change. It works well. Back home I think more people would just race through.

Another Ride with GPS dead end. This was just a dirt path. No idea how it even shows up!?

The riding became more interesting about 25 km from Bac Lieu. I rode through some really interesting farming areas with grains and also what looked like fish farming. It’s harvest time for the grain and they have small harvesters with a couple guys on board. I could not believe the mud! I have no idea how they don’t get stuck. After they harvest they bag it on the spot in 50 pound bags and transport it by scooter possibly. The roads were so narrow I don’t know what other options they had. They then lay the grain out and walk through it to aerate and dry it in the sun. I thought they were brave as I saw chickens about 40 feet away who would feast on it.

Small ‘roads’ through housing. Lots of dogs! Only one who has seemed angry. The rest just wander around. No idea how they all survive.

I was excited about getting to Bac Lieu as my energy was waning. I got into the city and sat on a bench to book a hotel. This time things were easy and I actually read the app where it said “pay at the property.”

Cool boats. I’ve seen a few full of coconuts.

I got to the hotel and paid and then tried explaining last night’s mistake. It was confusing to explain so eventually we just called the other property through my WhatsApp and the young lady on the desk paid them through her personal account and I gave her cash and a tip. It was very nice of her but seems e-transfers and phone connectivity is high here.

I found a restaurant right across the street and the menu was 8 pages with no pictures so I just asked for a vegetarian noodle bowl. The food was good and now I’m going to relax and hopefully get a better night of sleep.

Highlights:

-the kindness of both properties helping me with my mistake

-interacting with people and trying to communicate

-the farmland areas where really unique to me

-riding through all the cities

-iced coffee and bubble tea (Yum!)

Today's ride: 134 km (83 miles)
Total: 303 km (188 miles)

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