Foreigners on motorbikes - good or bad?

Lots of foreigners ride bikes and there are risks but in reality if you are non aggressive and go with the flow and don't speed it manageable. The thing is around town one barely goes above 30Kph. Avoid large busy roads and peak times until you get the system in your head. At intersections that are busy stick with the other riders - there is strength in numbers. make sure you have Health/travel cover and a good helmet.

Thanks Gary, some very sensible advice there mate. I think many of the really bad stories I had heard mostly related to travelling between places, especially on the highways between Hanoi & HCM. One bloke said that he was very experienced and had got to the point of when (and how) he would come off the bike not IF...somewhat worrying i'm sure you'll agree. I've been to both Hanoi & HCM before and the sheer numbers of bikes is extraordinary, but as you say they don't really go that fast (mostly)...maybe I will try it in the cities, but town to town scares the bejaysus out of me so not even gonna consider it!

Shouldn't be a problem if you ride slower than flow of traffic and as far right that you can judge as safe. Key in riding in Vietnam is keeping your lines. It makes you predictable. So ride straight line and others will go around you. No road rage here so no pressure.

The experienced riders such as myself sometimes get bored of the above riding style and will ride faster and more to the center. That's just asking for trouble.

And lastly have fun!

Been riding motorbikes here for years, never had one single problem, I drive very carefully and know how the (sometime utter stupid) VNese drive.

But, what I really hate about foreigners driving here is if they have no license and think it is OK. I tell everyone, get a license or drive a 50CC or then take taxi/ xe om.

Yeah I agree with that.

Along these lines i need a new Helmet...where is the best place to go in D1 or D2?

Redmundial wrote:

Hi Everyone

I hope your all well.

I've been on the tripadvisor forum and there seems to be a constant outcry against foreigners driving motorbikes in VN. The general consensus there is that it's not legal, and very unsafe. I have to say based on their arguements I have started to turn away from the idea myself (initially I was very excited about the prospect).

So with this in mind I just wanted to get an idea of how many expats out there actually ride their own (or hired) bikes around regularly, is it as bad as people make out or just a lot of scare mongering from people who (probably rightly so) want to stop inexperienced riders from getting hurt or worse. Would anyone recommend me to get a bike when I'm there (either Hanoi or HCM) or should I stay clear and stick to public transport and motos.

Thanks for your responses!

Cheers
Eddie

redmundial,
There are several stages in the life of a foreigner driving a motorcycle in Vietnam,especially the big cities.

1. They come as a tourist and decide that it will be groovy to rent a bike to cruise around during their stay.
Easily recognized- driving dodgy Honda waves and going about 5 km/h while looking at every  single thing on the side of the road.

2. They are now officially an expat and have  one or more jobs,friends and favourite hang outs.
Easily recognized- driving restored Honda Cubs or Yamaha Nouvos and going as fast as the bike can go. Even the locals scatter with the new expats high speeds and traffic weaving.

3. They have become established in their community and have one main job with job security.Likely to be in a serious relationship.
Easily recognized- driving large scooters which they bought,  usually Honda LEAD,Honda SH,SYM Shark and driving more respectably but still pushy because hey , they're a local now.

4. They have been in Vietnam and driving long enough to have seen at least one body laying on the road with a serious bloody head wound or some poor soul trapped under a truck.
Easily recognized- driving well used and slightly beat up Honda LEAD,Yamaha Nouvo,Honda Airblade and
driving carefully with the flow of traffic and eyes on every single other vehicle within a 50 metre circumference.

So true

@jimbream

I gotta go along with your post mate.....

jimbream wrote:

Redmundial wrote:

Hi Everyone

I hope your all well.

I've been on the tripadvisor forum and there seems to be a constant outcry against foreigners driving motorbikes in VN. The general consensus there is that it's not legal, and very unsafe. I have to say based on their arguements I have started to turn away from the idea myself (initially I was very excited about the prospect).

So with this in mind I just wanted to get an idea of how many expats out there actually ride their own (or hired) bikes around regularly, is it as bad as people make out or just a lot of scare mongering from people who (probably rightly so) want to stop inexperienced riders from getting hurt or worse. Would anyone recommend me to get a bike when I'm there (either Hanoi or HCM) or should I stay clear and stick to public transport and motos.

Thanks for your responses!

Cheers
Eddie

redmundial,
There are several stages in the life of a foreigner driving a motorcycle in Vietnam,especially the big cities.

1. They come as a tourist and decide that it will be groovy to rent a bike to cruise around during their stay.
Easily recognized- driving dodgy Honda waves and going about 5 km/h while looking at every  single thing on the side of the road.

2. They are now officially an expat and have  one or more jobs,friends and favourite hang outs.
Easily recognized- driving restored Honda Cubs or Yamaha Nouvos and going as fast as the bike can go. Even the locals scatter with the new expats high speeds and traffic weaving.

3. They have become established in their community and have one main job with job security.Likely to be in a serious relationship.
Easily recognized- driving large scooters which they bought,  usually Honda LEAD,Honda SH,SYM Shark and driving more respectably but still pushy because hey , they're a local now.

4. They have been in Vietnam and driving long enough to have seen at least one body laying on the road with a serious bloody head wound or some poor soul trapped under a truck.
Easily recognized- driving well used and slightly beat up Honda LEAD,Yamaha Nouvo,Honda Airblade and
driving carefully with the flow of traffic and eyes on every single other vehicle within a 50 metre circumference.

This is hilarious, when I first read it I laughed and then decided I was going to jump straight to level 4 when I arrive...but lets be honest that's not gonna happen, people like your good self will be watching me driving a "dodgy Honda waves and going about 5 km/h" and thinking theres another FNG, although I'm experienced enough on the road to keep my eyes on it at the very least!

I wonder though, did you go through these stages yourself or is this purely observation?

Get a license, buy insurance. It is really cheap. Have fun! No worries. If you have ever been suicidal, Saigon traffic will make you homicidal...lol

Thanks man, lookin forward to it again now (i think)...have you any advice on gettin a licence? I heard it isnt that straightforward

ancientpathos wrote:

Get a license, buy insurance. It is really cheap. Have fun! No worries. If you have ever been suicidal, Saigon traffic will make you homicidal...lol

exactly, spot on!!!

jimbream wrote:

4. They have been in Vietnam and driving long enough to have seen at least one body laying on the road with a serious bloody head wound or some poor soul trapped under a truck.
Easily recognized- driving well used and slightly beat up Honda LEAD,Yamaha Nouvo,Honda Airblade and
driving carefully with the flow of traffic and eyes on every single other vehicle within a 50 metre circumference.

You should add "every other vehicle plus obstacle (moving or still)".

I was thinking about your post. As a long timer here, I find the most dangerous things are usually the changes on streets and routes that you're traveling daily/frequently. You always have to expect the unexpected, even right in front your doorstep. The worst is rainy season when you don't see the obstacles which are hidden under the muddy water. To newcomers I always recommend to follow behind another motorbike when the roads are flooded. Observe the vehicle in front and you'll see if there's any "obstacle" like a bump, hole etc...

Good or bad?? thats like saying Vietnamese on bike good or bad thing..

I just got back home from my trip to south. 2500km more or less, maybe even more as we did ride in the cities too.
never felt unsafe, not even on QL1A between Da Nang and Nha Trang.. that road is horrible! 500km and 11hours!

Get a license, its cheap.. 135.000vnd or International driving permit.

For me driving feels safe if I go faster than rest of them, I really hate people overtaking me.. most times.

snake77 wrote:

jimbream wrote:

4. They have been in Vietnam and driving long enough to have seen at least one body laying on the road with a serious bloody head wound or some poor soul trapped under a truck.
Easily recognized- driving well used and slightly beat up Honda LEAD,Yamaha Nouvo,Honda Airblade and
driving carefully with the flow of traffic and eyes on every single other vehicle within a 50 metre circumference.

You should add "every other vehicle plus obstacle (moving or still)".

I was thinking about your post. As a long timer here, I find the most dangerous things are usually the changes on streets and routes that you're traveling daily/frequently. You always have to expect the unexpected, even right in front your doorstep. The worst is rainy season when you don't see the obstacles which are hidden under the muddy water. To newcomers I always recommend to follow behind another motorbike when the roads are flooded. Observe the vehicle in front and you'll see if there's any "obstacle" like a bump, hole etc...

Oh yeah.The obstacles!
Even when it's not raining.

The clown who loses his unstrapped helmet,stops and wanders  into the middle of traffic to retrieve it.
The Mum and Dad with their 3 kids stopping traffic because junior dropped his 20'000D toy on the road.
Etc etc.

People who come here short term on holidays and ride and give reports that it wasnt so bad is different to riding here day in day out. The locals dont obey rules,they are in a big hurry at lunch time,many dont have licenses(thats why you see them sitting up the road from police stops)they have no understanding about turning their head to the left or consequence.

If the VN government made the testing system in English, Im sure most expats would obtain a license.

colinoscapee wrote:

People who come here short term on holidays and ride and give reports that it wasnt so bad is different to riding here day in day out. The locals dont obey rules,they are in a big hurry at lunch time,many dont have licenses(thats why you see them sitting up the road from police stops)they have no understanding about turning their head to the left or consequence.

If the VN government made the testing system in English, Im sure most expats would obtain a license.

Hey Colin,
I found the new Viet face guard for Motorbikes.
Compulsory for all riders.

Nearly the same as the floppy hats and hoodies the women wear.

colinoscapee wrote:

People who come here short term on holidays and ride and give reports that it wasnt so bad is different to riding here day in day out. The locals dont obey rules,they are in a big hurry at lunch time,many dont have licenses(thats why you see them sitting up the road from police stops)they have no understanding about turning their head to the left or consequence.

If the VN government made the testing system in English, Im sure most expats would obtain a license.

So at present is it difficult for an expat to get a licence to drive legally in VN? No doubt this would impact on insurability too

If you can read and write Vietnamese its not a problem, but most expats cant so it does make it difficult to obtain a legal license.

Redmundial wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

People who come here short term on holidays and ride and give reports that it wasnt so bad is different to riding here day in day out. The locals dont obey rules,they are in a big hurry at lunch time,many dont have licenses(thats why you see them sitting up the road from police stops)they have no understanding about turning their head to the left or consequence.

If the VN government made the testing system in English, Im sure most expats would obtain a license.

So at present is it difficult for an expat to get a licence to drive legally in VN? No doubt this would impact on insurability too

No, well.. if you have license from another country you can just transfer it to Vietnamese one, thats what I did.. mind you that I did drive 2 years without vietnamese license and gave my european license if they asked...
Currently ou need to have motorycle license to get A1 even tranferred, but I know one guy in HCMC who still can get it to tranferred using only car license.

If you have motorcycle license from your home country you can have it transferred over to Vietnamese driver's license.

If not that's the difficult part. You'll need to take the written test which is in Vietnamese.

Watch for bicyclist too. They'll do suicidal left turns from the curb without turning their heads or wobble their bikes. And of course the ones coming straight at you in the far right lane.

Something else to watch out for... lol

Beware! You may get spit in your face while driving in Vietnam
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/27961/bew … in-vietnam

Thats why I wear a raincoat.

The common ones in Canada while riding are cigarette butts and windshield washer fluid to the face.  Oh and crunchy bugs.

In Vietnam I have to worry about getting clotheslined. They like to fly their kites standing on the road when there's so much empty undeveloped land.

Impressive, that's what comes into my mind reading through all of your comments.  Being a local girl and get used to riding motorbike while wearing short, tight skirt, high heels all the time, I have to admit that riding motorbike is not an easy task but it's quite interesting, especially if you want to enjoy a real Saigonese daily life and how we get entertained by street foods, famous coffee houses, restaurants in small alleys etc.

Keep in mind that if and I hope you are never involved in a accident while in Vietnam. Being right or wrong the one the police thinks has money will pay.

no one has motor bike insurance in VN; in fact not too many people have insurance for anything except perhaps health insurance.

Some Westerners on motor bikes drive as bad as the Vietnamese - careless, unconscious, reckless, high risk takers and no common sense for any rules (they just make up their own), the safety of others or how their poor judgement and irresponsible behavior can adversely impact other riders or pedestrians. Riding a motor bike in VN is most definitely a very dangerous experience and very careful vigilance, lots of patience and 360 degree "court vision" at all times must prevail. The Vietnamese people are terribly bad at considering or anticipating the results of their actions before they act and predictably unpredictable.There are no "rules of the road" as we all know exist in Western cultures but there is a "pecking order" - very large trucks and buses, then small trucks, cars, motor bikes, vender people and last pedestrians. (Actually, for whatever reason, people with disabilities and lottery ticket venders probably get more courtesy than anyone else). This is one reason that we see and hear of so many trucks stopping traffic because their arrogance and discourtesy to recognize anyone else on the road often are seen with a motor bike beneath their wheels. Truck drivers must have the lowest level of intellectual functioning, then bus drivers (who drive absolutely insanely wacky), taxi drivers who we love when using one but hate when we share the road with them and cars with drivers who actually have a permit to drive but, in fact, never really learned how to drive. Yes, there are many more stories out there and thousands that most of our motor-bike riding readers can attest to; so, yes, riding a bike anywhere in Vietnam may be a necessity for some of us and enjoyable sometimes but eminently dangerous and unsafe all the time.

Well, I have motorcycle insurance, you will need it if police stops you, of course it will not cover you or your motorcycle, it's third party insurance.

They have rules here, but they rely more to that bullying tactics than traffic rules, thats why i never avoid those people who run red lights. Its fun to watch them fall when they try to stop their bikes as they think you will not stop. But for some reason 1000cc CBR has better brakes;) so i can allways stop before them

Dr. G wrote:

no one has motor bike insurance in VN; in fact not too many people have insurance for anything except perhaps health insurance.

t

Thats actually not correct, you must pay for the basic insurance when you have a vechile. The cops will ask to see if its current.

Dr. G wrote:

Some Westerners on motor bikes drive as bad as the Vietnamese - careless, unconscious, reckless, high risk takers and no common sense for any rules (they just make up their own), the safety of others or how their poor judgement and irresponsible behavior can adversely impact other riders or pedestrians. Riding a motor bike in VN is most definitely a very dangerous experience and very careful vigilance, lots of patience and 360 degree "court vision" at all times must prevail. The Vietnamese people are terribly bad at considering or anticipating the results of their actions before they act and predictably unpredictable.There are no "rules of the road" as we all know exist in Western cultures but there is a "pecking order" - very large trucks and buses, then small trucks, cars, motor bikes, vender people and last pedestrians. (Actually, for whatever reason, people with disabilities and lottery ticket venders probably get more courtesy than anyone else). This is one reason that we see and hear of so many trucks stopping traffic because their arrogance and discourtesy to recognize anyone else on the road often are seen with a motor bike beneath their wheels. Truck drivers must have the lowest level of intellectual functioning, then bus drivers (who drive absolutely insanely wacky), taxi drivers who we love when using one but hate when we share the road with them and cars with drivers who actually have a permit to drive but, in fact, never really learned how to drive. Yes, there are many more stories out there and thousands that most of our motor-bike riding readers can attest to; so, yes, riding a bike anywhere in Vietnam may be a necessity for some of us and enjoyable sometimes but eminently dangerous and unsafe all the time.

Driving in Viet Nam is NEVER enjoyable.
Sure,there may be 20 minutes of relaxed cruising,
however during a one/two/three hour trip that's not enough to deem an enjoyable  drive.
Highways,city streets,rural districts are all the same.-
Dust particulates,
random kids on bicycles,
animals wandering on and near the road,
the local Cho woman driving a worn out  Cub who drives like it's still 1985,
teens coming from school three abreast on bicycles and dedicated to chatiing,
teen girls on electric bicycles believing they are better than the rest of the traffic.
Not to mention the backpacker and the new 'expat' driving like they want to challenge the Reaper.

Take your pick.
As you said,trucks and bus drivers couldn't care less.
Viet Nam roads are where "the metal meets the meat"

But what can you do? What can I do?
Buy an automobile?
They are magnets for the poleep and ratbags,looking only to profit or damage your expensive investment(you have more than them)

They even put on TNN an opinion post called -"why do you freaking honk".
http://www.thanhniennews.com/commentari … 43962.html

That stinks like American Liberalism. Albeit Viet Kieu Liberalism.

Viet Nam is how it is.

The image is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

Note that if you already have a foreign driver's license for a car, that you will be exempt from taking the written test and only need to take the driving test. If you have a foreign driver's license, it is pretty easy to get a VN motorbike license. It is also handy to have because you will have an official ID card that isn't as big as your passport.

jakejas wrote:

Note that if you already have a foreign driver's license for a car, that you will be exempt from taking the written test and only need to take the driving test. If you have a foreign driver's license, it is pretty easy to get a VN motorbike license. It is also handy to have because you will have an official ID card that isn't as big as your passport.

Thats true, saves you carrying your passport all the time.

My theory is to keep them behind you whenever possible, and always watch your mirrors. If you do get stuck behind them for any reason, always keep to one side , so you have an exit when they suddenly stop/slow down/answer their phone/decide it's ciggy time/turn in any direction, etc, etc. I've had so many near misses, ( and a few not so near, when I've actually knocked VN's off their bikes ),  when they're just about to turn left, but just as I'm alongside them, they veer sharply to the right again, usually collecting my handlebars, ( once I was sent off the road , bouncing among some burial mounds, but amazingly didn't come off at 50kph ),  Never trust an indicator/turn signal or red traffic light.
We just had a roundabout installed in our little village, it should be interesting, some of the peasants around here would never have seen one before, and it's has double lanes, from the new 4 lane motorway which bottle necks into 2 lanes.

Nguyet Truong wrote:

Impressive, that's what comes into my mind reading through all of your comments.  Being a local girl and get used to riding motorbike while wearing short, tight skirt, high heels all the time, I have to admit that riding motorbike is not an easy task but it's quite interesting, especially if you want to enjoy a real Saigonese daily life and how we get entertained by street foods, famous coffee houses, restaurants in small alleys etc.

Hmm ... pretty, independent local girl ... short, tight skirt, heels, riding moto ...

OK, I'd probably better just stay home. 

I am an old Saigon hand who used to drive a Honda 500 around Saigon in the old days. I am coming back for a visit soon and intend to rent a small bike to get around. I have an international driving license which is endorsed for motorbikes of any size but I do have a question - when I rent a bike will it have insurance, or will I need to buy some?

My understanding of the Vietnam Rules of the road are:
Trucks and buses have the right of way at all times no matter what
Cars have the right of way most of the time
You are obligated to avoid anything you can see in front or on the side of you.
Good luck is needed at all times