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Buying a motorcycle in Vietnam

Asia » Vietnam
Topic Type: Adventure

To anyone who has done it; I want to hear from you!!

27 Replies:

Msg: #21 24 weeks ago, June 21st 2009

Can anyone advise on whether there is a size restriction when buying a motorbike in Vietnam?
any suggetions for a make of bike that can pull a sidecar?
Want to take my dogs on tour round the country...will be living there for 2 years...for a start.

Cheers,

Rob

ESL ExPat

Joe Maahma
Post Count: 1

Msg: #22 15 weeks ago, August 24th 2009

OK, I live in North Vietnam (Hai Phong, actually), and here's my
experience....if you are looking at Ho Chi Minh City or Ha Noi, then your experience (and the prices quoted hereafter) may (and probably will) be different......

I went into a shop and bought a 2006 Yamaha Ultimo Mio (tiny-ass bike)
for 11 million Dong. GOOD bike, but I found out later, is worth, on a
good day, about 7 million Dong.

Rode it all over Northern Vietnam, no worries. Battery died once, but
my Viet girlfriend has an EXCELLENT, trustworthy mechanic who hit me
200,000 Dong for a new battery (VEEERRRY cheap).

Legally, got pulled over once (doing 60Km/H in a 40) and threw them my
passport, "Blue Card" (ownership paper for the bike that has somebody
else's name on it), insurance card AND my bill of sale/receipt.
Didn't even show them my U.S. license (which actually IS a Class M
motorcycle license).

I was told to pay a fine of 200,000VND and I signed nothing and got no
paperwork in return (well, hopefully, my insurance premiums won't go
up now). Was told by Viet friends that this was a very nice penalty,
as, for the Vietnamese, this usually hits them 500,000
Dong-plus.....and MAYBE confiscation of their bike for a month.

Now, what do I KNOW and what do I *THINK* is correct??

- NEVER, but NEVER, go to buy a motorbike WITHOUT a Vietnamese
friend. All Viet motorbike shops/dealers on the streets see a TAY
(foreigner) alone walk into their shop and they drool! ALL
two-year-old and three-year-old Honda Waves REALISTICALLY (i.e. -
being sold to a VIETNAMESE customer) in Hai Phong go for around 8 million Dong. I
went to TEN DIFFERENT SHOPS and it was like literally they were almost
colluding with each other on their cell phones or something, as EVERY
SINGLE SHOP said to me 15 million for their Honda Waves. I said "Khong" and they didn't even try to stop me with a counter-offer.....just let me walk away! GO WITH A
VIETNAMESE FRIEND!! (THIS I KNOW....I made this mistake).

- DO NOT BELIEVE your TAY friends when they tell you: "Oh, it's
OK...naw worries....the police never pull over a Tay on a motorbike.
Naw, they wouldn't dare mess with you......" (THIS I KNOW from
experience [see story above]) BUT, BUT....NO, I have NEVER heard of ANY sort of organised blitz by the police specifically targeted at foreigners.....nope......

- You CAN ACTUALLY BUY a motorbike as a foreigner (THIS I KNOW)

- BUT, I had been told by several people that, if it is a USED bike,
that OWNERSHIP ON PAPER (the "Blue Card") CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED TO YOU...and if it is a NEW bike,
then legally, YOU CAN be registered as the official owner....but it is
a METRIC TON of red tape. (THIS I *THINK* to be correct)

- You MUST have insurance on the bike. You can get it easily (just
ask at a major Petromex gas station or a larger sporting goods store).
It is SUPPOSED to cover your medical expenses up to, like, 30,000,000
Dong or some s**t like that, but, as with U.S. insurance......don't
hold your breath on them actually covering your claim! Also, DO NOT pay more than 130,000 Dong for a year's worth of coverage. (THIS I
KNOW....except the part about them failing to actually cover your
claim - THAT is what I *THINK* to be correct from what I had been told,
soooo......).

- The legal limit for any motorbike in Viet Nam is 150cc engine size (THIS is what I *THINK* to be correct, based on what I have seen and on what people have told me)

REALLY hope this helps!

-Ernie-

[Edited: 17:26 - ESL ExPat - Additional info/disclaimer]

votinh76

andy
Post Count: 1

Msg: #23 5 weeks ago, October 30th 2009

mrmook, have you ever been to Vietnam? HAHAHA are you kidding? Come on folks Vietnam is not that scary, I live half my life there, after growing up in the States. I ride, I work, I play there, and the police will accept a CA license all the time, no questions asked (Even when I got into an accident). Never gave me any problems, Hell Brad Pitt rode when he and his wife was back there!!!!!

Bottrop

Bottrop
Post Count: 2

Msg: #24 5 weeks ago, October 30th 2009

I dont think you need insurance on a bike - I was there for a year and rode Hanoi to saigon and all over the place with no insurance. I got stopped by the police just once - I showed my bike ownership card (which was in a vietnamese woman's name) and was told to go on my way.

As for buying a bike - yeah, the only way you will get a vietnamese price is if you get a vietnamese to buy the bike for you (i.e. you dont even go into the shop or near the seller or the price will instantly quadruple!). As for repairs; there are repair shops everywhere. Some will try to rip you off but many will charge the local going rate.

Over all the vietnamese are a friendly bunch - but they're also a nation of complete liars! In fact one of the first words you learn after hello, goodbye, thank you is the word 'Sao' (I dont know how to spell it properly) which means 'Liar!'

P4p3Rc1iP

S.
Post Count: 1

Msg: #25 24 days ago, November 15th 2009

Me and a mate have been riding from Saigon to Hanoi over the past 2 weeks on Minsks. We are in Hai Phong at the moment.

We didn't take the easy tourist route along the coast, but instead went over the Ho Chi Minh "highway" through the central highlands. It's been an absolutely amazing trip, with some of the most amazing landscapes and road's we've ever seen! The people have been brilliant, they smile and wave, and all the schoolkids you pass by say "Hello! What's your name?!". Most people don't speak english and haven't seen a white man since the war, yet they're some of the nicest people we've ever met. You'd better take a dictionary if you want to be able to order food or try to find a hotel, let alone talk to anyone!

We crossed over to the coast to see Hue and the old ruins, which turned out to be a bit dissapointing; they weren't that great, and the tennis court right in the middle of it is a sore spot to the eye... From there we went on Highway 1 up to Hanoi, and as said before, we're in Hai Phong at the moment. Tomorrow we'll be going to Cat Ba Island for some hiking and biking, and then from there to Hanoi. There we plan to sell the bikes.

If anyone is interested, we will have both for sale by about the 20th of November.

They're both in good condition, one is a little customized. It's been given a bit of a chopper look with a new army green paintjob, a spring seat, saddlebags, and an old Russian rocket launcher for the exhaust!
The other one is basically standard, red colour and with the word Minsk (in Russian letters, looks kinda like "MNchk") on the side. Has new tires and new spokes.

Both are good runners and in good condition. They come with tools, Repair manual, spare parts, map, ponchos (to keep you and your stuff dry), bungee cords, 1 helmet, and a lot of <snip>, or post here if you're interested.

Safe travels!
S.

[Edited: 17:25 - Rat on the Road - If you want to exchange personal messages please do so via the PM system, not by hidden email addresses. Thanks. p.s. I'm also in Haiphong. ]

vietnamtraveldepot

Vu Ngoc Anh Thu
Post Count: 8

Msg: #26 20 days ago, November 19th 2009

for sure, google about local travel agencies who organize motorbike tours, then ask them to give you some advices. I think it's the best way and legal safety!

system

TravelBlog System User
Post Count: 937

Msg: #27 1 day ago, December 8th 2009

1 posts moved to this new topic: I m travelling with my Mings bought in Hanoi towards Saigon.

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