Northwest Vietnam Motorbike Travel, Motorcycle Excursion Comments

The Haines (9 days on Honda GL 125-160 adventure, ~1,500 km)

----- Original Message -----
From: Randall Haines
To: Offroad Vietnam - Sales
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 9:32 AM
Subject: Customer Comments

Hello Anh Wu

Just sending our ride comments.

All is back to normal over here, winter is setting in and plenty of work coming in.

Regards

Randall

Ride Report.

This is our second trip with Offroad Vietnam which shows how happy we are with riding with this company. Our first ride was just my wife and I on the Big North Tour, this time our son joined us to complete the Northwest ride to Sapa and back. This was a family ride.

Once again we used the 160 Hondas, and once again these little bikes carried us all the way without any major problems.

We ask for Quynh to be our guide again because he was so much fun last time. Good news!! Quynh is now married and it was a pleasure seeing his wedding photos. Congratulations!!

Our trip was wonderful, the usual great food and verity of accommodation. Anh Wu had everything organized for us, the Hanoi traffic didn't freak us out this time, weather was mostly dry but misty in the mountains, all in all lots of fun.

So, the big question is: When is the 3rd ride ? Where will we go?

Cheers

Randall, Liz and Rob.

Full name: Randall Haines
Address: NEW ZEALAND.

Mr Mitch Andrew (10 days on Honda XR250 adventure, ~1,500 km)

Fantastic trip, everyone is very welcoming and the beer is cheap.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good, riding 150 - 200 km a day, we saw so much of North West Vietnam whilst frequently stopping for photos and drinks, still arriving at our Hotel or Home stay mid afternoon for a refreshing beer.

- Bikes and equipment: Very glad we took the XR 250 bikes as it enabled us to take routes other bikes couldn't. Had the expected break down like a flat tyre but were back on the road within 10 minutes.

- Accommodation: Mix of home stays and Hotels was good. We weren't fussy when it came to sleeping but if you like your comforts, you'd probably find some of the mattresses hard. Mr Boi from our last home stay was our favorite host, making sure we had plenty of rice wine and taking us out on his boat for the afternoon.

- Food: The best Asian food I've had, always plenty of food for us "buffet" style on the table and very rarely any left as it was so good. If there's anything you like or dislike, simply tell the guide.

- Guide and organisation: Anh is very professional always answering my emails within an hour of sending them. Dragon (Long) was our guide and we couldn't have asked for better. He was just like one of the mates from the first day. Everyone spoke very good English which makes it easy.

- The price: I found it very reasonable when you consider the amount of inclusions. ie. food, accommodation, petrol.

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: Mitch Andrew
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Ms Julia Kearton (8 days on Honda GL160 adventure, ~1,200 km)

Anh, Minh & Long - you run a fantastic company. Many many thanks!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Great pace - stops well timed, especially during difficult road + weather conditions. Choice of stops for views + drinks were well chosen.

- Bikes and equipment: GL160 performed perfectly. Started 1^st go every day + just continued that way all day. Plenty of power for smallish female rider.

- Accommodation: Last two homestays Mt Tam + Mr Boi - fantastic. Homestay on first night in Mai Chau is very touristy but probably a good 1^st homestay experience. As usual, Mr Boi + Tham's hospitality was above + beyond!! Hotels at Son La + Lai Chau were very good + Sapa excellent (especially as the sun shone finally!). Hotel at Muong Lay was an experience - shared the room with termites feasting all night but understandable given the town's about to be flooded, that nothing is being done about this!

- Food: Food was excellent throughout. Mildly disappointed we didn't get any "pho" but can't complain given all the fantastic alternatives we had.

- Guide and organisation: Entire trip extremely well organised. Long was excellent once again. He clearly carried far more than 1/2 responsibility + remained helpful + cheerful throughout. He was especially supportive of the members of our group who needed special attention. Long's English + knowledge of Vietnam make him a fantastic leader + cultural ambassador. His great sense of fun just tops it all off!

- The price: Tour is great value for money.

- How did you know about us? Back for 2^nd time - initially from website.

Full name: Julia Kearton
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mrs Rae Kingsbury (8 days pillion on Honda XR250 adventure, ~1,200 km)

Wonderful intimate way to see the life and country of the people of Vietnam. Both Long and Hung are helpful and careful. Need help getting on and off the 250cc!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Warm, friendly, supportive, timing excellent, not rushed. Good itinerary.

- Bikes and equipment: Good Baja XR250 was excellent.

- Accommodation: Need choice of standard/luxury. Homestays need better mattress.

- Food: Excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Good work.

- The price: If standard of home stay improves, people will pay more.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Rae Kingsbury
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Damien Kingsbury (8 days Honda XR250 adventure, ~1,200 km)

Hope to do it again, will recommend to friends.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Good Baja XR250 could do with new tyres.

- Accommodation: Good mix - better mattresses + pillows in homestays needed.

- Food: Excellent (no dogs!).

- Guide and organisation: Perfect (3rd guide got lost a lot).

- The price: Okay.

- How did you know about us? Friend.

Full name: Damien Kingsbury
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Andy Strapz (8 days Honda GL160 adventure, ~1,200 km)

A fantastic experience. Thank you Long Mate! A shame about the weather.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Could have been more photo stops. 2 nights in one town like Sapa would be great but we didn't have the time.

- Bikes and equipment: Lots of small problems with old motorcycles but they got us home. Hung not really capable as a mechanic. Long helped with the majority of the work load.

- Accommodation: Very good apart from bad beds in hotels. Enjoyed home stays.

- Food: Great! Last day morning tea stop pretty bad.

- Guide and organisation: Fantastic. Always alert + ready to help with anything. A little fast through towns. Hung: attention seeking and not always thinking, not able to fix bikes.

- The price: Very good.

- How did you know about us? Grant Roff.

Full name: Andy Strapz
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Ms Janette Wilson (8 days Honda GL160 adventure, ~1,200 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The pace of the tour was just right. Days & stops not too long or short.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle was good, only problem was cold starts, but really not a problem at all. The vehicles do need a bit of maintenance though in general.

- Accommodation: Was well appointed & clean. People were very friendly & welcoming. A good experience overall. The hotel in Muong Lay was pleasant atmosphere but was being eaten by termites which was a little disturbing.

- Food: The food was almost excellent, especially within the homestays. A couple of places had basic fare which was still nice even though the variety was absent, but at most places excellent choices of food + very pleasant.

- Guide and organisation: Long and Hung provided excellent service especially where breakdowns were concerned. Their attention to each person was wonderful, polite + friendly. Very welcoming & considerate, also very helpful.

- The price: I found the price to be fairly reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Grant Roff & Julia Kearton recommendation.

Full name: Janette Wilson
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Stuart Roff (8 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,200 km)

Long is worth his weight in gold.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very well timed - a good days ride without pushing it too far.

- Bikes and equipment: XL125 very reliable (4 flat tyres!) but motor was good.

- Accommodation: Very good. Hotels were clean and comfortable, home stays were charming. I would give Muong Lay a miss (very dusty).

- Food: Very tasty and plenty of it.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide was excellent!! (Long) informative, friendly and knows his bikes AND the roads!

- The price: Very reasonable - about 100$US per day for bike, accommodation, food, mechanical repairs and guidance. This is good value.

- How did you know about us? Grant Roff (used company before).

Full name: Stuart Roff
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Ms Margaret Stewart (8 days Honda GL160 adventure, ~1,200 km)

8 days in Northwest Vietnam: best riding holiday in my 34 years on motorcycles. Loved the variety of roads + the challenge of new kind of riding, including Hanoi.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good ie:
+ Some long + a couple of short days.
+ Morning & afternoon tea stops. + lunches - not hurried. + No riding in the dark.

- Bikes and equipment: 160cc luxury sport. No faults, good height for 5'4" female rider. Good suspension, tyres, gearbox etc. Very easy to ride. Only required adjustment to back brake on day 7.

- Accommodation:
+ Home stays - all 3 very good (formal -> less formal in style).
+ Sunshine hotel ok, better to be closer to town for a more interesting walk in the evening. Too much like a Chinese hotel lobby - not comfortable. Rooms ok.
+ Palace (where dam is being built). Interesting: liked it but bit run down - lights not working etc. Keep overall - GREAT. + Sapa - very good accommodation.

- Food: Fine. I will eat anything except chicken feet, very happy.

- Guide and organisation: Smooth. Strong + effective leadership. Hung showed good concern for the riders at the back. Cheerful, always. Very excellent tour leader (Long).

- The price: Fine. Happy to pay more.

- How did you know about us? Julia and Grant Roff.

Full name: Margaret Stewart
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Gary Stone (10 days Honda GL160 adventure, ~1,500 km)

I look forward to keeping in touch with the Americans I travelled with, Thanks for your company Quinn, Great tour Anh Wu, all the best to you both.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Right from the start we found that our common interest in bikes, riding, travel was a great talking point, we enjoyed each others company through the tour. I had time to myself either early morning or late evening which was relaxing, the late starts were great times of conversation, breaks along the way were well timed, the breakdowns and worry gave a real adventure element to the trip and while it created difficulty for some at times it fortunately didn't sour the atmosphere of the group.

- Bikes and equipment: Bikes, their reliability was poor, I'd pay more to be on a better bike.

- Accommodation: The accommodation was fine, it was great having a variety of accommodation, the homestays always had a great local atmosphere and the hotels always had an unusual flare to them, I don't understand why they have such hard beds but when I got home I had trouble sleeping on a soft bed!

- Food: It was difficult to adjust to the food, like rice for breakfast. But I really felt like our meal choices were the same as locals at times and that was great. sometimes we were spoilt with great local restaurant meals,and that was a great experience too, Quinn our guide is a great cook and he was amazing to watch. there was always a great atmosphere those times when we sat around and ate as he cooked. I could see that locals did not have the meal choices as us back home.

- Guide and organisation: The website was true to the business except regards the quality of the bikes, I'm impressed of how the business operates amongst the bustle and totally different world of Vietnam.

As an Australian who had never travelled overseas before I could have benefited from more assistance with how to pay for the deposit and final payment - it ended up cumbersome and I lost money in exchanges.

Quinn was great!! I appreciate him taking us into homes of his family, he has a great sense of humour, he always had much to tell us about history or customs, he worked well with the choices of the group.

- The price: Ok for the standard of bikes, willing to spend more if the bikes were better.

- How did you know about us? I was searching the web for bike tours in Aust and found I could fly to Viet and tour for a week cheaper than a North Qld tour at home!! Or I could say I watched TopGear and was sold on a Viet tour.

Full name: Gary Stone
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Ms Radha Agrawal (10 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,500 km)

We LOVE Quynh! BEST motorcycle trip we've ever had. Fun, NEVER boring, scary at times, beyond picturesque, great routes. Couldn't ask for more.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Awesome. Quynh was the BEST.

- Bikes and equipment: Very good.

- Accommodation: Very good.

- Food: Excellent (a little repetitive, but delicous).

- Guide and organisation: Excellent :)

- The price: Pretty good.

- How did you know about us? Google.

Full name: Radha Agrawal
Address: U.S.A.

Mrs Luanna & Mr Mark Stickelmaier(U.S.A.)

Mrs Luanna & Mr Mark Stickelmaier (10 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Mostly good. Would have liked to ride a little more the last few days.

- Bikes and equipment: Could use better maitenance or replacement. Problems with four out of five motorcycles - carburattor, sprocket, engine and gearbox.

- Accommodation: All were very good.

- Food: Was good - Sometimes there was a little too much. We felt bad to waste the extra food.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh was great, kept everything moving well and did not get upset with the group or the mechanical issues.

- The price: The price was fair. Would have been willing to pay a little more for better motorcycles.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Luanna & Mark Stickelmaier
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Glen Cochrane (10 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good daily distance and the offroad component was modified at our request.

- Bikes and equipment: These bikes were definately the best size and power for the job at hand. I feel a little more thorough pretrip maintenance (serviceable clutch, clean air filter, fresh spark plugs, speedo and tacho) would have made life a lot easier for our guide and us. Having said that the bikes did not let us down to the extent that we lost any time.

- Accommodation: Good mix of hotels and friendly home stays. I loved the homestays and mixing with the owners was brilliant.

- Food: Quynh did an excellent job ordering food and his input was much appreciated. Has he touched any Rice Wine since we left?

- Guide and organisation: Quynh, well what can I say? Quynh made the trip one that I will remember for a lifetime. Nothing was too hard for this man and his attitude was nice and relaxed. 3 cheers for Quynh!!! Anh, your communication before, during and after the trip was excellent. I much appreciate your assistance in communicating to me the urgent message from my family during my tour.

- The price: I was more than happy with the price, money well spent. Hope to see you all again someday. I will certainly be recommending you to family and friends.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Glen Cochrane
Address: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Kenneth Easterbrook (10 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,500 km)

My suggestion would be to make your website more general in nature, instead of being so specific. We met other individual travellers who hired bikes independently and were using your website to plan their trips.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo was great. We had plenty of time to do and see everything. The rest day at Sapa was timed perfectly.

- Bikes and equipment: The XL125's were a perfect size for the job, considering the roads we travelled on. More preventable maintenance before the trip would be better.

- Accommodation: The mix of hotels and home stays made for a great trip. All of the host families were very friendly and hospitable.

- Food: I enjoyed the food immensely. Quynh chose a great mix of local foods at every stop.

- Guide and organisation: Our guide, Quynh, was the best part of the trip. He looked after us very well and was thoroughly professional in his job.

- The price: Good value.

- How did you know about us? Internet & word of mouth.

Full name: Kenneth Easterbrook
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Mark Caldecott (10 days Honda XL125 adventure, ~1,500 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Good. Distance for each day were good, but having a rest day in the middle was needed. Other activities (school visit, lake cruise, hike etc) were enjoyable to break up the day.

- Bikes and equipment: Bikes need more maintenance before each trip to ensure no problems. Tyres need rim locks to stop valve stems pulling out from tubes.

- Accommodation: Good mix of hotels and friendly home stays.

- Food: Excellent. Good quality.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh, our guide, was excellent. Good attitude and very friendly & helpful.

- The price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Through friends & Internet.

Full name: Mark Caldecott
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mrs Laura Crothers (10 days Honda GL 1600 adventure, ~1,500 km)

Loved every minute of the tour.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very Good, lots of stops, chances to take photos and take on water.

- Bikes and equipment: Good, I had no problems with my bike at all. Anything bigger than the GL160 would be a waste on the Vietnamese roads.

- Accommodation: Some places better than others, but overall of a good standard. The home stays were the best.

- Food: Excellent and far too much everyday !!!

- Guide and organisation: Quynh is an excellent guide and good fun with it. Anh Wu was a great help organising and always quick to reply to my many questions. I would recommend these guys to anyone.

- The price: Well worth the extra few pennies for a good tour, with better bikes that�s well organised.

- How did you know about us? Internet & Facebook.

Full name: Laura Crothers
Address: Carrickfergus, NORTHERN IRELAND.

Mr Paul Richards (7 days Honda GL 1600 adventure, ~1,300 km)

Be careful of rice wine! Oh and buffalo!

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Brilliant. We had experienced riders and Long set a fast pace for the trip which made the roads challenging but very fun. Plenty of time for photos.

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda 160cc were fantastic fun, very light and strong with enough power for Vietnamese roads. Only 1 small problem with a chain which was fixed quickly.

- Accommodation: All the accommodation was great but especially the hotel in Sapa and the last home stay (Vu Linh).

- Food: The food was a big surprise, extremely tasty and plenty of local food and big portions. Also a special restaurant in Sapa that was brilliant.

- Guide and organisation: Long was great as a guide, translator and mechanic. Very knowledgeable and a great drinking partner.

- The price: The price is high compared to some tours but you get good value for money.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: Paul Richards
Address: Cornwall, ENGLAND.

Mr Tyler Waller (7 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

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

- Bikes and equipment: The bike (GL 160) went well. We may have been too heavy being 2-up. There were no major problems other than the broken chain, which was easy to repair.

- Accommodation: The stays were very nice. I enjoyed the home stay very much. the hotels were nice too.

- Food: The meals were all good. I never was hungry.

- Guide and organisation: Long did a wonderful job. He allowed us to ride at a good pace. he showed us very nice roads and accommodated to our every need.

It was very easy to stay in touch while organising the trip.

- Price: Although the price seemed high when we were researching the trip, I feel it was worth it.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Tyler Waller
Address: Quebec, CANADA.

Ms Amanda Raithby (7 days Honda GL 160cc pillion ride, ~1,300 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tour went at a very good pace. the guide stopped at the right times and let us go at the pace we wanted. It was great.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbikes (GL 160) were good.

- Accommodation: Homestays were great! Loved the last homestay (Vu Linh), a really great and hospitable family.

- Food: Great food. There was always a change in what we ate and it didn't get repetitive.

- Guide and organisation: Guide Long was great! He was funny and knew A LOT about everything. If I had questions he could answer me and when our chain broke he knew how to fix it temporarily. A truly great guide I would recommend him for the tour. Wouldn't have been the same without him.

Anh Wu was great as well, very accommodating! Great place!

- Price: Worth every penny.

- How did you know about us? Internet search.

Full name: Amanda Raithby
Address: Quebec, CANADA.

Mr David Caldwell & Mrs Sarah Caldwell (England)

Mr David Caldwell & Mrs Sarah Caldwell (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

We are equally interested in the cultural & historical facts of Vietnam as well as the native flora + fauna, the farming practices & fishing techniques. The best way to obtain this information is directly from the farmer or fisherman himself eg perhaps on a boat cruise we could stop beside a fisherman for a quick chat.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The speed of the tour was just about right. The longer bike riding days were intermixed with days when we went trekking or enjoyed a boat trip. We found every part of the trip very interesting.

- Bikes and equipment: The motorbikes (GL 160) were comfortable + well serviced.

- Accommodation: I enjoyed the mixture of accommodation however the home stays were definitely the best. We would have enjoyed more interaction with our home stay hosts (through our guide perhaps?) but we realise it is difficult with the language problem.

- Food: The food was excellent (though always too much!). We enjoyed the food in the country more than in Hanoi. We don't believe the food could be improved.

- Guide and organisation: All organization was excellent + so was our guide (Khanh). Our guide was very polite, always on time, fixed the bikes & very patient with all our questions. Even though he is the age of our children, we enjoyed his company for 10 days very much.

- Price: We believe the price is okay.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: David & Sarah Caldwell
Address: Sydney, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Jerry Scully (10 days Honda Baja XR 250cc ride, ~1,300 km)

Some of the places we saw could only be seen with motorcycles - Offroad Vietnam capitalize on this. Few non-Vietnamese have been where we were - that feels good.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Plenty of breaks to discuss the myriad of observations along the way. Distances covered always got us to our accommodation well before dark.

- Bikes and equipment: The Baja Honda 250, though old, was comfortable, reliable and had ample power. It handled the wide variety of terrain admirably.

- Accommodation: The highlight of the tour was the interaction with the wonderful friendly and happy Vietnamese people. The home-stays allowed us to get a closer glimpse of family life. The shared meals and "fictionary" conversations contributed to the rich experience.

- Food: Always more than enough to eat. Even though I am prone to picking up stomach bugs, I didn't once feel off. The food was always varied and well presented.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh was an excellent guide. His English and knowledge of all things Vietnamese made the trip truly memorable...as did his knowledge of bikes, back-roads and bureaucracy.

- Price: Well placed in the market! Worth every Dong.

- How did you know about us? Found surfing the Net. Contacted referees who all praised the company.

Full name: Jerry Scully
Address: Queensland, AUSTRALIA.

Mr John Meehan (10 days Honda XR 250cc ride, ~1,300 km)

It seems like the best pictures of Vietnam: country, people, culture were chosen + the tour built around that.

A faster + more reliable bike for the guide is well worth considering as soon as profitability allows.

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

- Bikes and equipment: The XR250 is perfect for this tour.

- Accommodation: Very good mix + quality. The homestays have been well chosen + add a lot of authenticity to the trips. In some places the mattresses are too hard (firm) for us soft westerners.

- Food: Always very good to excellent, especially some of the homestays. In one or two occasions it may have been westernised too much e.g. French fries. I preferred the more local approach.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent. Shows a lot of planning has gone into this. Quynh was very understanding of our Aussie foibles + happy to go exploring unknown tracks with us. These are some of the best memories.

- Price: Good value. The all inclusive packaging (excluding alcohol + water) is a good approach. Keeps it simple.

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: John Meehan
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Ms Patricia Hitchcock (10 days Honda XL Degree 250cc ride, ~1,300 km)

Even though I'm only a not very experienced off road rider I had no trouble, and enjoyed the trip.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo was great - suited me very well. Stop-overs - great mix of hotels + home stays.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle => got to see more by travelling this way.

- Accommodation: Interesting range of hotels. Homestays absolutely great.

- Food: Range of Vietnamese to Western food - all good.

- Guide and organisation: Guide very responsive to suggestions, listened to what we liked + wanted to see + do.

- Price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Patricia Hitchcock
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Ian Argo (10 days Honda Baja XR 250cc ride, ~1,300 km)

The guide needs a more powerful motorcycle so he can keep up going up the hills. I would recommend this company for other people, we have had a thoroughly good trip. Always heaps of good food and some really good homestays. Softer mattresses would be nice (in Phu Yen).

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

- Bikes and equipment: Honda Baja motorcycles were good for the trip.

- Accommodation: Very good, both hotels and the homestays.

- Food: Very good, we never went hungry.

- Guide and organisation: Very good, emails always answered promptly, our guide was also very good.

- Price: We like the price. Very good value for money.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Ian Argo
Address: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Dominic John Davis (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

If you tried to do this by yourself it would take at least a month to see the things we did in ten days. The guided tour takes you tom places you could not find without local knowledge.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very good, the guides listened to our requests and did as we asked.

- Bikes and equipment: The bikes showed signs of wear but to be expected on a tour bike ridden by people of all shapes, sizes and skill level.

- Accommodation: The accommodation was all good with the home stays being the nicest as they give you a feel of the real Vietnam. A hotel could be any country.

- Food: All the food has been good with lots of choice. The home stays provided the best food as the people really welcomed us with a feast. The hotel food was just hotel food.

- Guide and organisation: Excellent, both guides were very helpful and informative and when there was a problem it was quickly fixed.

- Price: If you were to try and do this yourself it could be done cheaper, but with the service you gave us it was very good value for us, as Europe is so expensive.

- How did you know about us? Website.

Full name: Dominic John Davis
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr John Carr-Jones (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

Tour was very enjoyable, scenery, people, sights etc all frightful, bathroom facilities a little basic. Bikes could be a little newer! but in all a very memorable trip - great fun.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycles were appropriate for tour but reliability a bit of a problem.

- Accommodation: Good mix of accommodation, home stays very enjoyable, hosts very welcoming.

- Food: In the main very good.

- Guide and organisation: Guides very knowledgeable, friendly + helpful.

- Price: Reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: John Carr-Jones
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Craig Whiteway (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

An excellent way to see Vietnam. Travelling on bikes gets you to some brilliant places. The people are fantastic and loved seeing us riding through.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Excellent, no problems at all. But possibly helped by all of us being experienced motorcyclists who are used to riding.

- Bikes and equipment: The bike was fine, they get a very hard time, and any problems we encountered were dealt with promptly by our guides.

- Accommodation: All excellent, especially enjoyed the home stays.

- Food: Fabulous food every where. Couldn't ask for more.

- Guide and organisation: Our guides were brilliant. Ever helpful and excellent company too.

- Price: OK. Got everything I was expecting so well worth the money.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Craig Whiteway
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Matthew Neville (10 days Honda GL 1600 ride, ~1,300 km)

A magnificent trip with well planned accommodation with the experience of unspoiled non-tourist villages where you can experience the welcoming of the warm and friendly Vietnamese people. We hope to come back and travel the South of Vietnam.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Very well planned and executed by the guides. I would recommend a stop mid-morning and mid-afternoon for a drink to break the riding up.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycles could benefit from being maintained to a higher standard as there are various faults on the bikes.

- Accommodation: Excellent mix of hotels and home stays, really couldn't fault them.

- Food: Great to experience Vietnamese food in traditional restaurants.

- Guide and organisation: Thoi and Long were excellent and became good friends. We all enjoyed their company. Always willing to help and do anything to make the journey enjoyable. They are both a great asset to the company.

- Price: Good value, although now not helped by the weak exchange rate (GBP/USD).

- How did you know about us? Web search.

Full name: Matthew Neville
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Robert Tytler (10 days Honda GL 1600 ride, ~1,300 km)

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

- Bikes and equipment: Great bikes, could do with a good service.

- Accommodation: Great, good hotels and home stays.

- Food: Good size and very tasty.

- Guide and organisation: Very good Long + Thoi were great, a good asset to your company.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Robert Tytler
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr David Aylmore (10 days Honda GL 1600 ride, ~1,300 km)

Being a group of friends we all enjoyed our trip very much. Vietnam is a very beautiful and extremely friendly country.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Well planned, good pace - relaxed stops and good places of Internet.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycle could have done with being more up to date (newer) but competent for the job.

- Accommodation: Excellent. Toilets and showers would not have suited my wife had she come.

- Food: Excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Very well organised.

- The price: Reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: David Aylmore
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Allen Edward Jonos (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

Keep up the good work. We will recommend your company to other people.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Nearly perfect - only minus was no hot water at some stops.

- Bikes and equipment: Ideal for the job (Honda 160).

- Accommodation: Fabulous - just hot water.

- Food: Excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Top prize to Long and Thoi.

- The price: Fair.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Allen Edward Jonos
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Vince Fay (10 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,300 km)

Very good tour, very good guides, excellent.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Very good.

- Accommodation: Overall good. One hotel in Lai Chau (Muong Thanh) no hot water and no water in the morning at all.

- Food: Very good.

- Guide and organisation: Very good.

- The price: Very expensive.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Vince Fay
Address: ENGLAND.

Mr Dave Strydom (7 days Honda GL 160cc ride, ~1,400 km)

Just fun. Recommend bigger bike for bigger rider.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Good. Would suggest to get depart out of Hanoi as start and stop points.

- Accommodation: Great. Hard bed in hotels.

- Food: Good.

- Guide and organisation: Superb. Quynh was very helpful, asset to your company.

- The price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Adv.

Full name: Dave Strydom
Address: U.S.A.

Mr Gary Welch (7 days Honda Baja 250cc ride, ~1,400 km)

Would recommend company to others.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo a bit fast on this trip. Maybe an extra day or two would be better.

- Bikes and equipment: Good (250).

- Accommodation: Good.

- Food: Good.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh was very good.

- The price: Very good.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Gary Welch
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Mark Crawford (7 days Honda XR 250cc ride, ~1,400 km)

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

- Bikes and equipment: Good (250).

- Accommodation: Good.

- Food: Tasteless.

- Guide and organisation: Quynh was good.

- The price: Good.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Mark Crawford
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Colin Scobbie (7 days Honda XL 125cc ride, ~1,400 km)

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: A little too rushed, would have liked slightly shorter rides and more time on ride to take in the view. More breaks.

- Bikes and equipment: OK, only a couple of little problem but they were quickly fixed.

- Accommodation: All ok - Beds very hard in 2 hotels.

- Food: OK - some better than others!

- Guide and organisation: Quynh was excellent.

- The price: Good - no complaints.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Colin Scobbie
Address: QLD, AUSTRALIA.

Mr David Crafa (10 days Honda Baja XR 250cc ride, ~1,500 km)

I'll be back.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo was good riding 150 to 180 km per day can be a little tiring but it can be done. Good breaks and scenery is amazing.

- Bikes and equipment: XR Baja 250 suspension needed to be tuned up. Not good in the turns. Chain tension or swing-arm adjustment.

- Accommodation: All very good - very nice home stay. Hot water is good to have at night to take showers. Some home stay did not have it. Also Western style toilets nice.

- Food: Home stay food was great. Sometime lunch stops were a little scary but food was good mostly!!

- Guide and organisation: Long was fantastic. Great guide and a good friend.

- The price: Good value.

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: David Crafa
Address: New York, U.S.A.

Ms Anatasia Sartan (10 days Honda Baja XR 250cc pillion ride, ~1,500 km)

Probably some lectures from the guides about history and so on could be interesting.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Tempo of the tour was good. Maybe some more time in Son La to see the prison would be good too.

- Bikes and equipment: My driver - David - was very good :)

- Accommodation: All the accommodations were very interesting. I can say I like them all. Mr Boi homestay is too much noise but they are fun people.

- Food: Mmm. I love Vietnamese food - and some of the food I had during this trip was the best! But some lunch stops were a little bit too much of an experience - only "pho" and a lot of dust :)

- Guide and organisation: Long is a very very good guide! We love him!

- The price: We love Vietnamese prices - because compare to our salaries - everything is super reasonable. Although airfare is very expensive - so total price of a tour (800$) could include hotel in Hanoi, transfer from the airport and repairs(!).

- How did you know about us? Google search.

Full name: Anatasia Sartan
Address: Moscow, RUSSIA.

Read Anatasia trip report in Russian!

Mr Michael Adkins (10 days Honda GL160 road bike ride, ~1,500 km)

I would certainly recommend this trip to my friends, or anyone who asks! I would suggest they have a few lessons before doing it through - even for experienced Australian riders, Vietnamese traffic, city and country - in another world.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Generally the tempo of the tour was very good. One minor exception was that the last day was very long (and boring roads!). However, I understand this may be necessary to stay at Thac Ba lake. All the stop overs were excellent. I think these were the most rewarding parts of the trip - especially the homestays (Mai Chau + Mr Boi).

- Bikes and equipment: The motorcycle worked fine for me - although the instruments (speedo + tachometer) may not have been accurate - according to my speedo I didn't above 70km/h - even on the highway.

- Accommodation: Accommodation was generally excellent - all the homestay hosts were very welcoming. The hotels were ok, although the Lan Anh in Muong Lay was my least favourite - the rooms were damp. The Cat Cat view in Sapa was exceptional.

- Food: For the most part the food was outstanding - a real introduction to the variety of Vietnamese cuisine - a lot of thanks for this should go to Long for making the selections. One criticism of the group was too much "Pho". Didn't bother me because I love "Pho".

- Guide and organisation: This trip would have been nothing without Long. He is an exceptional guide who represents everything that is good about Offroad Vietnam - apart from all the usual things (but very important) like checking bikes, fixing tires, planning stops etc. I really appreciated his knowledge of Vietnamese food, history, culture and his ability to speak and translate English. Otherwise I found it very easy to deal with the company (email returned very fast).

- The price: I think the price was very reasonable for the quality of the experience.

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

Full name: Michael Adkins
Address: Victoria, Sydney, AUSTRALIA.

Mr Glen McMurtrie (10 days Honda Baja XR Trail bike 250cc ride, ~1,500 km)

Would reccomend without hesitation.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Was good, luckily we had a good group and better weather.

- Bikes and equipment: Motorcycles were all in good condition and we only encountered some small expected problems.

- Accommodation: Very good, although as a group we definitely enjoyed the homestays much more. The last homestay in Mai Chau was far touristy for our liking, but was still comfortable.

- Food: Food was great on all occasions.

- Guide and organisation: Thoi was fantastic and really made the tour a much more enjoyable experience. His knowledge and enthusiasm was immense and he was always a professional guide.

- The price: Well priced, excellent value tour.

- How did you know about us? Google.

Full name: Glen McMurtrie
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Mr Pat Kiely (10 days Honda XL Trail bike 125cc ride, ~1,500 km)

Overall excellent, professional.

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

- Bikes and equipment: Good bike.

- Accommodation: Home accommodation very good.

- Food: Good.

- Guide and organisation: Guide very good, highly recommended.

- The price: Very reasonable.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Pat Kiely
Address: AUSTRALIA.

Read Pat's email to Lonely Planet.

Mr Robbie Millar (10 days Honda road bike 160cc ride, ~1,500 km)

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

- Bikes and equipment: The Honda 160cc engine was good, but the tires were not so grippy as the other trail bikes in the mud and rough. Maybe a heavier tread tyre would be better.

- Accommodation: All the home stays were excellent. Of the hotels - Sapa was good, the one before Sapa was ok, but a bit "soul-less" and the Trade Union Hotel in Son La was fine, if a bit "tatty". I didn't like the Royal Hotel in Phu Yen - room too small and stuffy.

- Food: No complaints - excellent.

- Guide and organisation: Guide was excellent - very professional and good company.

- The price: No complaints at all.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Robbie Millar
Address: U.K.

Mr Michel Stevens (6 days Honda trail bike 250cc ride, ~900 km)

Except for the problems with one of the bikes, we had a very good time and we loved it. We will recommend it to others.

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

- Bikes and equipment: The Baja is a very good bike, but maybe someone should look at the foot brake for the next trip.

- Accommodation: Very good but one hotel had no mattress on the beds which was hard to sleep.

- Food: Very good, eating "a la carte" in Sapa was very welcome.

- Guide and organisation: Very good organisation and Quynh is a very good guide.

- The price: Good to us.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Michel Stevens
Address: Antwerpen, BELGIUM.

Mr Peter Claessens (6 days Honda trail bike 250cc ride, ~900 km)

Pain on the ass, but it depoends of ass (joking). I enjoyed the tour very much.

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

- Bikes and equipment: I had a bad motor from the beginning, and it didn't work to get up a steep mountain.

- Accommodation: Good.

- Food: Very good.

- Guide and organisation: Very good guide.

- The price: Normal.

- How did you know about us? Internet.

Full name: Peter Claessens
Address: Antwerpen, BELGIUM.

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.