MR. DAMON HOWEY’S REVIEWS OF BIG NORTHERN VIETNAM MOTORBIKE TOUR

(Damon Howey reviews of 16 days Honda dirt bike 250cc adventure, ~2,600 km)

—– Original Message —–
From: Damon Howey
To: Offroad Vietnam
Sent: 17 February, 2012 8:18 AM
Subject: Re: trip reviews please

G’day Anh and Thon,

Thanks again for our wonderful holiday tour.

Testimonial

The tour was so well organised from start to finish that I really didn’t have to worry about anything.

Office

Anh took care of my airport transfers (to and from), hotel stays (3 different date/times), the Big North Tour and an extra tour to Ha Long Bay – fantastic. I didn’t have to worry about paying this or that I just paid Anh for everything in one hit – no problem.

Guide

Thon then set a very high standard as he looked after us for our 16-day tour. He made sure no one got left behind or lost, fixed my bike when it wouldn’t start, fixed Ken’s flat tyre, performed general maintenance every day to keep the bikes going. Thon also made sure that everything was all right with our rooms, ordered all our food, paid for all our fuel and keep us on time throughout every day. He also answered all our questions and was a great source of knowledge. He did all this and more with great professionalism and humour – terrific.

Bike

My bike (XR-250 Baja) was generally very good. It still had more power than all the other bikes/scooters on the road and had the soft suspension to soak up all the bumps. It was the ideal bike for the trip.

Food

The food was great. Always fresh and tasty. We usually got a different dish each sitting. I would have liked to have had Pho for breakfast more often. I really noticed a difference when I went on the boat at Ha Long Bay. On the boat the food was less tasty and aimed more at western people – what a let down – plates and forks not bowls and chopsticks. It just reinforced how good we actually had it on the Big North Ride.

Tempo

The tempo of the tour was very relaxed. We never really had to exert ourselves. In fact, we only had one day of rain. We did admit to each other afterward that we had “hit the wall” around the 10-11 day mark but it wasn’t hard to get going again – just ride along the road and wave to all the kids soon brought back a smile to my face. We did discuss this aspect and there were a few different thoughts.

Improvement

My thought was to have 2 spare days instead of just one. When we got to Sapa we were ready for a rest day. If the tour was broken into 3 segments of 4-5 days it could be less tiring. The 16-day tour is one of your longest and it could be just a common feeling to have had enough after 10-12 days.

The last 2 days on the highway were very tedious and tiresome.

I thought the price of the tour was very reasonable. I had no qualms about forking over the cash and as it turned out the tour/holiday was tremendous value for money.

Thanks again for a brilliant holiday. It made my first trip overseas a truly memorable experience.

I hope to see you again one day.

Thank you.

Damon Howey
Dubbo NSW 2830 Australia

For more customers’ reviews of Offroad Vietnam motorbike tours riding a full North loop, please follow this link

To have some idea about a great North ride by motorbike that our company provides, please watch the below video.

 

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