Hey there fellow bikers,

My name is sonny and I embark on a worldtrip from 15 april until end of september. In total I will be traveling 8 months this year as I quit my job to persue other dreams.

Going to Vietnam and have some issues I need to adress. Hopefully someone can help me out.

We have 4 weeks before we head to Malaysia for four weeks.

1.) Buying a motorcycle how to insure it best ?
2.) Is it easy to buy one in Hanoi or any recommends , like do it online or this website ?
3.) We plan driving through following cities:
Hanoi - Sapa - Cat ba island - Ninh binh - Hue - Hoi an - Nha trang - Ho chi minh

The distances between them are like 400 km. Is it possible to do these long stretches by train (with bike on it) ?
5.) Anyone ever did this or do we have to drive the whole stretch ?
6.) Last but not least, Is it easy to get something welded in Hanoi ? We have 1 bike , two people , 2 backpacks that need to fit on it for the trip

Thanks to anyone who can give me a good help here ! Hard to find the info.

Cheers Sonny.

Based on only my own brief trip there, plus others' stories...

1.) The seller will give you an idea... but tbh insurance is kind of a nebulous concept there (as is bike registration, as is a driver's license for westerners). Basically, you hit something, you're white, you're rich, you pay.
2.) Easy enough. When you get there, ask your hostel to tell you where the bike selling area is.
3.) You can even get the bike into the luggage compartment of an intercity bus, on routes where there is no train. Locals do it, bus drivers know how to handle it, just make sure you arrive with a near-empty gas tank, and negotiate with the drivers. And yes, it's doable with trains too.

6.) Absolutely. Even in the touristy Old Town part of Hanoi there were streetcorner welding shops all over the place.

Note - in Vietnam you're basically talking scooters. Step-through/underbone with up to 150cc or so. Big bikes are not really a thing, outside of Saigon.

Alright it seems renting a bike is cheaper than buying one. Only problem is that its a 150 cc scooter with a rack on the back. the back allows for luggage up to 15 KG and we will take 40 KG with us. Problem ..

Link to scooter go to 3:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPhfYiQpHFI

Pricing is fair and it saves us a lot of hassle ofcourse !

Anyone have any knowledge on how we could solve the rack issue ?
Also can we take the scooter with a regular train? Anyone that has ever done this before by any chance?

Cheers Sonny.

It's perfectly possible to ride two-up with 40kg of gear. Local people do it all the time, carrying almost anything you can imagine (full-grown sows, refrigerators, giant mirrors, families of five or more...). On the other hand, it's not safe, it's uncomfortable, and you'll be dreading every moment on the bike instead of waking up each morning full of enthusiasm for your trip.

Far better to get a larger bike. These are rare in Vietnam, although they do exist and can be found for rent--at prices much higher than what you're looking at. Otherwise, rent (or buy) two separate bikes, or travel by bus/train/taxi and rent only locally, leaving baggage behind at your lodging. Yeah, I know this is not what you've got planned, for all sorts of valid reasons. To get a sense of how the two-up-lots-of-baggage thing is going to work for you, try it at home first, then imagine adding a bunch of potholes, water buffalo, schoolgirls on bicycles, crazed drivers, and more scooter traffic than can be seen anywhere else in the world. Bear in mind that your imagination will almost certainly come up short.

Little scooters with automatic transmissions are remarkably easy for anyone who can ride a bicycle. Worth thinking about it.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Just this last week one of the riders I have followed on another site wrote, " Bought an Vietnamese honda , was sold because vietnamese bikes are not allowed entrance into Thailand.
The two months would be better spent in Vietnam, just my opinion, my wife is from Malaysia, we are going to East malaysia on the 1st of Marc, just my opinion. You Can buy a bike in Malaysia but then not to be allowed into Viet Nam.
Also if you are an US citizen our licenses, state and intl are Not accepted by the VN govt, travelers insurance maybe in void.