Motorbike

I'm a UK biker moving to VT next month and from what I've read here and elsewhere you have zero hope of getting a VN licence unless you speak Viet for a start, and the concept of motoring insurance as we know it in the West just doesn't apply. Pretty sure most of the locals don't have actual licences either, or worry about it.

My plan is:
1. Have decent healthcare / emergency medical insurance.
2. Rent bike and if stopped wave rental agreement and 50k VND notes at police until problem goes away.

Open to a better plan if anybody has one. 

Brick23 wrote:

I'm a UK biker moving to VT next month and from what I've read here and elsewhere you have zero hope of getting a VN licence unless you speak Viet for a start, and the concept of motoring insurance as we know it in the West just doesn't apply. Pretty sure most of the locals don't have actual licences either, or worry about it.

My plan is:
1. Have decent healthcare / emergency medical insurance.
2. Rent bike and if stopped wave rental agreement and 50k VND notes at police until problem goes away.

Open to a better plan if anybody has one. 

I would suggest you read the policy, you will find most insurers wont cover illegal activities such as riding without a license.

If you have a valid UK license for all sizes (engine displacement) of bikes, you can exchange it for an equivalent Vietnamese licence in Ba Ria by paying a nominal fee (I think it's around 130k)... no test. Then, you're 'legal'. Be prepared to wait several hours (take a book).

When you leave Vietnam, you can get your UK license back.

cruisemonkey wrote:

When you leave Vietnam, you can get your UK license back.

Wait a minute -  I know you said UK license but will I have to surrender my US license to get a Viet motorbike license?  That won't work for me.  I go back to the US every two months for a couple of weeks for work and I need my US license.

SteinNebraska wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

When you leave Vietnam, you can get your UK license back.

Wait a minute -  I know you said UK license but will I have to surrender my US license to get a Viet motorbike license?  That won't work for me.  I go back to the US every two months for a couple of weeks for work and I need my US license.

Not sure where he got that from.

No you dont hand over your home country license, it just needs to be translated and documented.

Even allowing for the arsenumbing wait, that sounds too good (and too cheap) to be true. What's the catch? Is the entrance to this mythical temple of bureaucratic efficiency guarded by giant poisonous devil-critters? 

colinoscapee wrote:

SteinNebraska wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

When you leave Vietnam, you can get your UK license back.

Wait a minute -  I know you said UK license but will I have to surrender my US license to get a Viet motorbike license?  That won't work for me.  I go back to the US every two months for a couple of weeks for work and I need my US license.

Not sure where he got that from.

No you dont hand over your home country license, it just needs to be translated and documented.

Sorry, it was a 'lost in translation' thing. Colinosapee is correct.

OP,
Even if/though you're an experienced rider, prepare for 'driving culture shock'. It may not appear to be so, but the Vietnamese have a 'system' for completely disobeying the rules of the road. It will take a while to figure it out. If you try to obey the rules of the road, you will cause an accident.

Brick23 wrote:

Even allowing for the arsenumbing wait, that sounds too good (and too cheap) to be true.

It's Vietnam... everything is cheap (even life), except: imported food and motorbikes over 170cc.

cruisemonkey wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

Even allowing for the arsenumbing wait, that sounds too good (and too cheap) to be true.

It's Vietnam... everything is cheap (even life), except: imported food and motorbikes over 170cc.

Dont forget the price of pizza.

colinoscapee wrote:

Not sure where he got that from.

No you dont hand over your home country license, it just needs to be translated and documented.

OK, good.  That one threw me for a loop.

I plan to stay for at least a year. Anyone bought a scooter and not rented? If so, any ideas of direction?

Try Craiglist, or get a local to help you with finding one on local classifieds.

Thanks for the quick reply. No clue Craig worked in Asia too.

Riskman wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply. No clue Craig worked in Asia too.

Craiglist Vietnam has been around for many years.

Brick23 wrote:

Even allowing for the arsenumbing wait...

Literally.

Probably have the stone or wooden chairs/benches.  Someone said 'take a book', I'm taking a cushion too.

sanooku wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

Even allowing for the arsenumbing wait...

Literally.

Probably have the stone or wooden chairs/benches.  Someone said 'take a book', I'm taking a cushion too.

I used my lawyer, his assistant took my UK licence, did all the leg work, a day later got a call to meet her at the licence place, got photo taken, signed some forms, took all of 15 minutes, 3 days later went to the lawyers office & picked up my new Vietnamese licence AND my UK licence. 150USD total. New Vietnamese licence covers exactly same as my UK licence, car & MB.
Points to note......my UK licence had until Nov 2020 to run & so has my Vietnamese licence.
This was done in HCMC by the way.

Riskman wrote:

I plan to stay for at least a year. Anyone bought a scooter and not rented? If so, any ideas of direction?

I own my MB bought it new, but its a drawn out process. Bought the bike & registered it in the name of the Vietnamese dealer.
Then the paperwork started through my lawyer. Eventually had to go to a notary office to have a document signed, fingerprinted & in triplicate witnessed by the lawyers assistant, dealer & myself to say that the bike was transferred to me legally to do what I wanted with it including selling it.

Not sure but think if you have a TRC you can have it registered directly in your name.

colinoscapee wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

I'm a UK biker moving to VT next month and from what I've read here and elsewhere you have zero hope of getting a VN licence unless you speak Viet for a start, and the concept of motoring insurance as we know it in the West just doesn't apply. Pretty sure most of the locals don't have actual licences either, or worry about it.

My plan is:
1. Have decent healthcare / emergency medical insurance.
2. Rent bike and if stopped wave rental agreement and 50k VND notes at police until problem goes away.

Open to a better plan if anybody has one. 

I would suggest you read the policy, you will find most insurers wont cover illegal activities such as riding without a license.

Bathing while riding a motorbike is illegal too:
https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/a … ral/545112

sanooku wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

I'm a UK biker moving to VT next month and from what I've read here and elsewhere you have zero hope of getting a VN licence unless you speak Viet for a start, and the concept of motoring insurance as we know it in the West just doesn't apply. Pretty sure most of the locals don't have actual licences either, or worry about it.

My plan is:
1. Have decent healthcare / emergency medical insurance.
2. Rent bike and if stopped wave rental agreement and 50k VND notes at police until problem goes away.

Open to a better plan if anybody has one. 

I would suggest you read the policy, you will find most insurers wont cover illegal activities such as riding without a license.

Bathing while riding a motorbike is illegal too:
https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/a … ral/545112

Actually, there is no law prohibiting bathing while riding motorbike. 

Makes sense I suppose, because law statutes would run in to pages and pages, prohibiting from the mundane (e.g. washing dishes while riding) to the down right audacious (e.g. cutting cheese, cooking).

So, the two men were charged for riding without motorcycle helmets.

I wonder if they had all the papers in order and the motorbike had read view mirrors, would this have meant they would not have committed any offense?

Surely, there's an offense similar to 'driving without due care and attention' in Vietnam?

sanooku wrote:

Surely, there's an offense similar to 'driving without due care and attention' in Vietnam?

If there is, 99.9999999% of all drivers are guilty. 

sanooku wrote:

sanooku wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I would suggest you read the policy, you will find most insurers wont cover illegal activities such as riding without a license.

Bathing while riding a motorbike is illegal too:
https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/a … ral/545112

Actually, there is no law prohibiting bathing while riding motorbike. 

Makes sense I suppose, because law statutes would run in to pages and pages, prohibiting from the mundane (e.g. washing dishes while riding) to the down right audacious (e.g. cutting cheese, cooking).

So, the two men were charged for riding without motorcycle helmets.

I wonder if they had all the papers in order and the motorbike had read view mirrors, would this have meant they would not have committed any offense?

Surely, there's an offense similar to 'driving without due care and attention' in Vietnam?

i recon there should be a law against gobbing up spit & blowing snot from your nose when riding a bike. I just spent 2 hours dodging snot & spit all the way from Cai Be to HCMC. YUK

cruisemonkey wrote:

sanooku wrote:

Surely, there's an offense similar to 'driving without due care and attention' in Vietnam?

If there is, 99.9999999% of all drivers are guilty. 

One hand holding handle bar, one hand holding dead chicken upside down is a classic.

At least it's not a live chicken I suppose. 

sanooku wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

sanooku wrote:

Surely, there's an offense similar to 'driving without due care and attention' in Vietnam?

If there is, 99.9999999% of all drivers are guilty. 

One hand holding handle bar, one hand holding dead chicken upside down is a classic.

At least it's not a live chicken I suppose. 

Alive & dead, seen both!!

For people who want to actually know the VN traffic law, I have the "Law No. 23/2008/QH12 of November 13, 2008, on road traffic" in English.  There have been a few revisions, but the bulk is still correct.

I would post it in TXT and DOCX format somewhere for download if someone gives me a clue as to where.

Travelfar wrote:

For people who want to actually know the VN traffic law, I have the "Law No. 23/2008/QH12 of November 13, 2008, on road traffic" in English.  There have been a few revisions, but the bulk is still correct.

I would post it in TXT and DOCX format somewhere for download if someone gives me a clue as to where.

Maybe you mean this?

vanbanphapluat. co/law-no-23-2008-qh12-of-november-13-2008-on-road-traffic

unionjack wrote:

sanooku wrote:

cruisemonkey wrote:

If there is, 99.9999999% of all drivers are guilty. 

One hand holding handle bar, one hand holding dead chicken upside down is a classic.

At least it's not a live chicken I suppose. 

Alive & dead, seen both!!

Was it strapped to the handle bar like here:



Or was the rider holding it with one hand (left hand presumably)

p.s. not sure if the one above is alive.

Even better! 

Does anyone have any of the newer changes?

sanooku wrote:

p.s. not sure if the one above is alive.

Taking the liberty to go  since we are drifting into the topic of chickens live or dead, my wife tells me after her most recent trip, that a recent sanitation improvement in Vietnam is that you can no longer buy a live chicken and have it killed and cleaned by the seller.  You can still however bring the live chicken home and kill it yourself.  Is she right?  Alive instead of dead could have an impact on motorbike riding technique.   

unionjack wrote:

i recon there should be a law against gobbing up spit & blowing snot from your nose when riding a bike. I just spent 2 hours dodging snot & spit all the way from Cai Be to HCMC. YUK

Common problem. Trick is to drive the wrong side of the road.  That way no chance of getting drenched in snot, as the snot will be travelling in the same direction as you.

How do I know this. The other day I was being naughty and travelling a small distance the wrong way to reach the roundabout. Rider coming the opposite way (going the right way) takes hand off handle bar to take part of his mask off to spit, after spitting, puts mask back on. All the while riding with one hand.