Motorcycle Import

Only if you bought it new and it has less than 10.000km that if I remember right.. and I think it can only be less than 5 years old.

And if im not wrong you would still have to pay taxes from that bike, unless you have diplomatic status?

Forget about it. Save your money and get a local Honda or Yamaha motorbike like regular people! 

I believe bikes over 175cc get more attention from police, and require an A2 license that has a written test in Vietnamese and a driving test.  Maybe someone can confirm this. Personally I find the few big bikes annoying and too loud on Nguyen Van Linh and Vo Van Kiet. Speed limit is 40km anyway in the city.

Here is an old post about A2 licenses. You might search for more posts.

Speedlimit??  and personally I haven't notice that police would be interested more of me when i ride 1000cc than when I ride 125cc...

You can transfer you foreign licence to A2..

Gogot #3 - thanks for the informative link.

Wald0 wrote:

You can transfer you foreign licence to A2..

Whoa didn't know that, thx! Something on my list to do is get a license.

Thanks for the reply Gobot I already have my A2 licence I transferred my Australian licence last year and we don't plan on living in the city thats why I'm looking into a big bike. My wife and I plan on traveling alot and from my past rides around Vietnam the smaller bikes are very uncomfortable on long trips.
Thanks again for your help I'll just keep doing more research but I think in the end it will work more expensive to import.
Cheers.

Territorian wrote:

I'll just keep doing more research but I think in the end it will work more expensive to import.
Cheers.

Agree.  It becomes more so (if) it actually(?) arrives sans engine and other bits...   
..and Insurance NEVER pays...     

So yeah, research this idea (very) well...   

I'm trying to locate current information on how the ASEAN agreement will be changing the import rules for motor scooters and motorcycles.

I wished I bookmarked a site that mentioned in January 2019 that importing vehicles into Vietnam was going to become even more relaxed. 

I have a Honda Forza that I bought new in 2013 in Thailand and am trying to learn if it is feasible/ affordable to bring it with us when we move to VN?

Does anyone know if there are any agents or attorneys who specialize in this type of information?

Appreciate any info...

Let me speak s l o w l y   s o  everyone understands:
If it was C H E A P E R to import your own bike in to Vietnam, everyone would do it.

And it's not really a Vietnam thing, virtually all countries are the same.

The locals are never as stupid as some seem to imply.

Wxx3 wrote:

Let me speak s l o w l y   s o  everyone understands:
If it was C H E A P E R to import your own bike in to Vietnam, everyone would do it.

And it's not really a Vietnam thing, virtually all countries are the same.

The locals are never as stupid as some seem to imply.

At the same time you needed to write this condescending text, you could have posted something that would help Thai_FX.  Apparently you know something about this topic.

Sorry, but with a minimum of looking, one can find many posts on importing things to Vietnam.
So when OP posts a question that has been asked and answered many times, I wonder about the real motive.

But, you're right, it was more in response to the many questions on this forum, that take the manner of, "I'm smarter than the locals, so I should be able to do this".

Giving the OP the benefit of the doubt, here is a less condescending answer:

Yes, it can be done, but for more money than buying an imported bike or anything already imported. Rules and Regulations are purposely set that way, otherwise everyone would be doing it, if they could undercut the local importer. My GF certainly would be!

Also, not unique to Vietnam, virtually every country is the same.

Wxx3 wrote:

Sorry, but with a minimum of looking, one can find many posts on importing things to Vietnam.
So when OP posts a question that has been asked and answered many times,

Sorry, most questions have already been asked and answered elsewhere in this forum (see visa questions).

You can also search the internet for days.

But this forum is there to ask questions or share experiences.


Quote:
There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.

If you ask, you express that you don't know something, but want to know it.  That can't be stupid.
However, those who answer should have an idea of what they are talking about.  Unfortunately, this is often not the case.  So it comes to stupid answers.

Hi Andy,

I like your positive attitude, thank you.

If I learn about how this ASEAN agreement could change things I will post the information for others to benifit.

I tried to do the same as you two years ago and gave up. All the advice received from various sites was, generally speaking, "it's cheaper to sell the bike in Thailand and buy again in Vietnam." Also, I couldn't find any import/export freight company or agent that could handle this, not even to give me a quote. I found a road freight company that does regular two-way traffic transporting various import/export goods between the two countries and they weren't interested. Finally, and I stand to be corrected here, it seems that VN prohibits 2nd hand bike imports unless you're coming in with an official work permit although it seems some tourists do manage to get around this at some land borders. If ASEAN has changed something then that may be your only hope unless you have a work permit.

Hello FforestFach,

Thank you for sharing your experience, it is beginning to look that way.
I did contact a attorney in HCMC just to see what is involved, if anything at all.

But finding a shipping company seems next to impossible, so I'm of the belief not much will change any time soon.

Well not going to let a possession stop my transition, unfortunately don't see many mid sized scooters available that would good for touring in Vietnam. Closest thing that I have seen is the Honda SH 300 and I've seen some used. Selling the Forza should cover buying a used SH 300 in VN.

Thanks again,

Thai_FX

I've seen videos of people driving their Viet bikes into Cambodia and back with no great problem. I'm inclined to believe a bike could be driven to VN from Thailand with relative ease. Do you need a permit to drive a Thai bike across Cambodia?
The difficulty you are experiencing must mean guards on both borders must be very thorough and pretty tough.
That makes me think the real problem is registration and not shipping. The taxes must be terribly high to do that.
Is there a procedure for registering a bike and how much does it cost?

We seem to have a problem with our border. Perhaps the U.S. needs to hire some Vietnamese border guards.  Or maybe we need to give our existing guards automatic weapons like theirs.

Jim-Minh wrote:

I've seen videos of people driving their Viet bikes into Cambodia and back with no great problem. I'm inclined to believe a bike could be driven to VN from Thailand with relative ease.
That makes me think the real problem is registration and not shipping. The taxes must be terribly high to do that.
Is there a procedure for registering a bike and how much does it cost?

I think a motorcycle which is not registered in Vietnam has to undergo a type test according to Vietnamese road traffic law.  And this will probably be very complicate and expensive.

Territorian wrote:

G'day fellow Expats
I'm thinking of importing a new bike to Vietnam from Australia when my Vietnamese wife and I move there later this year and I was wondering if anyone on this forum has had any experience with this sort of thing. I have been pricing some bikes in HCMC and due to the import duties it's quite expensive so thought I might look at importing my own bike.  Would really appreciate some advice if any one has any.
Cheers

Have you ridden a scooter in VN? If you're importing a big bike, you are going to have a tough time in the crazy traffic maneuvering around other scooters and cars. Also with the expense of shipping, meeting requirements, taxes, inspections,... you might regret the decision.

There is a Ducati dealer in Saigon.  Sell your bike and buy a Ducati locally, can't go wrong.  https://www.ducativietnam.com/saigon-office/

Following the thread with interest as I have hoped to import a bike I currently own. I plan on frequent visits of longer duration prior to eventually residing in Vietnam. I have local friends who could keep the bike for me in Vietnam during intervals when I am back in the US. My question is if there might be any advantage to importing the bike as a "gift" to my local friend? I understand duty / import fees will still be considerable, and perhaps not worth it. I'm just trying to find out if the gift status would make the process any easier...reduce red tape as they say. Thanks a million!

Brooky wrote:

Following the thread with interest as I have hoped to import a bike I currently own. I plan on frequent visits of longer duration prior to eventually residing in Vietnam. I have local friends who could keep the bike for me in Vietnam during intervals when I am back in the US. My question is if there might be any advantage to importing the bike as a "gift" to my local friend? I understand duty / import fees will still be considerable, and perhaps not worth it. I'm just trying to find out if the gift status would make the process any easier...reduce red tape as they say. Thanks a million!

Nope. Best to sell there and buy here,its easier.

  You can't get there from here.

Those 6 words will answer any questions or wonderfully thought out idea you may have about:
Buying an apartment as an investment.
Importing anything that will not fit in your suitcase.

Now if you think you are smarter than the average bear, because you heard someone did something with someone. 
Let me just say that if it's possible or such a good deal than a Vietnamese would be doing it.
Because they have been doing it for 10,000 years and we just got here yesterday.

Brooky wrote:

My question is if there might be any advantage to importing the bike as a "gift" to my local friend? I understand duty / import fees will still be considerable, and perhaps not worth it. I'm just trying to find out if the gift status would make the process any easier...reduce red tape as they say.

Here's the answer to your gift question:

"Pursuant to Clause 2, Article 16 of the Export and Import Tax Law, Article 8 of the Government's Decree No. 134/2016 / ND-CP of September 1, 2016, gifts of foreign organizations/individuals for Vietnamese organizations/individuals that have custom values ​​not exceeding VND 2,000,000 or custom values ​​of over VND 2,000,000 but with total payable tax amounts of under VND 200,000 shall be exempt.

For goods without contracts/commercial invoices and values, or if there are grounds to determine inappropriate declaration values, customs offices shall determine custom values ​​according to the valuation principles and methods prescribed in Articles 8 - 12 of Circular No. 39/2015 / TT-BTC of March 25, 2015 of the Ministry of Finance."

In short, if the commercial or custom values of the gifted bike is under 2M, then the recipient doesn't have to pay import tax.  If it's above that or if the commercial value invoice is missing, Custom Office will decide on the amount of tax the recipient must pay to receive the gift.  My nephew (recently retired head of a tax department in Saigon) says custom duty fee for gifts over 2M is more than likely be the same as if the gifts were imported commercially.

Wxx3 wrote:

  You can't get there from here.

Those 6 words will answer any questions or wonderfully thought out idea you may have about:
Buying an apartment as an investment.
Importing anything that will not fit in your suitcase.

Now if you think you are smarter than the average bear, because you heard someone did something with someone. 
Let me just say that if it's possible or such a good deal than a Vietnamese would be doing it.
Because they have been doing it for 10,000 years and we just got here yesterday.

Importing anything that will not fit in your suitcase.


May I also add " If it needs a key and you can't  put the ownership paper work in your name don't buy it"

Rick