Riding scooters through Saigon, we ate at five incredible local eateries with these college students

Back of the Bike Tour

We almost missed this amazing tour ! Another one of my fabulous secrets is this Back of the Bike Tour in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Our family had returned from a 3 day bike trip by the Mekong River, literally dragging ourselves into our hotel with 10 minutes to change and meet our Tour guide. No, Tour Guides. Plural.

We booked the Taste of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour, which is a four hour evening tour from 6 pm to 10 pm. Four college students appeared at our hotel with four scooters, and with great enthusiasm and excellent English, we popped onto the back of their scooters and zipped down the street. We chortled with delight as they wove in and out of the traffic, the traffic of scooters, that is. Through narrow alleys we rode to five different dining locations. Sitting at a large table at our first restaurant, the “kids” ordered food for us, but they cautioned us not to eat everything. “We have MORE food to eat,” they noted. And so we did.

From tables at small restaurants to large communal tables in noisy outdoor settings, we enjoyed some of the best food we have ever eaten. From Nem Ran, the bite sized crunchy spring rolls to a crab dish with noodles which were puffed like a cheeto, we ate like we had not eaten in days. We noshed on barbecue meat and crispy Vietnamese pancakes to fresh fish and dipping sauce. Placing us behind a sizzling outdoor grill, we flipped vegetables with tongs. Our dessert was white and black sticky rice with coconut ice cream, fruits, and homemade yogurt. They practically rolled us off the scooters when they deposited us back at our hotel.

A night scooter ride through Saigon with our Back of the Bike Tour

The scooter ride, the camaraderie, the laughs, and the delicious tastes made this a Secret I had to share.

Go to backofthebiketours.com to view all of their tours.

Delicious crab dish on our Back of the Bike Tour, Saigon