Legal to Own/Ride Customized Motorcycle in HCMC?

yeah, the feedback is dont do it.  u will get caught and fined.  u are not above the law in vn, so dont break any laws in vn please.  be a good citizen.

Young blood!
You should think more to make your own motor bike.

I don't like being a cop magnet.

Then drop the idea of customizing your ride.  Your wife is dead-on about Vietnamese laws.  It is best to stay away from these cops:  they are also the judge, the jury and the executioners...

I placed a sticker on my forks tat say"HELL WITH HOW THEY DO IT IN CALIFORNIA".  No police problem...

Everything is legal if you have some dong on yah !

Thanks for the advice, all.  A customized moto is more trouble than it is worth.

What about something simple such as a stock body moto like a Honda Benly or Cub with an engine upgrade?  Would that be more reasonable/less risky?  I don't have a VN license, and I let my California license expire a year ago (dumb move).

I wouldn't toy with the engine either.  It is just not worth it to me. 

The Cubs are fine.  But when it comes to the Benleys, you must really verify the authenticity of their paperworks.  They were all smuggled into Vietnam, from Cambodia.  The Vietnamese cops know this, so they do stop you occasionally for verifications.  Not having a Vietnamese license does not help, if you want to get on one of the Benleys.

The motorbike licence is not all that hard to get, nowaday.  I think you should try to get one before you want to do any of the fore-mentioned..

nickuscdds1 wrote:

yeah, the feedback is dont do it.  u will get caught and fined.  u are not above the law in vn, so dont break any laws in vn please.  be a good citizen.

Its also illegal to use the horn excessively, drive on the footpath, drive without a hemet, drive on the wrong side of the road, it doesnt stop the locals from doing all these.

My wife has been ticketed twice in the last year for no helmet, both within 4 blocks of our house.

The only place you ever really see a police presence in Vung Tau on a normal basis is along 30/4 street.  You never see them where you know they are needed, like along front beach in the evening when the kids are racing.

Dang, Howie, I should have asked you first.  Now I have to sell a moto...  Owell.  Live and learn.  I can hardly speak survival Vietnamese. I doubt that I can pass the written exam.



@colin, Don: Yup, it's that blatant disregard for the rules by the general population, and the selective enforcement of said rules by the authorities that makes me second guess things.

I will say, from experience, that it's OK (legal? - I don't know)to change the color / color scheme of some of the stock parts on a motorbike as long as you don't change the parts themselves. I had the "carbon-fiber" effect done to several of the parts on my bike (not the cheap Wave I have now) several years back. Changing the mirrors themselves is also common, and if illegal, then about 98% of everyone here is illegal.

There seems to be a market for altered bikes here, just looking through Craiglist there is always a few ads for bikes that have been customised. I think the police dont care so much about it, what they should be concentrating on is the reckless driving of bustruck and car drivers. Again another two bus accidents over the weekend,when will it ever stop.

colinoscapee wrote:

I think the police dont care so much about it, what they should be concentrating on is the reckless driving of bustruck and car drivers. Again another two bus accidents over the weekend,when will it ever stop.

Since when did the police here ever care about anything other than collecting their cut from the hapless masses at the side of the road?

Well that was my point, they dont care about road safety, just how much can they put in their pockets.

^You were quoted because I agree, not because I wanted to rebut. And you didn't mention the street money in your post.

Ok, I just presumed people would read between the lines in relation to the money.

I do see many bikes with aftermarket lights, decals, and other stuff.  That is pretty normal.  I just don't want to be singled out.

Car, bus, and truck drivers here are scary.  In general, people drive like rageholic, tailgating retards.  I guess that doesn't matter as much as not having coffee money.

Aquameo wrote:

Car, bus, and truck drivers here are scary.

Don't forget about taxis. The last 4 or 5 accidents I've seen in and around the city involved taxis. Be very wary of taxis when riding your motorbike, custom or otherwise.

Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing a couple of taxi accidents and many taxis with messed up bumpers.

I also think most of the local drivers learned to drive by riding in taxis and are becoming just as bad or worse than the taxi drivers

Agree, the taxis are lethal. Here in VT they do what they want as the cops are too busy sleeping.Outside the ferry terminal they park in all three lanes, therefore you have to drive on the wrong side of the road to get around them.