Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Travel, Motorcycle Excursion Comments

Here are comments and reviews from our customers about motorcycling North West Vietnam. Please click on the links to learn more.

We would be grateful if you can forward your comments to Lonely Planet Guide book at talk2us@lonelyplanet.com.au

Since December of 2007, we haven't ridden the old Northwest loop Vietnam due to the 32km construction at Pha Din Pass (after Son La, near Tuan Giao). The road is always in terrible conditions. We will ride this beautiful area again after the road is finished (possibly in late 2008). We modified the itineraries and turned before the pass, therefore most are the Middle Road.

Mr Jean Philippe Bruneau | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda road bike adventure

Mr Philipp Krohn | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda road bike adventure

Mr Laurence Thams | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda road bike adventure

Mr Richard Hulse | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Ms Lisa Normandeau | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Mr Rupert Walker | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Mr Matthew Alison | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Mr Scott Bryce | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Mr Rafi Tzur | ~1,100 km | 7 days Honda motorcycling

Ms Camilla Gruschka | ~1,500 km | 10 days Honda motorcycling

Mr Peter Schulz | ~1,500 km | 10 days Honda motorbiking

Mr Charles Drummond | ~1,500 km | 10 days Honda motorbiking

Mr Thomas Bushell | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda dirt biking

Mr Adam Collins | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda dirt bike touring

Mr Haouzi Houcine | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda motorcycle ride

Mr Ben Sheldon | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda motorcycle travel

Mr Stephen Wines | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda motorcycle trip

Mr Patrick Gallagher | ~1,500 km | 7 days Honda motorcycle excursion

Mr Alex Pirard Corominas | ~1,200 km | 6 days Honda motorcycle expedition

Ms Mireia Aguilar Vidal | ~1,200 km | 6 days Honda motorcycle touring

Mr Nic Montagu | ~1,500 km | 11 days Honda dirt biking

Mr Peter Sundberg | ~1,550 km | 8 days Minsking

Mr Holger Marggraf | ~1,100 km | 7 days Minsking

Mr Robert (Bob) McWhorter | ~1,100 km | 7 days Dirtbiking

Ms Angie Fielder and Mr Hamish Ginn | ~1,200 km | 8 days Minsk and Honda motorbike ride

Mr Carl Wendt | ~1,500 km | 9 days Minsk motorbike ride

Mr Jean Philippe Bruneau (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

Thanks again for the organisation and good luck for the future.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbike Honda 160cc was perfect for this trip. I was a beginner and I had a lot of good sensation.

- Accommodation: Good, specially the homestay last night (Saturday) with Mr Boi and his special "Tsor Tchau Kway" (you will know if you cone to Vietnam what is this word because you will use it a lot if you like rice wine)

- Food: Very local and very good.

- Guide and organisation: The trip was very well organized and I will advise it to my friends. Tchi (our guide) was very nice with us and he knows a lot about Vietnamese countryside and history. Moreover, he can fix an motorbike in 2 minutes. He is a very good person and it was a pleasure to meet him.

- The price: Very good because it was a wonderful trip.

- How did you know about us? My friend, Lorenzo.

Full name: Jean Philippe Bruneau
Address: SINGAPORE.

Mr Philipp Krohn (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo of the tour was perfect and the longer stop-over at Sapa was perfect to recover a bit.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbikes worked very well and did not have bigger problems.

- Accommodation: In general the accommodation were good. Specially the homestays were nice. Should be more.

- Food: It was very nice to have the possibility to try all kinds of different food from the different parts of Vietnam.

- Guide and organisation: The guide was excellent. Better impossible. Had a lot of knowledge and was a great person.

- The price: The price was reasonable for the trip.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Philipp Krohn
Address: SINGAPORE.

Mr Laurence Thams (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

Enjoyed the trip a lot. I recommend it to anybody that really wants to discover Vietnam.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbikes had enough power for all rides. They were really comfortable to ride.

- Accommodation: I enjoyed the homestays the most.

- Food: Typical Vietnamese food.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide, Chi, was really professional, knew a lot about Vietnam and a really nice person. he made the trip even better.

- The price: The tour is really worth what you pay.

- How did you know about us? Google.

Full name: Laurence Thams
Address: SINGAPORE.

Mr Richard Hulse (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

Giving books and pens to poor children and meeting people from different cultures was very rewarding. You built 30 toilets last year in homestays which is wonderful. What your doing is great, keep up the good work.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo of the tour was perfect to the overall standard of riders. We were free to stop when we wanted for a photo and Ngoc seemed to already know where the best shots were from.

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda motorcycle was comfortable, easy to ride and learn. It was the right bike for this tour considering the road conditions faced on the tour.

- Accommodation: I found the home-stays most enjoyable. The hotels were very comfortable, but the home stays gave you a little more culture which is what you want to see on a tour in Vietnam. Very friendly people at all stays.

- Food: The food was incredible, best I have ever eaten. I think I put on 5kg in a week. Absolutely no problems with the food.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide, Ngoc, was very knowledgable about the environment, people and culture we ventured. He always would go out of his way to help us, spoke very good English, and kept everyone laughing throughout the trip.

- The price: Considering the high quality food, accommodation, and guide services, the price was very reasonable. We didn't find ourselves spending much money on the tour as everything was covered in the price.

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

Full name: Richard Hulse
Address: PO Box 143, Moruya, AUSTRALIA 2537.

Ms Lisa Normandeau (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

Thank you so much for an amazing week, it has been one I will always remember.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The pace of the tour was just perfect. The stop-overs all came at the right times and they were very interesting stop-overs as well.

- Bikes and equipment: The bikes were very suited to the trip we made. Even with two people on the one bike it were great. Even the train back was better than expected.

- Accommodation: Really good accommodation. The home stay was definitely the best but all the hotels were very nice as well.

- Food: Amazing food, everywhere we ate produced great food and Ngoc even did a great job cooking us lunch at one stop.

- Guide and organisation: Ngoc was a great tour guide, he was very easy going but also knew so much about Vietnam and the places we were going.

- The price: Not too bad, at first I thought it was pretty expensive but after going on the tour it was pretty obvious we got our money's worth.

- How did you know about us? A travel agent in Australia randomly mention it.

Full name: Lisa Normandeau
Address: 172 Mildura Dr, Helensvale, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Rupert Walker (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

Great trip! Ngoc was fantastic!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good to have regular breaks to take photos and rest.

- Bikes and equipment: Perfect motorbikes for the trip (GL 160cc). Train was OK.

- Accommodation: Excellent - more homestays would be good.

- Food: Excellent - good local knowledge of cuisine.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent - Timely response to any emails. Thorough service from guide.

- The price: Cheap for the knowledge that you can get from the guide.

- How did you know about us? Travel agent.

Full name: Rupert Walker
Address: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA.

Read Rupert's email to Lonely Planet.

Mr Matthew Alison (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

A generally fun week. It was great to see things most people don't. It was also great to see the effort that Ngoc put in to giving back and helping out the communities.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Great. Fast enough to not be frustrating but slow enough to take in the sights.

- Bikes and equipment: Sorry about the crashes.

- Accommodation: Better than what I've been sleeping in most of the year.

- Food: Big meals, great food.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent. Knowledgable and quick to respond to any questions.

- The price: Expensive for the young traveller but worth it.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Matthew Alison
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Scott Bryce (7 days Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good, plenty of rest breaks and a good tempo.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle (Honda 160cc) was perfect for the roads taken, was comfortable and fun.

- Accommodation: Good accommodation especially the homestay, it's awesome staying with local people.

- Food: Amazing, really really good food and always plenty to go around.

- Guide and organisation: Very good, every time anyone had a question, Ngoc knew the answer and was able to tell us even more, communication with local people was also only able through Ngoc which was awesome.

- The price: Expensive for a young traveller but definitely worth it.

- How did you know about us? Searched on Google.

Full name: Scott Bryce
Address: 107A Main Road Cambewarra, N.S.W, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Rafi Tzur (7 days Vietnam Honda bike ride, ~1,100 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Was OK(4/5)

- Bikes and equipment: Good (4/5)

- Accommodation: Good (4/5)

- Food: Great (5/5)

- Guide and organisation: Best (5/5)

- The price: Good (4/5)

- How did you know about us? Web

Click to see Rafi's Vietnam travel photo album.

Full name: Rafi Tzur
Address: 78 Kennedy Rd 2702 HONG KONG.

Ms Camilla Gruschka (10 days Honda bike ride, ~1,500 km)

We can recommend your company. Maybe you should have different prices for different standards. Point out at your homepage that you support families + help to develop.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good for me!

- Bikes and equipment: Excellent :).

- Accommodation: Thai homestay :) :) :). Standard hotels :) :). Sapa :) :) :).

- Food: Most of the time very good, especially at HOMESTAY :). Not so much at some restaurants.

- Guide and organisation: Perfect.

- The price: Moderate. You should charge for equipment like pants and motorcycle gear.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

See customer's photo album here
Read customer's recommendation letter to Lonely Planet here

Full name: Camilla Gruschka
Address: Katharina Sulzer Platz 2, Winterthur, SWITZERLAND.

Mr Peter Schulz (10 days Honda bike ride, ~1,500 km)

Ngoc was the perfect guide and we loved the Thai homestays. Great organization. The bike could have better suspension for the heavy weight.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Fine.

- Accommodation: Thai homestay :) :) :). Hotels :). Sapa :) :) :). Other homestay (Song Thao) :).

- Food: Mostly very good, especially at the homestays. Some lunch restaurants could be improved.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent.

- The price: Moderate.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

See customer's photo album here
Read customer's recommendation letter to Lonely Planet here

Full name: Peter Schulz
Address: Winterthur, SWITZERLAND.

Mr Charles Drummond (10 days Honda bike ride, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good mix of time on bike and time for other activities.

- Bikes and equipment: No problems - nice bike, OK power but could have better suspension. A hybrid road + dirt bike would be ideal.

- Accommodation: As good as could be expected. First two homestays were very good. The last one (in Song Thao) needs more work.

- Food: Mostly good.

- Guide and organisation: Good. I will send you a full critique and suggestions when I return home.

- The price: Very good value.

- How did you know about us? Found on Internet.

Full name: Charles Drummond
Address: 157 Costelus Place, Walla Walla, WA, U.S.A.

Mr Thomas Bushell (7 days Honda dirt bike ride, ~1,500 km)

Great tour. Scenery was best I have seen in Vietnam.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo was adjusted en-route according to ability of riders, was an advantage having two guides. Tour was very flexible.

- Bikes and equipment: Honda dirt bike XL 125. Great fun on the off-road sections (which accounted for 30% of trip) but under-powered for road sections - particularly on the steep climbs.

- Accommodation: Homestays were excellent fun - particularly Boi's house with the rice wine and swimming in lake. Hotels were generally ok except the one in Tuan Giao which was very poor.

- Food: Lots of it. Food in homestays was very nice but perhaps more variety could have been offered - i.e. the dishes were almost always the same.

- Guide and organisation: Guides (Ngoc and Minh) were absolutely first class. We incurred a lot of problem with the bikes en-route and the way they dealt with them was fantastic. Excellent level of English and good knowledge of history.

- The price: No complaints.

- How did you know about us? Net.

Full name: Thomas Bushell
Address: SINGAPORE.

Mr Adam Collins (7 days Honda motorcycle travel, ~1,500 km)

Well done on an organised + customer oriented business. main comments (bikes). Understandable that large bikes are relatively more expensive to buy + maintain, for large Westerners, bikes need to be bigger + more suitable experienced riders. This should be a priority for expansion of the business.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo. Options tailored to group abilities. Group were able to stay together despite different abilities + tempos. Stop-over times flexible and guides were happy to go with the group decisions

- Bikes and equipment: Larger bikes required 250cc dirt bikes? 125cc dirt bikes were adequate however not enough available for the tour. Although less reliable, more suitable for the off-road terrain.

- Accommodation: Home stays very good. Hotels ok. 1 perhaps not up to Western standard in Tuan Giao. Group would have been happy to stay in good quality homestays for most of the tour.

- Food: Good. More variety and Vietnamese style food. Americans may be fussy about the food. British generally quite happy to eat local food.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent. No problem went unsolved.

- The price: For the service - just right.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: Adam Collins
Address: 06300 Nice, FRANCE.

Mr Haouzi Houcine (7 days Honda motorcycle travel, ~1,500 km)

This tour gives a nice view of the North Vietnam. Very nice "paysage".

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo of the tour was good and regular stop-over were organised for food or for nice view.

- Bikes and equipment: The moped was good for me.

- Accommodation: The accommodations were ok. Mixed between home stay and hotels.

- Food: The food was very good (Vietnamese type). Only the breakfast sometimes was not very good.

- Guide and organisation: The guides (Ngoc and Minh) service was very good, very dedicated, giving good explanations of the different locations. Personally, I had almost a personal guide (Minh).

- The price: The price is good value for this tours.

- How did you know about us? By our organiser of the tour.

Full name: Haouzi Houcine
Address: 33 Rue de Paris, 06000 Nice, FRANCE.

Mr Ben Sheldon (7 days Honda motorcycle travel, ~1,500 km)

I understand that there is not a great variety of bikes in Vietnam. But a better bike selection (all-round or bigger). Better crash helmets/waterproofs.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good. Guides understood everyone's abilities and paced the tour accordingly.

- Bikes and equipment: Bikes were fairly reliable when there was a problem the guides dealt with it very well.

- Accommodation: Tuan Giao accommodation was unacceptable but the rest was excellent.

- Food: Great! Home stay and hotel food was authentic and enjoyable.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent. Well informed and helpful guides (Ngoc and Minh)

- The price: Very fair. The cheapest 7 day holiday I've ever had!

- How did you know about us? Tom (Google)

Full name: Ben Sheldon
Address: 9 Highacres, ENGLAND.

Mr Stephen Wines (7 days Honda motorcycle trip, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo of the tour was good and each day was tailored to the different abilities of the group members.

- Bikes and equipment: Good.

- Accommodation: Home stays were good and families welcoming (especially hotels were ok for the tourists, the guest house in Tuan Giao was not up to standard.

- Food: There was always plenty of food but more local cuisine would have been appreciated.

- Guide and organisation: Both guides (Ngoc and Minh) had good local knowledges and were able to resolve the problems that occurred with the bikes.

- The price: The tour was good value for money.

- How did you know about us? From the organiser of our tour, he found it on the Internet.

- Other comments If a proper crash helmet was supplied then the accident that resulted in 5 stitches to the chin would have not injured the rider.

Full name: Stephen Wines
Address: 12 Rue Emmanuel Phiubert, Nice, FRANCE.

Mr Patrick Gallagher (7 days Honda motorcycle excursion, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good tempo, Flexible itineraries based on abilities.weather etc.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycles should be more suited to the off-road conditions hybrid road/trail bikes of a larger cc would be more suitable and larger for the Western customers. Better protective equipment is required. Helmets should be of proper sizes.

- Accommodation: Accommodation was of good standard with exception of one night in Tuan Giao.

- Food: Food was excellent. Would prefer more authentic Vietnamese and less tailored to Western tastes.

- Guide and organisation: Guides (Ngoc and Minh) were first class, able to tailor the tour to the group requirements and also provide information on all the locations and routes and minority groups. In addition, the guides were friendly and able to deal with any situations than arose.

- The price: Price was reasonable for the quality of the tour.

- How did you know about us? Organized by Tom.

Full name: Patrick Gallagher
Address: Gortahork, Letterkenny. Co. Donegal, IRELAND.

Mr Alex Pirard Corominas (6 days Honda motorcycle expedition, ~1,200 km)

The ride was perfect. If your kayak trips were less expensive, absolutely we would do the Halong Bay kayaking trip with you guys.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tour was very interesting. It's a bit hard, but we liked like this!! The stop-overs were necessary. If we have had more time, we would do it in 7 days. More time for taking pictures.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorcycles are not the "ultimate driving machines", but they were OK for the tour. They didn't cause us any problems and are better than all others we have seen or met during the tour, especially Honda mopeds and Minsks.

- Accommodation: The accommodations were good in every case, specially interesting the "guest houses" because we could see how local people live in Vietnam. We recommended specially the home stays in Trung Do and Vu Linh because the hosts are very friendly.

- Food: The food was good, but now we need a pizza!! Specially good the last night in Vu Linh and the first lunch on the road from Hanoi to Mai Chau.

- Guide and organisation: We recommended totally the guide (Ngoc) because he knows very well his job. He knows a lot of roads, he know how to feel good with the clients and is really open-minded. He accepts proposals and suggests also a lot of idea. He makes also a very good friend.

- The price: The price is a bit expensive because we know people have payed less for more days. We know also our motorbikes were better than other companies.

- How did you know about us? Internet, very clear and exiting site.

Full name: Alex Pirard Corominas
Address: Barcelona, SPAIN.

Ms Mireia Aguilar Vidal (6 days Honda motorcycle expedition, ~1,200 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The time of stop-over I think is OK because the guide don't make a specific time. He decided with us in all moments.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorcycle is perfect for us. We went two people on motorcycle but it's OK.

- Accommodation: The stilt-houses are perfect for me. The families were too much hospitable with us and I fell to life of the Vietnamese people.

- Food: We ate at different places and we test different food.

- Guide and organisation: The guide (Ngoc) was perfect for us. We were looking for an adventure and he was perfect. He adapted for us in all moments.

- How did you know about us? It's a good company of tours.

Full name: Mireia Aguilar Vidal
Address: Barcelona, SPAIN.

Mr Nic Montagu (11 days Honda dirt bike touring, ~1,500 km)

Thank you for a great time!!!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Perfect. Having the ability to ride a little extra or shorter was very comfortable. The guide (Ngoc) was very flexible and concise in showing the attractions of each stop over.

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda XL was very reliable and when any problems the guide was easily able to solve with minimum time.

- Accommodation: All accommodation was clean, comfortable and in particular the homestay was the best!

- Food: I tried more variations of pork than I could list here! All the food was excellent and the guide could provide a wide range to choose from.

- Guide and organisation: From first contact, I found the organisation of the company extremely prompt and helpful in accommodating my needs. Right through the trip all my requests etc were attended too.

- The price: Very good value for money.

- How did you know about us? Internet search.

Full name: Nic Montagu
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Peter Sundberg (8 days Minsk touring, ~1,550 km)

A great adventure provided by a well run, little company. Honest + keen staff.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo was fine - inexperienced riders would find most days a bit long riding in the conditions.

- Bikes and equipment: Minsk - maintenance needs to be done to a proper schedule + bikes need to be presented well at start of journey.

- Accommodation: OK. Toilet + shower facilities for Westerners need to be spotless with dry floors + clean hand-towels.

- Food: Fine, but only take clients to really clean restaurants (incl. kitchens + toilets)

- Guide: Thanh was excellent - no complaints.

- The price: Fine.

- How did you know about us? Via email - Internet.

Full name: Peter Sundberg
Address: Auckland, NEW ZEALAND.

Mr Holger Marggraf (7 days Minsking, ~1,100 km)

English version

This motorbike trip was perfect. There's no better way to visit Northern Viet Nam than by motorbike. Especially since the Russian Minsks are not of the category of the hell racers they are quite good for sightseeing. Our tour guide Ngoc was a very diligent, reasonable and friendly guy. He told us so many interesting things about Viet Nam, its history, people and traditions, simply great. Much more than you will read in a guidebook. Our favorite story was the one about the tribe where women get kidnapped for marriage. When Bob postponed his return flight I wasn't quite sure about the real reason ;-). Accommodation was ok, food was excellent, equipment perfect. So don't think too long about the way you're going to travel in Viet Nam. With these guys you will have a lot of fun and you will see and learn a lot about this fascinating country. It's always worth the money.

German version

Der Motorradtrip war klasse. Ich denke, es gibt keine bessere Art, Vietnam kennenzulernen. Die russischen Minsks sind zwar keine H�llenmaschinen, eher Mopeds, aber gut genug f�r Sightseeing. Unser Tourf�hrer Ngoc war super fleissig, vern�nftig und sehr freundlich. Von ihm haben wir viele Dinge �ber Vietnam erfahren, die Geschichte, die V�lker und ihre Gewohnheiten. Viel mehr, als Ihr in einem Reisef�hrer lesen werdet. Am besten hat uns die Geschichte �ber das Volk gefallen, wo Frauen f�r die Heirat gekidnapped werden. Als Bob seinen R�ckflug um ein paar Tage verschoben hatte waren wir uns nicht ganz im klaren �ber die wahren Gr�nde ;-). Die �bernachtungen waren ok, das Essen klasse, die Ausr�stung hervorragend. Also, denkt nicht zu lange �ber die Art nach, wie Ihr Vietnam berreist. Mit diesen Kollegen werdet Ihr viel Spass haben und viel �ber Land und Leute dieses faszinierenden Landes erfahren. Das Geld ist es mehr als Wert.

Full name: Holger Marggraf
Address: GERMANY.

Mr Robert (Bob) McWhorter (7 days Dirt biking, ~1,100 km)

An excellent adventure, a great variety of mountain roads, passes, driving in the clouds, roads from trails, rain, mud, water buffalo, dogs, chickens and many local people to smile and wave to. Sometimes the roads were closed temporarily, we had light drizzle but it was ok. The trails were excellent, and they were a challenge but well worth the effort. We had 2 Minsks and 1 Honda, each had its own features and I traded off on the Honda and Minsk. Holger and myself discussed another tour next year.

Ngoc, Holger and I departed Hanoi for our great adventure on Friday April 6^th, for 7 days up through the mountains and up to Sapa and Lao Cai. From there we would return on the night train with bikes on the train also.

We encountered many local people, walking along the roads, ready to smile and say "Hello" to us, and wave. Each day was different, we started out heading west, from Hanoi, the first day was mountain passes, and we eventually could see the town down below where we would stay "Mai Chau". This was a village where we did a home stay, got to mingle with the local family and rest for the evening.

Each day was another adventure, we had to negotiate mud fields, rain, closed roads, water buffalo, and many creatures along the way. We saw many different tribes of people and their dress and colorful daily wear. We stopped to talk and negotiate with local people, talk to the children and exchange a few words.

We worked our way North on the 2nd day up to Phu Yen, then Northwest to Tuan Giao on the third day. Each day offered new sights, differing cultures and sights to see. We worked up the beautiful mountain passes on the 3^rd and 4^th days, we were at 6,000 feet and were even with the clouds and drove thru them for a while.

Sapa is a tourists' delight, we ate at a cozy restaurant and had a great meal. Holger and I later found a local pub, and we let our guide have a break from us. At the pub, we entertained our hosts, and probably bored them with our requests for AC/DC, Steppenwolf, and Hotel California.

We spend some time in Lao Cai watching the Chinese people looking back at us from across the river border, it was an excellent stop and our tour guide, Ngoc, knows his Vietnam history and the cultures more than I would have ever gotten out of a tour book.

The last night we did another homestay and found ourselves, after parking our bikes, in the middle of a field, watching all of the local children playing in a huge field, water buffalo grazing nearby. Slowly several children at a time would come up to us, speak a few words and say "Hello". They would try to speak to us and us to them. Slowly a few children were playing jump rope, another group was playing a game of picking up rocks and others were just looking at us.

Eventually it started to get dark, we could now see all the children had come over to see up, there must have been 15 or 20 of them, playing at our feet, showing us a toy or a rock or a game such as some form of card game they had learned.

The next day we drove slowly thru the river bed crisscrossing it several times and testing our skills of driving thru water. From there we went back to Lao Cai and spent the afternoon taking it easy and waiting for the night train to take us and the bikes back to Hanoi on the night train.

Read Bob's full comments.
Read Bob's recommendation email.

Full name: Bob McWhorter
Address: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.

Ms Angie Fielder and Mr Hamish Ginn (Australia)

Ms Angie Fielder and Mr Hamish Ginn (8 days motorbiking, ~1,200 km)

The highlight of our visit to Vietnam by far. We will be recommending this to all our friends. We wish you the best of luck with the new business!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Perfect. We created a lot of ground in 8 days, which was great because we got to see so much. Being in a different place each night/day at a good place that we could handle made for a very interesting trip. By doing homestays + exploring the villages we learnt a lot about the people + places of North West Vietnam.

- Transportation: Motorcycle - 2 Minsks + 1 Honda. Motorbiking is an exhilarating + liberating way to see Vietnam. Some offroad biking was challenging, but our motorbike skills improved immensely. The Minsks were very cool but not much power and sometimes tricky gear changes. The Honda rode well with some modifications, suspension etc.

- Accommodation: Homestays were absolutely brilliant. Comfortable, warm + great people. We could almost have done 8 days of homestays, but then again the hotel was a bit of comfort to break up the week. The more homestays the better!

- Food: No bad comments about the food - Ngoc fed us well - perhaps too well!! Good variety of Vietnamese cuisine + a chance to try local dishes + home food was appreciated.

- The organization - Guide services: Ngoc was absolutely brilliant!! Very smart + full of stories + information. And happy all the time. Also very hardworking + he took great care of us. We always felt that we were in safe hands.

- The price: Money well spent!! Worth every penny.

Full name: Angie Fielder and Hamish Ginn
Address: PO Box 863, Surry Hills NSW 2010. AUSTRALIA.

Read Angie's recommendation email.

Mr Carl Wendt (9 days Northwest Vietnam Minsking, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good, each day busy.

- Transportation: Minsk was good.

- Accommodation: Fine.

- Food: Fine, maybe some more variety.

- The organization - Guide services: Guide very knowledgable & helpful.

- The price: Fine.

- How did you hear about us? Google search.

Full name: Carl Wendt
Address: AUSTRALIA.