Email
PrintVietnam/Cambodia cycle - 24 November - 7 December 2006
Hand slapping is a favourite pastime. Photo: Chris Roberts/OxfamAUS. 
Another friendly local. Photo: Chris Roberts/OxfamAUS. 
A typical scene throughout Cambodia. Photo: Chris Roberts/OxfamAUS. Registration for the 2006 Vietnam/Cambodia cycle has closed. Details of our 2007 Oxfam Challenge cycles will be posted here shortly.
The Ride
Starting in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and ending in Cambodia’s Siem Reap, this popular Oxfam Challenge offers you an exhilarating handle-bar height view of the mighty Mekong Delta and vibrant green rice paddies. Take in the tranquil temples and pagodas of Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. Discover the landscapes and people, scenic coastal views and vibrant cities with their lure of delicious food and bargains. And along the way, visit a village where Oxfam works with the local community.
Day 1: Flight to Singapore/Ho Chi Minh City
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
The Embassy Hotel, our base in Ho Chi Minh City, is located in 'District 1', a two minute walk from Ben Thanh Market. Nearby is the municipal theatre and some of Ho Chi Minh City's old world hotels such as the Continental and the Rex. The Embassy has friendly staff, private facilities, air conditioning, phone, refrigerator and TV. Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, is a bustling metropolis blending ancient culture, French colonialism and modernism with magical pagodas, cathedrals and lively markets.
Day 3: Tay Ninh
We board buses to the far outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City where we start the first day of our cycling challenge, following back roads to Cu Chi tunnels, our lunch destination. After visiting the tunnels we cycle to the town of Tay Ninh (Long Hoa) where we stay overnight.
Day 4: Svay Rieng
After visiting the Great Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh, we travel to the Cambodian border at Moc Bai. After completing the entry formalities we remount our bikes and ride to our first stop in Cambodia, the town of Svay Rieng.
Day 5: Prey Veng
After a long, hard day's ride through the countryside we reach the Mekong River at Neak Loung and from here we follow the highway up to Prey Veng for an overnight stop.
Day 6: Kampong Cham
We leave the national highway and head inland on little-used roads to the city of Kampong Cham, Cambodia's third largest city situated on the Mekong River.
Day 7: Phnom Penh
Today’s route runs along the side of the mighty Mekong to the town of Koh Kaong where we board buses for the last leg of our journey into Phnom Penh. After checking into our hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to look at the sights of Cambodia’s capital. Phnom Penh is a fascinating city that retains the colonial charm of its earlier days as the French capital of Indochina. In the evening we relax with a drink in the famous Foreign Correspondents’ Club by the river.
Day 8: Phnom Penh
We explore Phnom Penh and visit the community of Prey Kebass where you see an Oxfam program in action. You may wish to visit the infamous killing fields at Choeung Ek, some 15 km from central Phnom Penh; between 1975 and 1978, an estimated 17,000 men, women and children were murdered at this extermination camp by the Khmer Rouge.
Day 9: Siem Reap
Today we board a bus to Siem Reap, arriving in the late afternoon to check into our hotel, rest and freshen up. Later we head out to the main temple of Angkor Wat to watch the sunset.
Days: 10 & 11: Free days
This morning we cycle to the Angkor Wat complex to explore Angkor Wat and Bayon. The rest of today is free to explore the archaeological wonder that is Angkor Wat, the spiritual and cultural heart of Cambodia. No dinners or lunches are organised so you are free to explore some of Siem Reap's restaurants.
Day 12: Bantay Srei
Our final day's ride is a fitting finale to our challenge as we ride through the beautiful countryside surrounding Angkor Wat to the temple of Bantay Srei. Located about 35km from Siem Reap, it is one of the most beautiful Khmer temples. We finish our challenge with a celebratory dinner in Siem Reap.