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About Us
Steve Mueller - Company Founder
My name is Steve Mueller and I moved to Vietnam 11 years ago from Hawaii, although I'm originally from Charleston, South Carolina in the USA. I first came to Vietnam in 1996 as a traveler, part of a one-year journey around the world. Of all the countries I visited, Vietnam lured me back to live and continue that journey. Since then, I have fallen in love with the country, the culture and especially the people. I even married one.
During my early travels in Vietnam, I saw the vintage Vespa everywhere; one of my first priorities when I returned to live here was to get some wheels, and only a vintage Vespa would do. I bought my first Vespa on my third day back and it became a huge part of my life. My passion for Vespas subsequently led me to a successful restoration and export business. My Vietnamese wife, Phuong, has been a large part of that success; her savvy and local business knowledge has always provided us with an advantage. Her business acumen has also allowed us to run our other very successful business venture, Café Zoom.
Located on a busy corner, Café Zoom is the only Vespa themed cafe in Saigon. One of our favorite ways to relax and spend time is to gather a group of friends together at the café and explore southern Vietnam on our Vespas. We make these trips several times a year. I've always enjoyed sharing the stories of our adventures with our guests at Café Zoom and almost everyone wanted to share the experience. Thus the idea for the Vietnam Vespa Adventures was born.
I am most proud of my third company, Green Energy. Designed to help protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, we began refining waste vegetable oil into biodiesel three years ago. We are continuing our research and development into other arenas of biofuel production.
Walter is a Australian journalist and documentary maker. His connection with Vietnam goes back to his time in the Australian Army when he spent two tours in Vietnam. Twice wounded, he spent one tour as an Army interpreter. He still speaks excellent Vietnamese. For nearly a decade he has been leading tours throughout Vietnam, revealing the complexities of the history, culture and cuisine of Vietnam to tourists of all ages and backgrounds.
But Walter's knowledge goes further than a deep understanding of the war in Vietnam. After leaving the Army, Walter studied Chinese language and history and East Asian philosophy. As a result, he has extensive knowledge of Asian Philosophy and the history of China and Vietnam.
Walter worked as a broadcaster and current affairs journalist covering general news, politics and economics. He first returned to Vietnam in 1989 to cover the dedication of the Long Tan Cross, an historic vestige built by the Vietnamese on the site of a significant battle between Australian and Vietnamese forces in 1966. Walter made regular return journeys throughout the 1990s and has led various types of tours throughout the country since 2000 (including many for his Aussie-based Monkey Bridge Tours).
Walter also wrote and produced an acclaimed documentary titled Vietnam Minefield that told of a major blunder by Australian commanders during the Vietnam War. This added to his knowledge and experience of Australia's military involvement in Vietnam.
Recently, Walter played a critical role lending his knowledge and skills to a volunteer group called Operation Aussies Home. The group was involved in the discovery and repatriation of the remains of six Australian Servicemen, who had been listed as Missing in Action since the war in Vietnam.
Walter Pearson will guide you through the sights, smells and sounds of this fascinating country, calling on his vast knowledge and experience to ensure you get to know the real Vietnam.
If you wish to get close to the people of Vietnam and truly immerse yourself in Vietnam, you should not pass up an opportunity to travel with this uniquely qualified and able tour leader.
Patrick Sharbaugh - Sales and Marketing Manager
Originally from the historic American city of Charleston, South Carolina (where he went to high school and university with company founder Steve Mueller), Patrick has been a resident of Saigon since summer 2008, moving here after spending a year in the neon-and-concrete jungle of Osaka, Japan. Patrick spent 15 years in the U.S. as a writer and editor for print magazines and newspapers; he was also a director of marketing for print-to-web media bridge technology company Digital:Convergence, and he's no stranger to large-scale special event production.
Since September 2008, Patrick has taught Asian Cybercultures and general communications theory and at RMIT International University Vietnam, an offshore campus of the Australia-based Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which is actually a lot more exciting than it sounds. Nevertheless, Patrick takes every opportunity he can find to jump on his carrot-orange Vespa Super and join in the tours.
Josh Baker - Tour Manager
Josh is really busy organizing tours, but he promises to tell you a little about himself as soon as he has the chance. Really.