4.8
Outdoorsy memberHost since October 2019
Communication
4.9100% response rateTypically responds in less than 6 hours
About Thanh Nguyen
I built this van as my hobby after retiring from 35 years of automotive engineering. Originally bought to save on my hotel bills when taking my daughter to out of town, regional soccer tournaments, spent 2 years to fix all mechanical issues and gradually converted to a self-contained camper van to make my van-stay more comfortable. While waiting for the kid to grow up so I can travel full-time, I thought I could share the van with others who don't have either the time or the inclination to build their own vans; however, want the convenience and amenities of newer vans for camping, but DO NOT want to spend a boat load of money for renting newer vans. This van was built to fill my and your needs because I believe it's unnecessary to spend a lot of money to have fun camping or road tripping. I have incorporated many of convenience features and amenities available only on new factory-built camper vans that cost over 100K. The interior was renovated Winter 2022. New floor, interior fabrics, wiring, control panel make the van up to date. I hope you enjoy using the van as much as I do building and camping in this van.
4.8
Outdoorsy memberHost since October 2019
Communication
4.9100% response rateTypically responds in less than 6 hours
Memories made on trips with Thanh Nguyen's RVs
Alyssa D.
5July 2024
Lorena A.
1July 2024
Very long review, but please read so you are not stuck with this DANGEROUS vehicle. Irresponsible host provided his camper van with bald and bulging tires. I picked up at night, so couldn't see them. In the morning I notified him how bad they were, he said they had thousands of miles left on them, then said I could go and put the spare tire on the passenger rear tire. The van was wobbly and had terrible reverberation if driving more than 45 miles per hour. I could not go places I wanted to go because I was fearful I would be stranded. Three days into the trip, the van became extremely dangerous on the road with terrible vibration and bouncing. I was in a remote part of Oregon and had to pull over. The tire had unraveled, radial wires had come out over 3 feet, the tire had disintegrated. I lost almost 2 days, had to spend one day hobbling to a town 30 miles away, find a tire shop with the right tires and get all 4 tires replaced (owner paid). I was told the tires were over 15 years old. The van drove better, but still quite wobbly. I had to be escorted back to Portland, over 150 miles from where I was, so my daughter lost a day of her trip, and I had to change my flight because I missed it ($180 change fee). I was delayed in returning the van, so Thanh charged me a half day for the delayed return. When I returned, I told him I was disappointed in his lack of care for his customers and others on the road, we were lucky no one got hurt. He tried to rush me away because he had someone else picking up the van in less than 20 minutes. I cautioned him the van wasn't safe and that it needed a thorough review, and should not be rented out, he refused. Very disappointed in this person's lack of care and conscientiousness. He should not be a host.
Aleksandra C.
5July 2024
We had an amazing experience driving Thanh’s van! Thanh was very helpful and communicated instantly if we had any questions. The van is very reliable and has everything you will need on a road trip! My two sons and I were very comfortable driving it across the state of Oregon.
4 Photos submitted by Aleksandra C.
Gregory A.
5September 2023
I had a brilliant experience while hiring Thanh's camper van. It was easy to drive and came with everything we needed for a 8 day road trip. Thanh is fantastic and took quite some time to show us how everything worked.
Tiffany K.
3August 2023
There were highs and lows. The van itself definitely did what we needed it to do. We drove all over the cascade mountains on some very treacherous roads, and we were able to navigate fine, and never had any trouble with the tires. Thanh was responsive, and responded to messages promptly. He even made arrangements to come and pick up the van from the airport, instead of having us drop off as we had previously discussed, which was great! The hot shower worked great, and the fridge inside works excellent.
That being said, the van is pretty "janky", with most of the work being done cheaply and by hand. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it wasn't as nice as what the pictures looked like. It is also difficult to get up to the rooftop tent, so wouldn't recommend if you're older or have any mobility problems. The bed down in the van is very uncomfortable, but worked. The storage on top was nice to have. The worst part was all of the equipment on the back hangs down very low. Any bumps we were going over, it scrapped on the bottom, and would sometimes unhitch and swing open. We had to buy a ratchet strap and strap it to the van, which did solve the problem. Gas also leaks if you fill it too full, which added stress and anxiety as I was worried too much gas would leak. We also were not provided with the toilet or the air fryer that the listing has. The brakes also are not great, and you have to push half way down on the brakes before they even start to engage.
Overall, it was okay. I probably wouldn't rent it again, and would spend a little more money on something a little better, but it did get the job done.
That being said, the van is pretty "janky", with most of the work being done cheaply and by hand. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it wasn't as nice as what the pictures looked like. It is also difficult to get up to the rooftop tent, so wouldn't recommend if you're older or have any mobility problems. The bed down in the van is very uncomfortable, but worked. The storage on top was nice to have. The worst part was all of the equipment on the back hangs down very low. Any bumps we were going over, it scrapped on the bottom, and would sometimes unhitch and swing open. We had to buy a ratchet strap and strap it to the van, which did solve the problem. Gas also leaks if you fill it too full, which added stress and anxiety as I was worried too much gas would leak. We also were not provided with the toilet or the air fryer that the listing has. The brakes also are not great, and you have to push half way down on the brakes before they even start to engage.
Overall, it was okay. I probably wouldn't rent it again, and would spend a little more money on something a little better, but it did get the job done.
Thanh’s answer
Sorry it wasn’t up to your expectations. Did find the source of the gas smell: the fuel pump was replaced and the mechanic did not tighten the hose to specs.
Trevor A.
5August 2023
The van was perfect for our trip and exactly as described. Thanh was also awesome to work with.
Thanh was thorough in showing us how everything worked, super flexible and accommodating, and gave us plenty of good recommendations for places to go.
Thanh was thorough in showing us how everything worked, super flexible and accommodating, and gave us plenty of good recommendations for places to go.
Evelynn D.
5July 2023
Wonderful!!! An easy drive and Thanh was very thorough with showing us how to work everything. The mattress pad made sleeping very comfortable.
Mary L.
5July 2023
We could not have had a better Van experience Thanh’s Van was exactly what we wanted and needed for our road trip. Unfortunately, we had an issue with the water pump that stopped working but ultimately it wasn’t a big deal because we had gallons of water. The van was easy to maneuver and it was quick to get comfortable in. I have to say the bed set up with the extension and mattress pad was top tier (better than our bed at home). We LOVED all the windows, charging ports, storage, and cooking supplies. We enjoyed lots of van-cooked meals, hammock swings, movie nights, and jam sessions from the Van. 10/10 would recommend Thanh’s Van to ANYONE. We will be back for sure!!! (He even gave us a ride to the airport free of charge!)
3 Photos submitted by Mary Lou H.
Sharath T.
5May 2023
It was a great experience. The van has everything one needs to escape into the outdoors. Thanh is super responsive, helpful and just a pleasure to work with. You can go boondocking without issues. Though the van is old, it is equipped with the latest tools and technology. We went roadtripping in Oregon for 8 days, would definitely rent again.
April A.
5October 2022
Thanh’s vehicle was amazing and perfect for our week long camping trip to Bend, Crater Lake and the coast. He provides everything you need for your camping adventure! (Take him up on the sleeping pad - it’s amazing!) All the listing pics are accurate & great communication with the owner. Book this and have an epic Oregon adventure!!
7 Photos submitted by April A.
Erin W.
5September 2022
This was my first conversion van rental experience and I'm glad I chose Thanh's. He has thought out all of the details, and it was so well equipped. It is a bit of a learning curve, but everything worked well for 3 of us. It was an excellent home base for our concert weekend at the Gorge. He was very responsive to the few questions I had, which was appreciated. I look forward to hopefully taking another van trip at some point! Thank you!
1 Photo submitted by Erin W.
Eric B.
5September 2022
Thanh was pleasant to work with and provided good explanations of how everything in the van worked. the setup in the van was great, although the motor that raises and lowers the spare tire for access to the left rear door was very slow. Thanh was patient and understanding when he discovered we accidentally kept the sleeping pad.
Shauna C.
5August 2022
My family had an amazing experience with Thahn's van - it made a nice adventure home! We took a trip along the Oregon coast and around the Olympic peninsula, bringing back memories of adventure and quality time with family. The van was comfortable for three adults and a 6yo child, and was equipped with everything we needed and more. At the end of the trip, my daughter told me she would like to continue to live in the camper van!
30 Photos submitted by Shauna C.
Jerry R.
2July 2022
We had to buy an air mattress paper plates throwaway silverware and it was very uncomfortable would not rent that van again
Thanh’s answer
Due to conflict with my daughter's soccer tournament, I was not at home to show Jerry how to operate the van in person. It was fine for first 5 days when he was with his brother who apparently helped. After that he had trouble with the how-to videos. The van has everything he needed. My 18 other 5-star reviews agreed.
Marc F.
5July 2022
Although it's a 20 year old van, I felt comfortable with the reliability of the van. Thanh was fantastic and very responsive, especially with the 1 minor issue we had with the inverter.
3 Photos submitted by Marc F.
Bonnie C.
5June 2022
This was an amazing campervan with everything you'd need for your trip for four people. Easy to drive and all features of the van worked perfectly as described. The outdoor shower was helpful to rinse off shoes after hikes and quick showers.
3 Photos submitted by Bonnie C.
