It was an awesome ride. About a 2.5 week loop around Northern Vietnam via Dien Bien - Pa So - Sa Pa - Meo Vac - Cao Bang - Ha Long - Nam Dinh - Hanoi. I'm really glad I decided to do the north of Vietnam even in Jan. as my short ride south of Hanoi wasn't to impressive. I also met some Aussies who had ridden in the south and said that northern Vn. was by far more impressive. Though I don't think they did the Ho Chi M. trail so I can't speak for that. It was cool, especially around Sa Pa but not to cold - at least not for a Canadian prairie boy. A shot of rice wine at the end of the day warmed things up quite a bit though. Meo Vac is a bit of a pain to get to because officially you need to have a permit and a guide - neither cost very much and getting to Meo Vac is well worth the few extra$$. The folks at Offroad were great and very helpful. The bike 125cc Honda did the job but it wasn't in the best condition. At Offroad they have larger bikes that appear to be better maintained but I think it's only for there organized tours. The Vn people I met along the road were very friendly - not a lot of English outside of the main tourist areas but with some charade skills and a good sense of humor it's not to difficult to get by.

If you have any specific questions I'd be glad to help out. If I can ever figure out how I'll post some pics.