A must do! As a longtime traveller, this is one of the few rare experiences and will be a lifelong memory! This instantly is topping my list of all time travel adventures.
My wife and I were looking forward to this weeks ahead of time (although most others in our group booked it just a few days before). Many of the comments we had seen were reflective of the bus trip to/from Ha Noi and now I know why, the bus certainly could have been better, but as they are subcontracted that is unlikely to change. For the actual tour, this company was great (especially our ez-riders! Both of them were named "Sing" - apparently there are 7 "Sing's" in the company). Our riders grew up in the mountains that we rode on, so they were very happy to show us around.
As many others have mentioned, after a few minutes everyone seems to get more comfortable on their motorbikes and the day got started right away. They made sure to have stops (either viewpoints, convenience / rest stops, food, etc.) about every 30 minutes, the longest ride was maybe 45 minutes in one stretch. Between the variety of stops and astounding scenery, the day flew by and everyone was tired and excited to reach the hotel for our first night. This hotel was amazing, extremely clean, great views, great staff, no complaints at all.
We headed into the local town for dinner / breakfast (the "local" food was definitely catered to a western audience), but this trip was about riding on the back of the motorbikes. Everyone agreed that there was always too much food and we didn’t need that much food on the table every single time. After breakfast, day 2 was off to a downpour, but even riding in the rain was a fun / unique experience. Our drivers made sure to take care of us and made sure we were protected from the rain. We didn’t even get wet! I wish the views would have been a little more clear, but we are already planning to go back and do it again!
We were on the 3-day route and day 2 was our favorite, the scenery was breath-taking despite the morning rain. You become very aware that these villages have not had a lot of tourism influence and you were truly experiencing the Northern Vietnam countryside almost untouched by modern society. That evening was a homestay in a small village, rooms were "open air" but each bed had a mosquito net available. We went to the waterfall / swimming hole in the afternoon as well, but the highlight was certainly the dinner / party with all our drivers, as this was the last night together. Being a small village, the karaoke was shut down at 10pm to not bother the locals.
Day 3 also had amazing views, despite being bittersweet that the trip was coming to a close. We enjoyed every last minute of the ride and made great connections with our drivers. I know each experience is different, but they really made all the difference. Each ez-rider put effort in to connect with us and make sure everyone was safe, happy, comfortable, etc. While it may be the same at some other companies, we definitely saw groups from other companies that did not get the same treatment.
I would highly recommend both this company and experience, it is a must do!