Hi Vince:

I need to preface this reply by stating that I know nothing about Vietnam, and even less about their policies for importation of stuff.

However - I have visited a heck of a lot of oddball countries (almost all of Eastern Europe, and over half the ones in Africa), and I have never, ever heard of a restriction on a bona fide tourist being able to drive into a country with his or her car or motorcycle. Some countries will require a carnet, to provide them with assurance that you will take the vehicle out when you leave and not sell it there, but I have never heard of a country that simply won't let you enter for tourist purposes with your own vehicle.

I am going to take a guess that the memo issued by the government of Vietnam uses the word 'import' in the literal sense of the word - not in the sense of 'visit'. The policies in the document are actually the same as the temporary import policies followed by many other countries, and are likely not too different from the policies of Canada or Australia. However, I don't think that the author of that document intended it to apply to bona fide tourists. In other words, if you are an Australian, and you want to ride into Vietnam with your Australian registered motorcycle (and, by implication, ride out again when you are finished your tourism), you should probably be able to do that.

You might want to write a letter to the Embassy of Vietnam in your country asking for clarification of the what policy applies to tourists who want to drive in and out of the country with their own vehicle.