How to travel in Vietnam on a purchased motorcycle

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This article will not be about traveling around Vietnam on rented motorbikes or scooters, this is written in a separate article - rent a motorcycle and car in Vietnam. We will talk below about the practical aspects of buying a real motorcycle in Vietnam on legal grounds, and traveling on it in Vietnam, as well as in neighboring countries Laos or Cambodia.

Despite the apparent complexity, buying a motorcycle and making a Moto trip to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia will not be difficult. The most important thing for this is to be able to manage two – wheeled vehicles well. Moreover, we are not talking about the usual scooter Automata or semi-Automata that can be rented at any resort in Southeast Asia. For long-distance travel, it is better to purchase a device with a fully manual gearbox, since they are more reliable and easier to repair. And now about everything in order:

How to buy a motorcycle in Vietnam, prices

Buying a motorcycle by foreign tourists in Vietnam is a fairly common thing, and locals have long been selling and buying used motorcycles specifically for this purpose. For sale are offered, as a rule, Honda motorcycles. The Honda Win model is especially popular, and it is better to buy it, because it is a very reliable and easily repaired device that can be repaired even in the most remote wilderness. Do not chase other brands, and even more so for semi-automatic or automatic.

Motorcycle sales in Vietnam

In the "manual" devices there is no compartment for storing things, as in automatic scooters, so you can often find them on sale with an already prepared homemade trunk and a set of elastic bands for fastening as a gift.

The price of motorcycles starts from $ 200, but for a good one you will have to pay up to 500. But do not chase a new and expensive device, it will not give you a big advantage. Therefore, focus on the real price of 250-300 dollars. At the end of the trip, you can sell a motorcycle for 50-100 dollars cheaper.

To buy/sell, it is not necessary to visit government agencies and change license plates. The simplest option is that with the purchase you are given documents for a motorcycle (pts card), and a contract of sale or at least a receipt so that the former owner does not declare the device wanted as stolen.

Before making a purchase decision, carefully inspect and check the device, not trusting only the words of the seller. Be sure to do a test ride, including on rough roads and uphill. Since you will almost certainly buy it in the city, you can try to ride with a ride on the sidewalks and through the curbs, because all the same here all motorcyclists calmly ride along the pedestrian part of the road. Also, do not forget to check the numbers in the documents with the real ones (frame number and registration number).

Where to buy

The most convenient cities for buying or selling motorcycles are Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, because here are the main airports of the country. In these cities, in tourist areas right on the street there are many points for their sale (usually combined with rental points), so it will not be difficult to find. They also buy motorcycles from tourists. If you go to Laos or Cambodia, you can sell a motorcycle there.

• Hanoi many motorcycles are sold in the tourist area (Old Town, see districts of Hanoi), especially on Pho Ma May Street. A good used motorcycle shop with a selection of several models is located near the Old Town at Ham Tu Quan, 95. outside the tourist area, you can buy motorcycles cheaper, but there are markets and shops focused more on local, and there are no problems with the language barrier. For example, you can try visiting a large used motorcycle salon at Chua Ha, Dich Vong,76.
• Ho Chi Minh City you can start your search from the tourist area and around Bentan market (see areas in Ho Chi Minh City). If you do not get there, you can contact any hostel or guesthouse, they will help you there.
• in other cities of Vietnam you can use popular bulletin boards - https://vietnam.craigslist.org, http://www.expat.com/, or a Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/vietnambackpackersales/. There you can find both private ads of other tourists, and contacts and addresses of shops.

Where to sell

You can sell in the same stores and markets where they are sold, or through a bulletin board. Usually from the sale you will get $ 100-150 lower than you paid when buying. Sometimes when buying you can give the addresses of stores where you can sell them on the other side of the country, and even the price will be immediately negotiated.

What rights are needed

Fearless foreign tourist driving a motorbike in Vietnam

Since 2014, in Vietnam, it is possible to drive vehicles with an international driving license (IDP) that meets the requirements of the Vienna Convention on road traffic. Previously, it was necessary to obtain only temporary local rights.

Idi can be obtained in the traffic police of the Russian Federation on the basis of existing national (i.e. ordinary Russian) rights without exams. You just need to apply to the traffic police or MFC, pay a fee of 1600 rubles, and get ready-made IDUs. It is even more convenient and cheaper to issue them on the website of the state service.registration and payment is fully online, the discount when paying will be 30%, i.e. you will pay 1120 rubles instead of 1600. The traffic police will have to visit to get ready-made Rights. But do not forget that IDUs are valid only upon presentation of national rights, i.e. you need to take both documents on a trip.

Categories of vehicles in the IDU are exactly the same as in the National IDU. What is important, to control a motorcycle or even a low-power scooter, you definitely need Category A. Therefore, take care in advance of opening the desired category, and only then issue an IDP.

Of course, it is impossible not to take into account the local realities of the country. Many police officers still do not know the new laws or pretend not to know, and act in the old-fashioned way, trying to take a fine from tourists or a bribe for driving without a license. You should be prepared for such a development of the situation and prove your case. To do this, it does not hurt to carry a printout of the following law in Vietnamese:

• Law on the recognition of Idi in Vietnam
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How to cross the border with Cambodia and Laos

By and large, if the motorcycle is not stolen, you can easily leave Vietnam for one of these countries or even both, including it will be possible to leave Laos for Cambodia or vice versa. But not all border checkpoints produce motorcycles, somewhere it even depends on the region for which it is listed (indicated on the license plate). It is better to check with the seller about such details, but of course keep in mind that sellers can deceive. But even if you are not released at one border crossing, you can go to another and try there.

Where and how to refuel a motorcycle

Refueling in Vietnam

Motorbikes 92 or 95 are fueled with gasoline. It is designated in Vietnam in the same way as in our country - just numbers.

It is better to refuel at large gas stations, the same as ours. Service personnel work at gas stations, who themselves refuel your equipment. They are also given money for refueling, you do not need to go to the checkout.

The cost of a liter of gasoline in Vietnam - from 21 000 VND (approximately 0.82 USD, see Vietnam's currency and exchange rate).

A little about traffic and rules in Vietnam

It should be understood that a motorcycle is the most dangerous type of wheeled transport, and in Vietnam it is doubly dangerous. Traffic in France is very chaotic, almost no one follows the rules, everyone climbs on the oncoming lane, no one ever misses pedestrians.

Nevertheless, the movement as a whole is slow and not so dangerous, it is easy to adapt to it. Most importantly, restrain yourself and do not drive, do not exceed the average flow rate.

There are a lot of equivalent intersections that do not look equivalent at all. At such intersections, even the locals do not always know who should be allowed to pass (and those on the right should be allowed to pass), and everyone merges into a single stream and somehow leaves. The advice here is one: at each intersection, be extremely careful and let everyone pass. In general, there are almost no "Main road" and "Make way" priority signs here, and priority is usually determined by the "Intersection with secondary road" or "Secondary Road junction" signs that are installed well in advance of the intersection.

When entering and driving on the "Rings", there is also a rule to let everyone on the right pass, even when you are moving on the ring. And the Vietnamese are very fond of organizing one-way traffic, so carefully watch the signs "traffic is prohibited" (" brick").

And yet, motorcycle drivers should always go on the right side of the road. At any moment, a bus or truck can jump out on the road, and he does not care that a motorcycle is riding on the oncoming lane, he will just signal you to get out of the way. Therefore, it is better to always keep the right side. In some places, by the way, a separate lane is allocated for motorcycles, and on some roads, motorcyclists are forbidden by signs to go to the second lane and beyond.

And finally, one more tip for safe driving on a motorcycle in Vietnam: remember that the most important button on a motorcycle is a beep. In Vietnam, everyone honks on the roads, and not just because they are in a hurry somewhere. Since there are enough careless drivers and pedestrians on the roads who, moreover, do not know the rules, everyone honks to warn about their movement. And do not be modest: honk in any case, when it seems that the situation on the road may threaten. This will really help make traffic safer.

You should also be aware of some of the features of local traffic rules regarding movement on a motorcycle (also a motorcycle or scooter), for which you can be fined:

• No more than two passengers are allowed.
• The speed limit is not more than 40 km / h in the city, and 60 km/h outside the city. Speed is measured by radar, as in Russia.
• There is a penalty for an untidy retractable stand (footrest, or side stop) for parking.
• It is forbidden to sound the alarm at night.
• Aggressive driving in the form of frequent lane changes is prohibited.
• It is forbidden to talk on the phone while driving.
• Driving without a helmet is prohibited. Although the fine is small, only 30,000 VND, but this way you will attract the attention of the police, and they will surely "turn all your documents inside out" to find more violations.
• Do not place motorcycles when driving on the roadway next to each other, if this prevents the passage of other vehicles. For example, if you want to ride poison with your friends to have a little chat, you might get fined. You need to go only in a chain, one after the other, and not side by side.
• Do not tow or push the bike.
• You can't ride on one wheel.