Here are comments and reviews from our customers about short motorcycle rides in Vietnam on Ho Chi Minh trail. 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

Ms Crystal Wreden | ~1,200 km | 9 days Honda motorcycle ride

Mr Mike Misurka | ~1,200 km | 9 days Honda motorcycle ride

Mr John Tu Moran | ~1,000 km | 8 days Honda motorcycle touring

Mr Ruben Gamoo | ~1,600 km | 13 days Honda motorcycle touring

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Ms Crystal Wreden (9 days on Honda road bike, ~1,200 km)

Dear Anh Ngoc,

You are the best tour guide ever! Thanks again for such a wonderful trip. I cried after you left Hoi An. Just kidding. You are going to be famous for teaching me how to ride a motorbike!

Take care,

Full name: Crystal Park Wreden
Address: An American residing in Malaysia.

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Mr Mike Misurka (9 days on Honda road bike, ~1,200 km)

I signed up for the 10 day Ho Chi Minh Trail motorcycle tour for January 2008. I flew into Hanoi via Bangkok on Air Asia and took a taxi for $12 US into Hanoi. I met up with Ngoc and made plans for the following morning then toured the Hanoi Hilton and walked around the lake before getting some sleep. We got underway the next morning and started the ride. The bikes are decent shape and are plenty fast enough for the small, winding roads in rural Vietnam. Since you're sharing the roads with buffaloes, kids, ducks, bicycles and everything else, speed isn't an issue. It's just nice to ride along and enjoy the countryside. Accommodations were good enough for that part of the world...hot water, a clean room and clean beds. Food was for the most part very good and lots of variety. The last 2 days were rained out so we switched to a taxi. As a guide, Ngoc was very, very good in his English and translated everything for us, as well as caring for the bikes and doing all the planning. This was the first organized tour I have gone on and learned so much more than I would have if I did it on my own. I would recommend this tour for anyone wanting to explore Vietnam and see a culture that is still fairly unspoiled from tourism. What I would like to see changed is to spend more time exploring the Vietnam War relics and sites and less time in the cities such as Hue. I didn't find the cities particularly interesting and I would like more time to visit the tunnel area and DMZ areas. I was also a little disappointed in the nightlife as most places serve warm beer and everything seems to close by about 10PM. I was hoping for more of a party atmosphere like Thailand and Vietnam is very conservative and work attitude. Also, I didn't know but you should be aware that the government tries to control a lot of things, especially having "guests" into your hotel and it would be nice if their attitude was a little bit more open-minded. All in all, a great culture tour but a little bit of a letdown as far as nightlife and excitement goes.

Full name: Mike Misurka
Address: CANADA.

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Mr John Tu Moran (8 days on Honda road bike, ~1,000 km)

All in one it was a good time and the sites were beautiful.

- Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: The tempo wasn't a problem. In fact for the most part the ride amount was good.

- Transportation: The motorcycles are smaller than advertised on the website, this is not so much a problem, especially in the towns were a bigger bike wouldn't be as nimble and able to get out of trouble! It was just disappointing at first, if the website were changed this wouldn't be a problem. (OV: We did have several bike options, the bike you had was a GL Pro 160cc which is our standard bike option, sorry for any misunderstanding here.)

- Accommodation: In the hotel at the Gulf of Tonkin my room smelled musty. Other than that the accommodation was good, I enjoyed the Thai stilt house in Mai Chau, as well as the hotel in Hoi An.

- Food: The food was good though the website says only alcohol is what you need to pay for but all drinks are a la carte.

- The organization - Guide services: Ngoc was an awesome tour guide, I can't say enough about how great he was, professional, knowledgeable, fun and understanding whatever your paying him is not enough.

- The price: The price was reasonable, though I felt what I payed for wasn't what I got because the website listed a different itinerary, it was disappointing to not get to see Khe Sanh and Hamburger Hill which is what the website lists in its itinerary! (OV: The reason we didn't see Khe Sanh was we went to Vinh Moc tunnel and needed to get the two Russian riders to Danang for their flight back to Moscow)

- How did you know about us? I found you on the Internet.

Full name: John Tu Moran
Address: 3524 NE 79th Ave Portland OR 97213, U.S.A.

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Mr Ruben Gamoo (13 days ride on Honda road bike, ~1,600 km)

Dear Anh Wu,

The thrill and adrenalin rush from my motorbike trip still haunts me. I can't thank you enough for organizing and planning such a memorable experience. It was my first introduction to motor bike touring and it will definitely not be my last.

The logistics of the trip was handled very well despite the adverse weather and road closures that were due to the landslides and floods. Thus the journey never failed to surprise me!

The trip opened my eyes to the real Vietnam, it allowed me to soak in the breathtaking sights. I was mesmerized by the simplicity of the hill tribe people, the openness of the community that we passed through, and the generosity of some of the people that we encountered. Not forgetting my encounter with some my favourite animals "the pigs" and the "water buffaloes"!!!!!!

My endless photographs captured the undeniably beautiful landscapes and "the forgotten Vietnam"…along my journey. The ability to handle the bike on different types of road conditions was an added bonus to my confidence as well as to my riding skills.

With a great guide beside me and the vast land ahead of us we rode without any expectations. We received a lot more. Memories will be plenty.

"The Ho Chi Minh Trail allows you experience Vietnam from the North to the South through the Central Highlands. It was an unbelievable experience. Everybody should try it"

Full name: Ruben Gamoo
Address: MALAYSIA