North Centre Vietnam Motorbike Adventures, Motorcycle Tour, Ride Vietnam

Mr Paul Buise (6 days Honda XR250 Baja 250cc dirt bike adventure, ~1,200 km)

Thanks once again for a great motorbike trip! I would certainly recommend your company to friends and would definitely consider coming back if the opportunity presented itself.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Temp was really good however there were a few days which were only 3 or so hours riding which sometimes felt not enough, some days were so enjoyable I just wanted to keep riding. The stop-over was also really good in Sapa but perhaps an extra night there would have been nice to see more of the town and maybe do a half/full day tour/trek.

- Bikes and equipment: The bikes were really good, comfortable and easy to ride with no mechanical problems at all, great!

- Accommodation: All the places we stayed in were comfortable and nice and had all necessary amenities available, probably best to tell people in advance that they will be sharing a room. The home stays were the best however, loved spending time with local families this was a highlight.

- Food: Unfortunately I was sick most of the trip so didn�t get to eat much but there was always heaps of food and from what I tried it was really nice.

- Guide and organisation: The trip was really well organised and our guide (Long) was great, he spoke excellent english and was full of facts about vietnam and the local areas and tribes. Always willing to answer our questions, he did a great job!

- Price: The price was a little excessive especially by Vietnam standards also considering we didn�t get private rooms however it was certainly not over priced.

- How did you know about us? Internet search.

Full name: Paul Buise Address: 101 Portcullis Drive, Willetton, Western Australia 6155, AUSTRALIA.

Ms Sophie Walters & Ms Joanna King (England)

Ms Sophie Walters & Ms Joanna King (5 days Honda GL 160cc road bike adventure, ~900 km)

Thank you very much for making an unforgettable trip and insight into your beautiful country. Vietnam must be explored by bike - it has been a fantastic road trip.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo of the tour was well judged; the pace was right to appreciate the scenery, relax at rest stops and really get to know something about Vietnam.

- Bikes and equipment: We rode a Honda 125 & 165 - they were perfect - as beginners they were the right power level and worked smoothly throughout.

- Accommodation: Good range of accommodation, particularly good was the hotel in Sapa and the home stay.

- Food: Food was excellent. Long ordered us a wide range of local food - he was sensitive to our dietary requirements and we really enjoyed the local food.

- Guide and organisation: Long was superb: thoughtful, patient and extremely knowledgeable. He really made the trip great; he was an expert and a delight to spend time with.

- Price: Not too bad - quite high priced but the service was good.

- How did you know about us? Website!

Full name: Sophie Walters & Joanna King
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Luke Smith (4 days Honda XL 125cc trail bike adventure, ~600 km)

As a repeat customer to Off-road Vietnam I have found all the services they offer to be very friendly and to a high standard. If I ever need anything in the way of motorbikes Off-road Vietnam will be the first people I contact.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The overall tempo of the trip was very comfortable. The scenery is too spectacular and the roads are too unpredictable to want to go fast. We we�re able to stop whenever we wanted to and the road speed was an ideal leisurely pace.

- Bikes and equipment: All the bikes we had on the tour were well suited to the trip and well looked after. We had 4 bikes and had no problems.

- Accommodation: The standard of accommodation was very high throughout the trip. The home-stays we�re very welcoming and a great insight into true Vietnamese culture that you wouldn't find without a guide. Having been in Vietnam for 4 weeks now, my nights in the timber houses have been the coolest and most comfortable.

- Food: You find yourself very tired after a days riding and the food becomes an important part of the day! The food we had was always very tasty and there was always plenty to go around for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

- Guide and organisation: The staff at off-road Vietnam we�re all extremely friendly from the outset. On tour our guide was polite, friendly and social. I hope to stay in touch.

- Price: It is very true that tour prices are not the cheapest but very few offer the same standards of quality and experience. The bikes are all reliable and well maintained, staff are well experienced, friendly and helpful, and the tours are well planned and inclusive of a high standard of food and accommodation. It�s also nice to see that your well spent money goes back to the people of Vietnam i.e. family run restaurants, home-stays, road side caf�s etc. I think the tour was well worth the money.

- How did you know about us? I saw the bikes outside the office, got excited and then found the companies website!

Full name: Luke Smith
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr John Kilbey (6 days Honda XL 125cc trail bike adventure, ~900 km)

Top work. Your company made my trip to Vietnam so easy. It was one of the best times of my life. So helpful, friendly and fun. I can't wait to come back with my friends.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Was a little rushed to make stopovers before dark. Was long day riding. Would like to have arrived around 3.30-4 to get ready for night & see where I was staying.

- Bikes and equipment: Mine was fine - Luan's not so good.

- Accommodation: First night not so good - all the rest fantastic.

- Food: Generally good, I should research more Vietnamese vegetable dishes so could have more variety.

- Guide and organisation: Luan was fantastic. Couldn't be better.

- Price: Reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Friend.

Full name: John Kilbey
Address: Sydney, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Andrew Miller (7 days Honda Baja XR 250cc trail bike adventure, ~1,200 km)

I had a blast! Highly recommend it!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Pretty good pace. We pushed a bit on day 4 to have a rest day in Sapa day 5. Very good idea!

- Bikes and equipment: Bikes could use a little more maintenance but considering their rarity in Vietnam they are pretty good. Definitely the biggest thing on the road. Million times better than a Minsk.

- Accommodation: Decent hotel in Sapa. Loved the home stays.

- Food: Frightening at times but part of the whole experience. Eat at a dodgy roadside place on a little plastic stool. Loved it all.

- Guide and organisation: Mr Long was very friendly and helpful. Good English. They seem to have their act together organizationally.

- Price: Pretty happy with the Price/Fun ratio.

- How did you know about us? Web.

Full name: Andrew Miller
Address: HONG KONG.

Mr Michael Schultz (8 days Honda XR 250cc trail bike adventure, ~1,200 km)

I can't tell you how much of a great time I had on the tour. I feel I have come back with a better knowledge of Vietnam and look forward to coming back again. I hope to bring back my friends next year.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo was very good for me because there was just two of us we had a lot of time to stop and take photos, breaks and so on.

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda XR 250 motorcycle was a very good choice for me because I am a larger man, I feel that if I had chosen a smaller bike, the trip may not have been as enjoyable.

- Accommodation: Accommodation was good. I enjoyed the homestays that we visited. Very nice people.

- Food: The food was very good. I enjoyed the diversity of different foods and felt I ate authentic Vietnamese food, during my tour.

- Guide and organisation: Long, my guide, was excellent in every respect. He spent a lot of time answering my many questions about people, culture and food. Long did a very good job keeping us on track.

- Price: For me, this was a dream of mine to complete and I was happy to pay the price. I realize that if you are just two people things are more expensive. The service was excellent and I would recommend this tour to any of my friends.

- How did you know about us? The Internet.

Full name: Michael Schultz
Address: CANADA.

Mr Keary Bevan (3 days Honda XR 250cc trail bike adventure, ~500 km)

Our guide - Long "Dong" is a good drinker but may need to practice a bit more to keep up with this "Joe"!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Too slow. Give Long "Dong" a faster bike.

- Bikes and equipment: XR 250cc 2004 ok, but U know the issues.

- Accommodation: OK.

- Food: What food? I drank the whole time.

- Guide and organisation: Nice.

- Price: Kind of expensive - but so?

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Keary Bevan
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Bernt & Mrs Carina Andersson (3 days Honda Baja XR 250cc trail bike adventure, ~500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: OK! Sometimes too fast for me, but I'm not driving, I'm sitting behind.

- Accommodation: Very nice.

- Food: Very good.

- Guide and organisation: Helpful guides. Good service.

- Price: A bit high, I think.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Bernt & Carina Andersson
Address: Habo, SWEDEN.

Mr David Leslie & Ms Yaneth Ortega (4 days Honda 160cc road bike adventure, ~600 km)

Will refer Offroad Vietnam to friends. Thanks. Please don't change the guide during the tour. Anh, sorry about the room. Your recommended hotel is very nice. Thanks for a great trip.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: I enjoyed the laid back tempo of the tour. Stop-overs were fine. 1^st night small change but place nice. Suggest day 2 is too short of ride. Arrive very early in town; town is very quiet. Some optional activities, hiking etc could help fill the time.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorbike was good though a little under powered for two. Suggest when laws change in Vietnam to offer upgrade to a comfort two seater - fake Harley style (Hondas) or something.

- Accommodation: Quite good. Would be interesting to stay with a home stay family for another experience.

- Food: Perfect.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh did a great job. The group really enjoyed their time. He did a good job of looking after the group and making sure everyone was together. Group would prefer to keep the same guide until the end.

- Price: Fair value for money. Suggest fixed price should include safety gear.

- How did you know about us? Friend in Hong Kong & Internet.

Full name: David Leslie & Yaneth Ortega
Address: HONG KONG.

Mr Sam Wainer (5 days Honda 160cc road bike adventure, ~1,000 km)

Ratings are on a 5-star scale where 5 is Excellent and 1 is Poor.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: 5 stars. For me, the pace (tempo) of the first day being relatively slow/easy and the second and 4th days being longer and more difficult was perfect. I was very happy to have a full day in Sapa. Quinn (sorry I am mis-spelling his name) did a really good job of taking the right amount of rest and lunch breaks.

- Bikes and equipment: 4 stars. The motorcycle was fine - of course being new to motorcycle riding, i don't have much to compare to. I do know that they are old and I recommend upgrading them for sure. I think your 'selling point' of "we don't use Russian Minksks" can come off sounding a little gimmicky to the untrained rider, but after doing the tour on Hondas and hearing some horror stories, I certainly see that the Japanese bikes are significantly more reliable.

- Accommodation: 2 stars. I'd say that Quinn's hotel (Mountain View) in Sapa is great and the home stay on the way back was also a great experience - what a nice family. The first night's hotel was bad - if I were traveling on my own i'd not complain as i'm fine with staying in cheap places, but for $150/day in Vietnam, I'd expect something better. Of course, most of your customers won't know the difference, but i've been "in country" for a month and I know that the hotel was poor for how much I paid.

- Food: 5 stars. Quinn (and most tour guides) was apprehensive about giving me real Vietnamese food - I didn't pay $2,000 for a flight to Vietnam to eat Western style food! And Quinn (being very perceptive) realized this and took me for some great Vietnamese food. The hot pot at the first overnight was wonderful (and Quinn showed me how to eat it) as well as the dog meat in Sapa and the home stay - great food on this trip!

- Guide and organisation: 4 stars. Quinn was very organized - especially for the Sapa part - which you guys didn't expect when the tour started. Quinn took me on a very special trek that most tourist do not do - when I asked why, he said he understood what I wanted - exactly! Guys who sign up for a motorcycle adventure like adventures in general - a more challenging trek that is outside of the typical tourist track was perfect. Quinn is a very smart/nice guy. He also included me in a night with a family he knows in Sapa - again totally above and beyond and wonderful.

- Price: 3 stars. Of course, everyone wants to pay less and you've done a pretty good job of positioning your self as the premium motorcycle tour company in Hanoi. I'd just say as long as you charge $150/day, i'd upgrade the hotels.

- How did you know about us? I found you from a google search for "motorcycle tours Vietnam".

Full name: Sam Wainer
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Greg Richards & Mrs Natalie Richards (5 days Honda 250cc dirt bike adventure, ~550 km)

Excellent tour. Would recommend avoiding the busy road with "crazy" trucks with beginner riders in the group.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: 5 days was fantastic. Just the right amount of riding & exploring. Swimming at the end of day 4 was a lovely way to chill out. I didn't want to come home.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle - Good condition & reliable transport. The route taken was fantastic for showing hidden areas. Lots to see!

- Accommodation: Homestays - Excellent choice let you interact & eat with locals. Nice to have a "real" homestay - not too "fake" hotel - Good to have one night to refresh in the hot weather. Good quality.

- Food: Excellent variety & amount. Food was outstanding at homestays. Traditional bugs were a treat.

- Guide and organisation: Fantastic - Had a blast, sociable, good understanding & took time to explain.

- Price: Excellent for service & quality.

- How did you know about us? Lonely Planet guide.

Full name: Greg Richards & Natalie Richards
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Nguyen Van Lau (5 days Honda 250cc dirt bike adventure, ~550 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: All right.

- Bikes and equipment: Need to improve.

- Accommodation: Average at Mai Chau. Above average at Yen Bai (Boi's house). Below average at Tham's house.

- Food: Good, above average.

- Guide and organisation: Good.

- Price: OK.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Nguyen Van Lau
Address:HCMC, VIETNAM.

Mr Bob Jacobson (6 days Honda 250cc dirt bike riding, ~950 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Pace was fine.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle performed well. A little old which required several repairs.

- Accommodation: Good, clean. Private homes very friendly.

- Food: Good, perhaps a little repetitious.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent: knowledgeable, thoughtful and enjoyable to keep company with.

- Price: In line.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Bob Jacobson
Address: 924 E Coupen Aspen Co USA.

Mr Arthur Bellis (6 days Honda 250cc dirt bike riding, ~950 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good, great sense of countryside and local culture.

- Bikes and equipment: My 250 Baja was good - windshield for road would be nice.

- Accommodation: Acceptable for local flavor - would prefer nicer hotel in Sapa.

- Food: Not very good - edible, but I love Vietnamese food, and this was mostly a poor version of what is available.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent - Ngoc is fabulous!

- Price: Fair.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

- Other comments: Vietnamese food is among the best in the world, but our food was generally not good.

Full name: Arthur Bellis
Address: 1008 East Hopkins Ave Aspen, Colorado 81611, USA.

Mr James Brown (7 days Honda road bike riding, ~800 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The length of riding was fine. And the stop-overs were good. It gave time for resting after being on the bike.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbike was very fun. Easy to ride and apart from a few hiccups, quite reliable.

- Accommodation: Home stays were amazing. Had alot of fun meeting the families. They were very welcoming. The hotels are good too.

- Food: The food was delicious. And there was always lots of it.

- Guide and organisation: The tour guide (Quynh) was brilliant. He showed us lot we wouldn't normally see and provided a very good service.

- Price: Worth every penny!

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: James Brown
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Ben Randall (7 days Honda road bike riding, ~800 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: All very reasonable to driving was good, would have liked to stay in Sapa longer.

- Bikes and equipment: I enjoyed the motorbikes (160cc) very easy to ride and reliable.

- Accommodation: The accommodation was good the best bits were the home stays, would of been great if every night was a home stay.

- Food: Lots and lots of Vietnamese food and so good!!

- Guide and organisation: The tour guide (Quynh) was great, a good laugh and very friendly. Thanks.

- Price: Worth every penny.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Ben Randall
Address: Rongebourne, Newton Stercey, ENGLAND.

Mr Clayton Scott (5 days Honda dirt bike riding, ~800 km)

You had a professional + informational website. You were the only company advertising dirt bikes.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Distances covered were good with convenient stops.

- Bikes and equipment: Dirt bikes were good but needed some work - horn not working (essential here), headlight fell out, dirt in carb, oil needed in folks. Still happy with bikes as they remained reliable as a whole.

- Accommodation: Home stays were the best, could not complain about the service, food + friendliness, all was excellent and original.

- Food: Very very happy with the food, best meal was with The General. No complaints on volume or quality.

- Guide and organisation: Ngoc was excellent, looked after us 110%. also a very friendly guy who helps you to fit in with other people. I would go with him again, he is a credit to the company.

- Price: The price was good value for money, I would prefer to pay all monies up front rather than pay the extras for dirt bikes when I got back.

- How did you know about us? Google.

Full name: Clayton Scott
Address: 63 Windsor Rd Northmead NSW 2152, AUSTRALIA.

Ms Bonnie Street (9 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,400 km)

I liked that you can go anywhere that you want. The adaptability of the route is wonderful. Friendly, caring guide. It was a much bigger challenge than I anticipated, but I am so much better off for that.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo. Always had enough time, never too many kilometers to cover. It was very important to me that we never rode in the dark, and we never did. So always good timing.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle. Never had any problems. Had the grunt to get out of traffic issues when needed.

- Accommodation: Great, better than I had anticipated. Homestays were great, always felt welcomed.

- Food: Limited choice but that was due to where we were travelling. Pho is always delicious though!

- Guide and organisation: Minh was great. Informative and always entertaining. There was never a bored moment. Very Caring as well when I was sick.

- Price: Good, everything is covered. Was very happy about the discount for the day I was sick, that was very generous.

- How did you know about us? Through a friend and website.

Full name: Bonnie Street
Address: 76 Day st Leichhardt 2040, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Ms Jane Robins (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

Anh Wu was very efficient and his clear communication via email in the beginning was the reason we choose "Offroad Vietnam".

Awesome that you guys help the poorer communities (toilets, classrooms etc).

This motorcycle trip was the highlight of our trip to Vietnam. Thank you for such an awesome experience.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Pace was excellent. Stops at the right time for drink/food and to rest a sore backside.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda XL 125cc. Had no problems with the bike. Went well. Offroad tyres were a good choice.

- Accommodation: All accommodation was fine. Homestay was the highlight of the trip.

- Food: Fine. Vegetarian options were ok. Opportunity for a la carte in Sapa was great. Chance to eat western food if chosen.

- Guide and organisation: Ngoc and Quynh were fantastic. Great English and had great sense of humor. Ngoc really is the best tour guide in Vietnam.

- Price: Great value for money.

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: Jane Robins
Address: 10/1 Saltriver PI, Footscray, VIC 3011, AUSTRALIA.

Read Robins' email to Lonely Planet.

Mr Tim Andrews (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

Maybe go to Bac Ha for the market but I wouldn't bother staying there.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good pace, the short day in the middle was good for recovery of sore parts (backside).

- Bikes and equipment: The motocross style bike (Honda XL 125cc) was great. Going up hill was a little slow though.

- Accommodation: Hotels generally ok. The night in Bac Ha was a bit rough. But then the whole town was very dusty. The homestay was great.

- Food: The amount of food was great, but in the first couple of days it got a bit repetitive (beef and tofu were good but the pumpkin flower and greens weren't very good).

- Guide and organisation: Ngoc and Quynh were both great guides. Ngoc was also great with the motorcycles. I was really impressed with his ability to fix staff on the go.

- Price: The price for what we got was great.

- How did you know about us? The website. We found the website using Google.

Full name: Tim Andrews
Address: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Bob McWhorter (8 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,400 km)

9 riders was quite a large group for the North tour. I would recommend limiting to 5 riders.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo generally good, the smokers and coffee drinkers could stop more often. Stop overs good, accommodation great.

- Bikes and equipment: Good, would have appreciated a working headlight.

- Accommodation: All great.

- Food: Fair to food, the food on homestay was excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Great, all good knowledge of land, customs etc.

- Price: Excellent.

- How did you know about us? I am a returning customer.

Full name: Bob McWhorter
Address: Baghdad, IRAQ.

Mr Kristopher Burham (8 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,400 km)

Halong Bay was amazing.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good pace.

- Bikes and equipment: Good.

- Accommodation: Better than expected.

- Food: Good instant noodles!

- Guide and organisation: Very good.

- Price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Bob.

Full name: Kristopher Burham
Address: Baghdad, IRAQ.

Mr James Richard Oleen (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

Considering using http://www.facebook.com to help keep in touch with customers. I suggest putting on your website info about how your organization helps out the communities you work with and visit. I would also suggest putting a profile page of each tour guide with biographical information and a picture with contact info too.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Both Ngoc and Quynh are extremely patient with the guests and if they were ever frustrated or tired they never let it show. They were always upbeat and friendly and are two people I hope to become good friends with over the years. Ngoc and Quynh ROCK!

- Bikes and equipment: The bikes were great for beginners and experienced drivers alike. They are well maintained and I don't have any suggestions. You guys keep your equipment up well.

- Accommodation: Teach the guests how to turn on the hot water heater at some of the hotels. Overall the accommodations were more luxurious than I expected and were a good sample at local hotels in rural areas.

- Food: More spring rolls! More water buffalo! Less western food.

- Guide and organisation: Very professional, extremely knowledgeable about the culture and areas we traveled through.

- Price: The price is amazingly low for the hotels, food, bikes, overhead and time of the guides. You could defiantly charge a lot more.

- How did you know about us? Through Bob McWhorter.

Full name: James Richard Oleen
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Dan Doubreaux (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

It would be nice to have a map, maybe after the trip is over, to be able to see where we went in relation to the whole country.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: I was glad the guides let me go slow and take pictures and look around when I wanted to while that didn't keep us off schedule too much. They allowed extra time for that.

- Bikes and equipment: Good.

- Accommodation: Home stay was the best. "Tram Phan Tram" not every night though. Nice hotel in Sapa was good way to rejuvenate. I like to feel useful. It would have been fun to help out at the house by cooking or cleaning, gardening, etc. So I can learn something new.

- Food: Plenty of variety/dishes. I was able to find something I liked at each meal.

- Guide and organisation: Good. Patient. Educational. Next time the two of Ngoc & Quynh should come to U.S and I will guide them around so they can take picture of Americans.

- Price: Good system! Of course we only needed to think about money when we wanted something extra.

- How did you know about us? Through a friend.

Full name: Dan Doubreaux
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Nguyen Hoang Anh Tu (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

- Accommodation: The last home stay is very good (Vu Linh) with the funny Dao man. He always says (a, i, o, bo, dzo).

- Food: More eggs.

- Guide and organisation: Good, he's very funny.

- How did you know about us? Through Bob.

Full name: Nguyen Hoang Anh Tu
Address: HCMC, VIETNAM.

Mr James Bultitude (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: OK. Large group (9 riders + 2 guides) so a little slow to start sometimes.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle OK.

- Accommodation: Most ok. Some a little too dirty. Homestay was fun.

- Food: Very good.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent, very helpful.

- Price: Fair.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: James Bultitude
Address: CHINA.

Mr Lorne Bultitude (6 days Honda road bike riding, ~1,100 km)

Thanks, I will recommend it to others.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo. Rest breaks were just right.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle did the job despite all the shocks it took.

- Accommodation: Accommodation were as good as could be expected for the cost.

- Food: Food was good, especially the homesaty meals. A few meals were too spicy for me.

- Guide and organisation: The guides were excellent. They enhanced the whole experience by explaining the culture.

- Price: The price was good and fair.

- How did you know about us? My son.

Full name: Lorne Bultitude
Address: Regina, CANADA.

Mr Paul Phan (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

Great management, great tour guide, service and hospitality with a smile, what more could you ask for. Highly recommend and definitely worth 5 stars.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo of the tour was great! Not too fast and not too slow. The stop overs were excellent as well which gave us time to enjoy each of their scenery and culture.

- Bikes and equipment: We travelled by motorcycle and did not have any problems. The ride was comfortable. Only scary issue was going down steep hills while the road was wet in mountain area.

- Accommodation: First and last home stays were one of the main enjoyments of the tour. Being able to interact with the families was a very memorable experience. The more home stays the better.

- Food: Food again was excellent. Minh our guide always made sure the food was clean and that we were full. Everything we ate was enjoyable.

- Guide and organisation: Offroad Vietnam's services were more than exceeded. Anh Wu, I thank you for being so helpful from start to finish. Minh, our guide, we couldn't be more happy with. He guided us through everything and answered any questions enthusiastically.

- Price: The price in my mind was very reasonable. However the service provided by Offroad Vietnam more than exceeded the price of the tour in my opinion.

- How did you know about us? Internet - Google search.

Full name: Paul Phan
Address: NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Khai Tho Han (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

Definitely looking forward to doing another route in the near future. Highly recommend Offroad Vietnam to anyone else! A ++++++++

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo of the tour was great, even though we shortened the tour from 10 days to 7, we got to learn and experience a lot of different cultures and scenery.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle was awesome. Didn't have any major problems. Learnt a lot about motorbiking in 7 days than most people do over months/years!

- Accommodation: Prefer the homnestays over the hotels. Learnt a lot more about the cultures.

- Food: Minh, our guide, ensured we were always well fed. We had a vegetarian in our group, and Minh made sure he had a good meal with us, only bad thing was that Minh was not a drinker :)

- Guide and organisation: I would highly recommend Offroad Vietnam to anyone wanting to do riding in Vietnam, the fact that we had 2 non-riders in our group, and that they were prepared within minutes. Anh Wu's customer service was impeccable, replied to enquiries within hours.

- Price: The price was reasonable for the food and accommodation provided.

- How did you know about us? Paul Phan.

Full name: Khai Tho Han
Address: NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Adrian Leahy (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

I think a T Shirt at the end would be a great bit of memorabilia. I'd pay $15 for one "Offroad Adventure Vietnam".

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Fine. Always safe.

- Bikes and equipment: Bike was good. Minh did running repairs very well. I'm amazed the bike took so much punishment!

- Accommodation: A little cold but then this is the worst weather for 50 years! Homestays were great.

- Food: Surprised! I thought being a vegetarian would mean that I would starve! Minh was very thoughtful to make sure that I'd eaten as much as I could at each meal.

- Guide and organisation: Even with the cold + wet weather Minh stayed helpful and cheerful continually helping me get out of trouble.

- Price: Well worth it.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Adrian Leahy
Address: U.K.

Mr Charlie Gallico (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

Minh, you need to drink more with the boys. You are top bloke to know.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo was nice and smooth, not hard and rough. The ride on my bike was very satisfying.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorcycle was a rocket. It was a nice ride and had no problems with it.

- Accommodation: The accommodation was good and comfortable. I felt like it was our house. Thank you.

- Food: The food was great and different at times.

- Guide and organisation: The organisation is set up well and the service was superb from our guide, Minh.

- Price: The price of the tour was reasonable. It was worth it because it was a good adventure!

- How did you know about us? Through friends.

Full name: Charlie Gallico
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Thuyen Nguyen (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

Definitely will return for more tours with Offroad Vietnam with different routes.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo of the tour was really great! The stop-overs gave us time to enjoy the landscape and the scenery.

- Bikes and equipment: We travelled by motorcycle, my first time riding it and it was so enjoyable. There are some scary moments going down hills and wet weather other than that I loved it. Great adventure!

- Accommodation: The homestay was the most enjoyable moments. Get to know their culture, stories and dined with the families.

- Food: Food was great, get to taste different kinds of foods from different areas we went. The guide always made sure what we use to eat and the food is clean.

- Guide and organisation: Offroad Vietnam services were great and helpful. Highly recommended for other people who enjoy riding on their holidays.

- Price: The price is reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Internet - Google search (Paul Phan).

Full name: Thuyen Nguyen
Address: NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Keith Riehl (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The home stays were the best. Need more of them. Great hospitality and food. We are coming back with more people in November when it is warmer.

- Bikes and equipment: Excellent. We had to cut our trip short due to heavy rain and record cold weather and lots of fog. The obstacles were the best. Always avoiding something.

- Accommodation: Excellent.

- Food: Awesome.

- Guide and organisation: Great guys.

- Price: Excellent.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Keith Riehl
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Grayson Silaski (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

Thank you! I want to help the villages. Will contact by email.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Just perfect.

- Bikes and equipment: Everything excellent.

- Accommodation: Exceeded expectations, especially the home stays.

- Food: All food was very good. Always plenty to eat. Quality was good.

- Guide and organisation: Our guides were the best I've ever had on a journey. Very impressed with Ngoc's knowledge of Vietnam and history.

- Price: Very reasonable. A bargain for the adventure.

- How did you know about us? Keith Riehl.

Full name: Grayson Silaski
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Rich Baumann (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

Next time will be more prepared with clothes and packs.

A wonderful trip - hope to come back in November.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good.

- Bikes and equipment: Good.

- Accommodation: Hotel was marginal - home stays wonderful.

- Food: Excellent, authentic.

- Guide and organisation: Well done - really enjoyed. Ngoc is very knowledgeable and fun to be with.

- Price: Very fair.

- How did you know about us? Keith Riehl - friend.

Full name: Rich Baumann
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Scott Alan Reynolds (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

Ngoc is very good.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Great.

- Bikes and equipment: Great.

- Accommodation: Great. More home stays.

- Food: Excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Very good.

- Price: Fine.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Scott Alan Reynolds
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Mark Fortin and Mr Dan Obrist (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo. Unusual weather which was unforeseen changed the usual routes and length of legs.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycles were in good working order. Guides were adequately suited with spare parts and knowledge to deal with mechanical problems. Although motorcycles weren't big bores, they were very well suited for the terrain. Too much speed could be dangerous.

- Accommodation: Home stays were wonderful. As a guest I felt very welcome. People hosting were very friendly, genuine, and energetic people. Home stays were probably for me the most enjoyable part of the trip as you are truly experiencing Vietnam.

- Food: Food was very satisfying. Very good in regard to quality, taste, quantity, and especially authenticity.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide, Ngoc and Thoi were absolutely great. Both are very energetic and genuine people. Besides being knowledgeable about the motorcycles they are most knowledgeable about the history and customs of their country. We all learned very much about Vietnam. We are proud to have them as our friends and are surely welcome to visit us in USA.

- Price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Friends, Internet.

Full name: Mark Fortin and Dan Obrist
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Chris Petterson (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

We plan on coming back in November. The country is amazing, people friendly, kids very cute.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Excellent. Rain into bad weather unfortunately. Ngoc and Thoi were awesome, very knowledgeable & fun.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle Honda 160cc.

- Accommodation: Homestays were amazing, hotels were so-so.

- Food: Excellent, probably gained 10 pounds!

- Guide and organisation: Top notch! Thoi went way above and beyond what was expected. Ngoc's knowledge and stories were great!

- Price: Very fair, will come back.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Chris Petterson
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Mike Petterson (4 days Honda road bike touring + car, ~700 km)

Very fun & friendly people - I would recommend this to my friends.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good. Just the rite amount of time on the bike.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda motorcycle OK. We are larger people - We would like XR250 or XR400 but these were fine.

- Accommodation: Very nice home stays. Hotels not so good.

- Food: Very good. Authentic. Plenty. We always had enough.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide was the best. Ngoc was very informative and helpful.

- Price: Reasonable. Very good tour for the price.

- How did you know about us? Internet - Keith Riehl.

Full name: Mike Petterson
Address: Oregon, U.S.A.

Mr Bill Wright (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,200 km)

Although I have some complaints, they are small compared to the adventure each day contained. Beautiful country, challenging riding - fabulous people - I had a great time, and will return.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: I found the tempo good - distances achievable if nothing went wrong. In hindsight I would have had a rest day about half way.

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda GL Pro 160cc were perfect for the roads and conditions encountered. My bike had no front brake from day two, and although I complained nothing was done.

- Accommodation: Better than I expected. The home stays were great.

- Food: The food was good and plentiful towards the end became a bit repetitive.

- Guide and organisation: It felt most of the time that it was the guide on holiday and not me. He seemed ill equipped to deal with problems when they occurred. His knowledge of bike mechanics was bad - if I did not know how to fix some things - a lot of time would have been lost. He smoke constantly at meal tables while we were still eating - as a non smoker I found this most upsetting.

- Price: Price, very good.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Bill Wright
Address: 18 Tregarthew Rd. Summertown 5141, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Florent de Rocca Serra (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,200 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo all along the ride.

- Bikes and equipment: Good bike!

- Accommodation: Loved the home stays (first two nights in Song Thao and Vu Linh), then hotels were good, clean, even though no heating most of the time which was bad after a cold day.

- Food: Tried a lot of Vietnamese food. Liked some, didn't like some. Positive overall.

- Guide and organisation: The organisation was great (from Offroad office). The guide was OK, even though not very talkative. Would have liked to know more about the culture and places visited.

- Price: Fair price. For a week :). More coffee breaks could be included.

- How did you know about us? Mouth to mouth from friends (Lorenzo, Philip, JP)

Full name: Florent de Rocca Serra
Address: FRANCE.

Mr Gregoire Fleurot (7 days Honda moped touring, ~1,200 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Nice tempo, beginning slowly and increasing little by little.

- Bikes and equipment: Good moped.

- Accommodation: The home stays were amazing! I would have loved to have done them everyday! The hotels were good as well, but need more heating in winter!

- Food: Good local food! I feel the food started very well the first few days, but the standard dropped in the last three days.

- Guide and organisation: Very good organisation from Offroad, nice guide (Hung) but maybe should talk a little bit more :), answer too many questions with a "yes" or a "no".

- Price: OK, a bit expensive.

- How did you know about us? From friends (Lorenzo, Philip, JP)

Full name: Gregoire Fleurot
Address: FRANCE.

Mr Drew Collet and Ms Nikki Thomas (4 days Honda road bike touring, ~700 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Was a little slow at first for experienced riders, but OK as we got faster each day. Stop over's very good.

- Bikes and equipment: Perfect until the last day as we needed to put the bikes on train at Lao Cai station, but train full - wasn't expecting trip to cost another $50US each - maybe a little more assistance with organisation of train ticket.

- Accommodation: Very good.

- Food: Excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Good, could have educated us a little more, we had to ask all the questions.

- Price: Fine apart from the extra $50 (US) each at the end due to train problems (OV: own arrangements).

- How did you know about us? Through previous clients (Thomas Perry)

Full name: Drew Collet and Nikki Thomas
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Paul Dorian (7 days Honda dirt bike touring, ~1,100 km)

Overall my trip/adventure was wonderful. Start to finish every minute was a new experience. Our guide, Minh, helped us understand all the landscape and history. He really made the trip complete.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Riding time, rest time were well paced.

- Bikes and equipment: The dirt bike Honda XL 125cc was definitely the right choice given the rough conditions of the roads. A larger displacement bike might be a better choice for experienced riders.

- Accommodation: The homestays were the highlight of the trip. Most of the hotels were a comfy place to rest too.

- Food: Start to finish the food was amazing. Our guide, Minh, described all of the dishes and gave us insight into how they were prepared.

- Guide and organisation: The company is well run and all my needs were met and expectations exceeded.

- Price: The price is well justified considering all that is included. Considering how much other excursions cost abroad this is the best value I can imagine.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Paul Dorian
Address: Oakland, CA, U.S.A.

Mr Randy King (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

This is absolutely the best way to see Vietnam. After a month long trip this has been the highlight, without a doubt!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good.

- Bikes and equipment: Good, the bike ran like a clock.

- Accommodation: Home stays were awesome!! Guest houses were nice, hotels were OK.

- Food: Very good.

- Guide and organisation: Minh was awesome!!

- Price: Very reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Got lucky on the Internet.

Full name: Randy King
Address: 4B 133 25th Ave S.W Calgary, Alberta, CANADA.

Mr Mathias Blake (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

The trip was amazing and unforgettable. Thanks to our guide for the outstanding job he did.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo was just right. Not too fast so we could take in what we were driving through, but also not too slow so that we made it to our destination in a reasonable time. We took enough breaks along the way to make it enjoyable.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbike worked well (Honda 160cc). Only had the chain fall off once and that was the only problem. Our guide fixed it quickly and it wasn't a problem.

- Accommodation: Every place we stayed was clean and comfortable.

- Food: The food along the way was great. We enjoyed a really wide variety of Vietnamese food thanks to our guide, who always ordered and kept track of the kitchen.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide did an outstanding job. Never got lost, always found a place to eat for lunch and dinner for us. I felt like I never had to do a thing.

- Price: I think the price was very fair for what we got.

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: Mathias Blake
Address: San Diego, CA 92109, U.S.A.

Mrs Ally Blake (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

This was an incredible life experience. I would recommend it to anyone seeking a bit of adventure.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo perfect - allowed us to really take in all the sights.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda Wave scooter - no problems with it. A little jumpy, but reliable.

- Accommodation: Two homestays were wonderful - Mai Chau especially. Other hotels were fine as well - pleasantly surprised.

- Food: Food was pretty good - best at homestays. Meat sometimes a bit too exotic for my liking.

- Guide and organisation: Hung was a great tour guide! Very knowledgeable about Vietnamese culture, always looked out for our well-being on the road. He was a lot of fun too!!

- How did you know about us? Internet search.

Full name: Ally Blake
Address: San Diego, CA 92109, U.S.A.

Mrs Stefanie Maguire (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: At the start we thought we are going very slow but after a very short time we actually realised that it was just perfect - like this everyone could enjoy the superb scenery. Lots of stops - very good!

- Bikes and equipment: One rider + one pillion worked out perfect for us - the back of the bike was very comfortable & it gave me the chance to take lots of pictures.

- Accommodation: Loved the homestays! Try to do more of these!

- Food: All very good + tasty. Tried all different kinds of things (swan, goat, etc.). Very tasty rice wine. We got to love the "tea ceremony" after the food.

- Guide and organisation: Hung very knowledgeable - loved the upon-teams circus evening! Always very helpful. Liked that he watched what was going on in the kitchen to make sure we got good food.

- The price: Fair for what you get! Really worth it!

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Stefanie Maguire
Address: 19/33 Ban PrangThang Kwang Road, Phuket, THAILAND.

Mr Roger Maguire (7 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Perfect.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle good.

- Accommodation: Good mix of stilt houses + hotels.

- Food: Excellent variety, lunch time stops were always fun.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent. Took great care of us from start to finish + done a great job of clearing the road from the oncoming traffic to keep us safe.

- The price: Quite expensive, but good fun.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Roger Maguire
Address: British International School, Phuket, THAILAND.

Mr Clemens Oehling and Mrs Claudia Oehling (5 days Honda road bike touring, ~1,000 km)

An absolute outstanding experience. We don't want to have missed it. When you love motorbiking you have to go at least a few days on a tour. Fantastic landscape, lovely people we met on our way and a very skilled and helpful guide! Only we would not recommend to ride the bike with two persons for more than a couple of days due to the small size of the bike.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Generally OK, but with distances around 200km/day you have to start not later than 8 am, otherwise you have not enough time for stops en route. Like the day from Vu Linh to Sapa, we started at 9.30AM, reached Lao Cai by sunset and drove the scenic road to Sapa in the dark. We would like to have made more stops on that very bad road with many trucks but then we we would have arrived even later in Sapa.

- Bikes and equipment: We drove the Honda 250cc which was OK for me as a driver, but a bigger bike would be more suitable for my height (180cm). For the co-rider it was definitely too small and on bumpy roads not comfortable at all. technically the bike was alright.

- Accommodation: Was always good, the homestay in Vu Linh was of course a highlight. All the other hotels/guesthouses were clean + comfortable!

- Food: Food was always plenty, tasteful and when we suggested something which was on our mind Minh, our guide, tried to make it possible.

- Guide and organisation: The tour was very well organized, during the planning period via email we got prompt answers to all our questions. Changing the itinerary due to closed roads etc. was performed in a professional manner. Our guide, Minh, was very helpful as translator, mechanic and he explained a lot.

- The price: It's not cheap, but considering the good organisation, the quality of food + accommodation it is absolutely acceptable and if you are in a bigger group than we (only two) it gets even cheaper.

- How did you know about us? Google.

Full name: Clemens Oehling and Claudia Oehling
Address: Frankfurt, GERMANY.

Mr Rick Brownfield (4 days Honda road bike adventure, ~700 km)

Thank you for a great trip! It was beyond expectations. I have not regularly ridden a motorcycle (except for motorbikes in Bermuda) for about thirty years, although I was a daily rider in my twenties. You are well provisioned with safety equipment, and the bike was excellent. I highly recommend the Honda 1600 for most tours unless dirt riding is planned for over 50% of the ride. This bike was powerful enough for the times when we were able to hit top speeds (60 KPH is flying!!), and was able to handle mud, dirt, rocks, gravel, streams, sand, and a three feet wide bamboo bridge ten feet over a deep stream. But, I have to admit that I was not riding it when we crossed that particular piece of infrastructure as I had a hard enough time walking across it without failing off, let alone riding over it. It is a good thing that Chi has excellent balance.

But, I am getting ahead of our trip itinerary.

As you recommended, we changed from the western loop to the central road due to potential construction in the western mountain passes. This turned out to be a right decision after talking with some other bikers who experienced long construction delays on that route. We spent the first night at a �home stay�, and the next two nights in hotels, with a return overnight train trip from Lao Cai to Ha Noi. In total, we rode around 700 kilometers over four days.

So, pulling out into Ha Noi traffic that first morning was quite an experience. But, with Chi�s guidance and patience, we made it to out of traffic without major incident. The first rest stop for water and coke was outside town in a small village. The remainder of that day was spent riding along the river on a sand road built on top of a dike. We saw brick making kilns, small farm plots, and small towns. The rice harvest was in progress, so we had to be careful as the farmers were using the edge of the road on the dike to dry the rice stalks and to separate the rice from the chaff.

Lunch the first day was in a local restaurant. It was delicious! This was one of the reasons that I decided to take your tour. I normally travel on business, and normally stay at four and five star hotels with multi-course dinners. It was really nice to eat in the same style as non-tourists, and to experience Vietnamese daily life first hand. It was exactly what I was looking to do on the tour.

Later that afternoon, it looked like rain as we left the sandy road, and pushed on through one lane paved roads, to mud roads, to single track to the home stay village. Luck was with us as the rain didn�t start falling until just before the home.

The home stay was a high point of the trip. We were in a �stilt� house, about six feet off the ground, and slept in the great room of the home on the floor. Dinner was served family style, with the men at one area sitting on the floor around the food, and the women in an adjacent area on the floor. One of the treats of the dinner was fresh roasted water buffalo. It seems that one of the members of the village herd met an un-timely demise as they were progressing down a mountain pathway. He slipped and fell, resulting in water buffalo road kill!

Following a warm shower in the bathhouse that had been built just for travelers staying the night, we started off into the mountains. The scenery was incredible! Fifteen shades of green were displayed in the terraced rice fields tended by the hill tribes, and the road varied from river level in the bottom of the valley to almost in the clouds over the passes. Lunch the second day was also in a local restaurant. It was packed with both local people from the village as well as with other Vietnamese motorbike travelers and transportation drivers. Not only did I have a great lunch, but I also was able to take a tour of the kitchen and to visit with Vietnamese sitting at other tables.

We had two choices for a hotel that evening, one closer and one further away. Of course, once we reached the closest one, I choose the one farthest away! Dusk was approaching, so we turned on the lights, topped off the tanks, and took off. The Off-Road Adventure continued as we did about 30 kilometers on a dirt / gravel / paved road at night. This may not sound particularly adventures to Americans or Europeans, but let me assure you that the lack of any light except the bike headlight made it very difficult to see the numerous mudslides and rock slides that covered the road every two or three kilometers.

As it turned out, I was very glad that we pushed on to the farthest hotel. The town was bigger and nicer, and the hotel itself was run by a very nice family who warmly welcomed us.

The third day was all uphill to Sa Pa. The views were fantastic. Going up on the lane and a half paved road, I fantasized about pushing a fast sports car to the limit on it. These fantasies were brought back to reality when a down-hill bus appeared without warning around a blind curve.

The hotel in Sa Pa was the better of the two hotel stays, and the food was good. It was great to have interaction with the H�Mong people in the market-place. Of course I bought several handicraft items that I had absolutely no use for, just to bargain with the smiling people.

Riding on the fourth day was the most difficult of the trip. By this point, we had travelled around 620 kilometers, so I didn�t think that the last 60 kilometers would be that difficult. I was wrong. The road (I really shouldn�t call it a road, it was more like a neglected drive-way in the mountains of North Carolina) varied from rocks to gravel to mud to sand to BIG rocks, along with several treacherous stream crossings. But, it was beautiful. On this day, I am sure that I saw a Viet Nam that very few tourists have the privilege to see. I also learned on this ride that hitting rocks under water can cause the same problems as hitting them on dry land. Fortunately, I was going very slow when I toppled over into the stream.

Chi was a great guide throughout the trip. He was very knowledgeable about Vietnamese culture and history, was an entertaining conversationalist (fluent in French, Vietnamese, and English), and is an excellent motorbike mechanic as well. I learned a lot from Chi during this trip.

Thanks again for a great trip. I highly recommend Viet Nam Off Road Adventures!

Full name: Rick Brownfield
Address: 630 Taylor's Chapel Rd, Sanford, NC, U.S.A.

Ms Kara Owen & Mr Giuseppe Parisi (4 days Honda road bike touring, ~700 km)

Kara: A really fabulous experience for both of us. I will certainly be back for a big loop or Laos. I learnt a huge amount and laughed + smiled more!!

Giuseppe Parisi: Un viaggiio ottimo e da non dimenticare!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Just right. Ngoc always stopped when we were just about to get tired.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda 160cc. Bikes great. And tweaked along the way to make sure they were always right.

- Accommodation: Good mixed of hotel + homestay. I knew what to expect. Might be worth educating those who knew Vietnam less well before they start.

- Food: Great. Ngoc was very flexible and adjusted to having we less adventurous. But he shall not eat banh my for breakfast just because we do!! He needs his pho!!!

- Guide and organisation: What we liked about Ngoc was his openness and his ability to explain to nguoi tay things we don't understand about Vietnam. And nothing was too much trouble to help us enjoy the ride. All very smooth.

- The price: Fine.

- How did you know about us? Web search.

Full name: Kara Owen & Giuseppe Parisi
Address: British Embassy, Hanoi, VIETNAM.

Mr Michael Slone (5 days Honda road bike touring, ~900 km)

One of the very best tours I've ever done. Sales Manager Anh Wu was great - no bullshit, no over-promoting, no slagging of competitors.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Just right - not too fast, not too slow. Chi always elected on us + we stopped fairly often.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda 160cc. Good model, no mechanic problems, comfortable.

- Accommodation: Excellent - nice hotels, comfortable, clean, friendly.

- Food: Very good. I got fat!!

- Guide and organisation: Very good. Chi is knowlegable, upbeat and funny.

- The price: Very reasonable - good value.

- How did you know about us? Web.

Read Michael's ride report
Read Michael's recommendation email.

Full name: Michael Slone
Address: Boston, U.S.A.

Mr Brian Morice (5 days Honda dirt bike touring, ~900 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Trip planned well + was as expected.

- Bikes and equipment: A change of chain and sprocket would improve feel of bike. Suggest a can of aerosol chain lube carried on future trips.

- Accommodation: Excellent. Home stay the hi-lite.

- Food: Better than expected overall very good.

- Guide and organisation: Top class Chi had a great knowledge of history + culture of people.

- The price: Very happy with the price.

- How did you know about us? From Internet.

Full name: Brian Morice
Address: 246 Taylor Rd RDZ Waimaukee 0882, NEW ZEALAND.

Mr Andrew Robertson (5 days Honda dirt bike touring, ~900 km)

A great ride over 5 days with plenty of variation and much to see.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Well paced trip. First day very long but that is the way we like it!

- Bikes and equipment: Honda XL 125 went well. Speedo didn't work.

- Accommodation: Accommodation was excellent throughout.

- Food: Excellent food. Chi ensured we were given a good range of food. We never went hungry!

- Guide and organisation: Chi is an excellent guide. Friendly, reliable and lots of fun.

- The price: Price was very good for a 5 day tour.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: Andrew Robertson
Address: NEW ZEALAND.

Mr David Finch and Ms Nicole Finch (5 days Honda touring, ~600 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo was nice and easy, and it was good we could customize the trip as we went.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda 160cc and Honda Wave 100cc. Riding across Vietnam was fun and the motorcycles made getting to certain areas a lot easier than would have been in a car.

- Accommodation: The home stays are a good way of getting to know more about the Vietnamese culture & traditions.

- Food: You will never go hungry. There is so much food.

- Guide and organisation: The guide (Minh) was knowledgeable & helpful & was good at setting a pace that was comfortable & pointing out things that we might otherwise of missed.

- The price: Value for money.

- How did you know about us? Internet - Google search.

Full name: David Finch and Nicole Finch
Address: 3 Town Rd, Grenbrook, Vic., AUSTRALIA 3783.

Mr Daniel Duyen Le (5 days Honda motorcycle touring, ~900 km)

While some companies resort to putting down their competition, Offroad Vietnam let their results speak for themselves. Actions speak louder than words and these guys deliver with class. If you're after an experience then go with Offroad Vietnam.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Challenging upon request. Fantastic hospitality and well looked after.

- Bikes and equipment: Great bike, no problem whatsoever. Always checked and well looked after by Ngoc, our tour leader.

- Accommodation: Great homestays!! Hotels clean and great service. Staff went out of their way to help us and made us feel welcome.

- Food: Fantastic food. Good mix between local and western (one night) was great to experience local cuisine, especially the rice wine!

- Guide and organisation: I highly recommend this company from before day 1, we had open communication. No hidden agenda. Great service and very informative guide.

- The price: Excellent. Very reasonable. Felt like we received so much more.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: Daniel Duyen Le
Address: 12 Herbert St, Newtown, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Jamie Loberman (5 days Honda motorbike touring, ~900 km)

Best 5 days of my life - no lie.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Non-stop rock and roll baby! Whenever and whatever we wanted Ngoc accommodated.

- Bikes and equipment: The Hondas took everything we threw at them and any problems were quickly dealt with.

- Accommodation: Home stays and hotel were both fantastic but I could always choose home stays as it is such a unique experience.

- Food: A great mix of Vietnamese and Western food meant that I was never hungry.

- Guide and organisation: The tour we wanted to do didn't exist so they made it for us! There was so much flexibility that we got everything we wanted to do in to the tour.

- The price: At pretty much all inclusive we couldn't have done it cheaper ourselves. A bargain for the local knowledge alone!

- How did you know about us? Recommendation.

Full name: Jamie Loberman
Address: Potters Bar, UK.

Read Jamie's article.

Mr Jason Hewer (5 days Honda motorbiking, ~900 km)

We didn't want it to end!! Very admirable how the tour company helps out the local communities that we stay in.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Excellent, just right.

- Bikes and equipment: The Hondas were very good.

- Accommodation: Top notch and very enjoyable staying with the locals.

- Food: Very good and diverse.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent, our guide knew everything!! He was also very easy to get along with, very funny and spoke excellent English!!

- The price: Very reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Through our hostel.

Full name: Jason Hewer
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Paul Trimmer (5 days Honda motorcycling, ~900 km)

Had a great 5 days, covered 950 km, my arse hurts, but I didn't want to give the bike back!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good, some heavy days of riding, but some late starts to make up for it.

- Bikes and equipment: Bike was good.

- Accommodation: OK.

- Food: Food in Sapa was excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Very good, having a guide was a definite plus.

- The price: Could be cheaper, but good overall. I would do the same again!

- How did you know about us? Word of mouth.

Full name: Paul Trimmer
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Jonathan Sugar (5 days Honda biking, ~900 km)

When can we go again?

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Exactly right! Pace is according to customers wishes and stop-overs well spread out.

- Bikes and equipment: Ngoc did a great job! Only 48 hours earlier I didn't want to go on a bike now I want to buy one!

- Accommodation: Superb nice variation, clean, friendly and very comfortable.

- Food: Was superb. Local food was very enjoyable and the Western meal in Sapa was very nice as well.

- Guide and organisation: Ngoc - what can I say. A very friendly guy, was great knowledge of the country and did a very good job!

- The price: A bargain!

- How did you know about us? Recommendation from our hostel.

Full name: Jonathan Sugar
Address: CANADA.

Mr Thomas Perry (4 days Minsk motorcycle touring, ~550 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Fantastic pace. It was enough to wear out a beginner/intermediate rider like me, but not enough where I felt uncomfortable.

- Bikes and equipment: I loved the Minsk! What it lacked in reliability it made up for tenfold in character. And Ngoc was available to fix all problems anyway!!

- Accommodation: Great, the homestays were brilliant. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. We all had a ball.

- Food: Loved it. We ate like kings the whole way. Ngoc explained everything clearly to us.

- Guide: Ngoc is a legend!! We love his stories, we loved his education, his willingness to be a non-stop translator. He always has a smile on his face. Ngoc is a brilliant, representative for the Vietnamese people.

- The price: Very reasonable, considered the effort and organisation required - would have paid more if Ngoc was the boss!! :)

- How did you know about us? Australian travel magazine "Get lost" (www.getlostmag.com)

- Other comments:

Please put we on the the waiting list for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Sorry about falling off Dan's moped, breaking the pedal on Ngoc's Minsk.

I will be recommending this to EVERYONE in Australia.

Full name: Thomas Perry
Address: 4/301 St Georges Road Fitzroy North VIC 3068, AUSTRALIA.

Mr James Till (4 days Honda motorcycle touring, ~550 km)

This trip is highly recommended to everyone. A great experience. Can't believe how much riding, culture, fun and beautiful scenery was crammed into 4 days.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very enjoyable. Did lots of riding without it being too much to handle. Many breaks for drinks etc. It all worked well.

- Bikes and equipment: Bike (Honda GL Pro 160cc) was very good. Ideal for the type of riding we were doing, was well maintained and checked regularly by our guide. This made for peace of mind + confidence.

- Accommodation: All excellent. Families were an absolute pleasure to stay with and did everything possible to make it a great experience.

- Food: Wonderful food throughout the tour. Plenty of choice + enough to ensure even the biggest appetites were satisfied.

- Guide: Ngoc was a fucking star! Everything was explained well + he went all the way to ensure we all enjoyed the trip. He was also very helpful + knowledgable when it came to culture/history/language.

- The price: Very happy with the price. Absolute bargain when you consider the amount of trip you get. Everything I expected + lots more.

Full name: James Till
Address: ENGLAND.

Ms Laura Hesse and Mr Daniel Holland (4 days moped touring, ~550 km)

One of the coolest things I've done. A good way to see a country.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: A very good tempo. I liked the focus on sightseeing as well as riding (dirt roads) etc.

- Bikes and equipment: Options of the bikes were good. The training was an excellent confidence builder and to know which bike was best.

- Accommodation: Homestay - Brilliant!! Hotel was fine also. Nothing to complain about.

- Food: Food was interesting. Nicely varied.

- Guide: The guides were very good in understanding our needs (photos, stops, etc). And very fun to learn more about culture.

- The price: Very reasonable, considered the effort and organisation required - would have paid more if Ngoc was the boss!! :)

Full name: Laura Hesse and Daniel Holland
Address: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

Mr James Ashton (4 days motorcycle touring, ~550 km)

The tour showed us things that we'd never have seen otherwise. We met people who had never seen a Westerner before! 2 people in our party got sick, and Offroad Vietnam went well out of their way to accommodate us: sending extra guides out to help those who were ill, and we are very grateful!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tour had a great mix of fantastic riding, whilst still allowing plenty of time to check out the local villages in which we stayed.

- Bikes and equipment: The bikes were great fun to ride and not so powerful that you missed out on all of the amazing scenery. By Australian standards, these bikes were nothing special, but by Vietnamese standards they were perfect!

- Accommodation: The home stays were an amazing way to learn about traditional Vietnamese lifestyles, and the hosts were very welcoming. The only benefit of the hotel is the hot shower, otherwise I'd much prefer the homestays every night!

- Food: The food was absolutely delicious. We ate things that I'd never choose off a menu, and they were all sensational. We ate like kings, and there was always food left over.

- Guide: Our guide, Ngoc, was absolutely sensational. His local and traditional knowledge was amazing, and he was good at reexplaining Vietnamese traditions and cultures. He told us things we'd never think to ask! He always went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable. Well beyond any expectation.

- The price: For 4 days accommodation, food and petrol, I thought the price was more than reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Magazine reviews.

Full name: James Ashton
Address: 431 George St, Fitzroy, Victoria, AUSTRALIA 3065.

Mr Stuart Kerrison and Ms Talia Tunstall (7 days Moped touring, ~1,100 km)

From the first communication through to the final day of the 7-day tour, we found all of the staff more than professional. We felt that we were in good hands all of the time and all of our needs met. It is a fantastic way to see a different Vietnam with guides full of knowledge and history of the country and people. You would be crazy to come to Vietnam and not experience this kind of adventure.

- Food: It was great to eat at local places and trying different dishes. It was good not to worry about trying to communicate to people about what we would like. This is a great opportunity to experience local cuisine.

- Accommodation: Home stays are the way to go. It was good to have a mix. A hotel is good to have a wash and get washing done. However perfectly more home stays is the way to go.

- Bikes and equipment: Worked very well. Very reliable. Seats very hard for long journeys. Helmets, jackets, gumboots all provided and good gear. Impressed with purchase of helmet for Talia and gumboots. Very thoughtful!

- Guide: Ngoc was extremely professional on all levels. Knowledgeable, funny, relaxed. He was very understanding of our needs and reads his clients very well. We were pleasantly surprised with the level of service with class.

- Office: Anh Wu was extremely professional. Answered all of my emails within 12 hours. That is extremely important when working trust with customer-client relations. Explained everything very well. We got exactly what we thought we were getting.

- Improvement: Not much at all. Keep it up. However, perhaps send out a final email explaining things to bring eg, silk sleeping line, money to bring�etc

Full name: Stuart Kerrison and Talia Tunstall
Address: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Lindsay John Merchant (5 days Middle Road Vietnam Minsking, ~1,000 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good.

- Transportation: Minsk is underpowered, get Honda XR 250's.

- Accommodation: Good.

- Food: Good.

- The organization - Guide services: Great guide.

- The price: Good.

- How did you hear about us? Website.

- Any other comments? Inform clients about weather and clothes, no heat in hotels, foggy in Sapa.

Full name: Lindsay John Merchant
Address: CANADA.