MR. SAM WAINER’S REVIEWS OF NORTH-CENTRE VIETNAM MOTORBIKE TOUR

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

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

Tempo of the tour and the stop-over

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

Bikes and equipment

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

Accommodation

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

Food

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

Guide and organisation

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

Price

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

How did you know about us?

I found you from a google search for “motorcycle tours Vietnam”.

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

For more customers’ reviews of Offroad Vietnam motorbike tours riding the roof roads of Central North Vietnam loop, please follow this link

To have some idea about a Central North Vietnam (or Roof Roads) motorbike tour that our company provides, please watch the below video.

 

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