Frequently Asked Questions:

This is the question everyone seems to get wrong, they tell you how great they are, but the actual question is ‘Why choose us over other bike tour companies in Vietnam’, So: 

Firstly, I’m a biker myself and the other guides and mechanics that ride with me are all professional and experienced Vietnamese tourers and some of the best guides and mechanics in Vietnam.  Also as a Manxman, I grew up in the Isle of Man around bikes and bikers and rode Enduro’s and Green Laned on Sundays for years and also have experience of touring and taking tours over 35 years around the world.  I’ve taken my best and worst experiences and used that to build tours I hope you’ll enjoy so much you’ll want to come back before you’ve left, over 80% of our customers are repeat business or referrals.  Each of my tours will also have either a Vietnamese guide and or a Vietnamese mechanic with us giving you an experienced and knowledgeable local to spend your Tour with.

The Tours on our website are only templates, I like to start each enquiry with a call to find out what you’d like and answer any questions you may have.  Each of our tours are designed based on those conversations, such as off-road, on-road, a mix of both, where in Vietnam you’d like to ride, how long and what you’d like to see.  During the tour, we can also change route, depending on what you are enjoying the most.

You will have a guide that speaks both English to a level and Vietnamese, so you will be able to understand where you are, what you are eating, the history of the area we are in, be able ask questions and to interact with the locals, which is always a great part of the experience.  

I also understand the standards of accommodation and food you’ll expect and all our homestays, hotels and resorts meet high standards.  We also have the infrastructure in place and experience to deal with any situation that arises.

Riding around Vietnam with the freedom we have is a privilege and we respect everywhere we go and have built great relationships with local people who have become friends and in some cases like family.

Note: One final thing to remember is that, the Companies offering the cheap Tours are buying your business and in order to run such cheap tours will always have the lowest quality of accommodation, infrastructure, meals, entertainment etc and there is lots of grey when it comes to Fully Inclusive.  Once thing to remember is that marketing in Vietnam is not the same as the in the West, websites will advertise that they provide everything, but when you ask where is it on your tour, they will just say ‘Oh that’s just marketing’.  It’s not seen as misleading here, just a way to get your business.

We provide:

• Open face helmets with click down sun shades and air vents. 
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Helmets in Vietnam are small, we have M, L & XL Helmets, the XL Helmet is 59cm.  If you are larger than a 59cm Helmet you’ll need to bring your own.
• All season HWK/MVK water resistant, breathable Jackets made of 600d Condura fabric with liners for the cooler seasons.
• Large waterproof bags to put yours in, in case yours isn’t Monsoon proof and also bungees/straps.
• Water proof trousers you can throw on quickly over your own during any down pours. 
• We suggest that you bring a light weight water proof jacket as even on the clearest sunny day a down pour can appear out of nowhere. Go for breathable or you’ll sweat and be a wet as if you’d left it off.  Also, during hotter weather our Condura jackets are too warm so a light jacket is better.

What to Bring:

• Firstly, you should dress as you feel comfortable, some people prefer full body armour, others are comfortable in a t-shirt.
• My list for all seasons except winter in the North (Late Dec, Jan – Feb) would be full cover for the sun and light weight.
• People often bring a small bag for their back, however it can be hot and humid here and I prefer not to have a bag sweating on my back all day, so I opt for a tank bag/tool belt bag for easy access essentials.
• A 40L Dry Bag: anything but dry bags won’t survive the Monsoon/Tropical rain showers we get here.  If you don’t have one, we have large strong clear plastic bags to put your bag in.
• For electrical items, you should bring additional zip dry bags.  
• You should try to pack light.
• On Tours of 8 days or more there will be an opportunity to have your clothes washed, so you really only need to pack for half of the duration of the tour.
• A few of my must have items are:
  • Sunglasses and clear glasses for overcast days, plus goggles as if it’s dry it can get dusty.
  • A neckerchief to protect the back of your neck from the sun, to use as a mask if it’s dusty and also great to dip in cold waterfalls and rivers to cool off.
  • Gloves not only for the obvious but also to protect the back of your hands from the sun.
  • We provide Helmets, they are standard sizes.  I’ve had a few riders turn up with extra small or large heads, so if that’s you, bring your own or even if you just fancy it, you’re going to be wearing it every day for the duration of the tour, so it’s nice to have your own.

Clean and modern toilets are now common throughout Vietnam.  Our hotels and homestays have good bathroom facilities.  Even in remote regions most petrol stations have modern bathrooms and toilets.

Mosquito nets are provided in accommodation where they are required, so you won’t need to bring your own.

You don’t need to bring a large sum of money as the tour is fully inclusive and now there are ATM’s throughout Vietnam.  On the tour you’ll only need cash for alcohol or purchases.  If you’d like to have some cash wait until you arrive and just withdraw Vietnamese dong from an ATM.  If you bring US dollars, everything will be rounded up so you’ll pay more.

Yes we do, the cost of course is going to be higher, the best thing to do, is contact us and we can discuss what you have in mind and provide you with a quote.

We’ve had several vegetarians on our tours and they’ve loved the food and felt there was a lot of choice in Vietnam.

Depending on what you want to see, the kind of riding you want to do, where you want to ride and where you are from, there are numerous answers to this question.  It’s best to contact us and we can discuss all the options available.  Vietnam has all year round riding somewhere.

Not at all, you can leave items with your hotel in Hanoi, even if you aren’t staying there when you return or we can arrange for them to be forwarded to our final destination.

Many groups like to bring gifts for people and children in the less advantaged villages and communities we pass through along the way.  We find that great gifts are coloured chalk to draw with which washes away, school supplies such as text books or stationery or small toys from your country that are enjoyable and have an educational side to them.  Many Australians for example bring small Koala bears, which shows them a new animal and we can tell them where it is from and that it is indigenous to Australia. 

Please don’t bring candy or sweets as the arrival of such things in the ethnic communities and tribes in the mountains has had a terrible effect on dental health, there is a candy stall right outside every school now.  Also, anything that has a plastic wrapper creates litter as it will just be thrown on the floor.  Vietnam has changed very rapidly in recent years and education is still catching up with that progress.  

Thank you

Yes, anywhere else you’d like to visit or see outside of our tour we can point you in the right direction of trusted partners.  Whether that be other tours, transport, accommodation or simply local opinions on places you are considering visiting.

If you are confused by the large number of different motorbike tour companies in Vietnam, it’s no surprise.  Numerous new companies have started up in recent years, many of which are copies of copies offering cheaper tours which are still ‘fully inclusive’, but aren’t, this is typical in South East Asia and unsurprisingly they also have 1,000 great Trip Adviser reviews.  Many aren’t experienced tour operators and don’t have the knowledge or experience to make your tour special or be able to explain where you are, what you are eating or the history and culture along the way.  

Motorbike Tours in Vietnam are great value, so a warning signal is if they are one of the cheapest, it means that they don’t have a customer base who reommend them so need to buy tours.  Taking a Motorbike Tour in Vietnam is the experience of a life time, so why risk a below par tour for a few dollars.

Many of these companies, especially the ‘Travel Companies’ that don’t focus solely on Motorbike Tours don’t have the infrastructure in place, local contacts and services to ensure a great tour and that any problems are resolved without any fuss.  Many websites will tell you that you will stay in nice accommodation but it’s all just a sales pitch and here it isn’t seen as misleading to then not provide what was promised.  A good indicator is if the website you are looking at has poor grammar or translated English descriptions.