Notes For Rental Customers From Off Road Vietnam Tours

NOTES FOR SELF-GUIDED TOUR CUSTOMERS

First and foremost, we hire manual clutch bikes to experienced riders only. Novice riders or beginners are not recommended to hire our bikes. Even after you paid a deposit, there would be no refund if you couldn't ride our bike(s). Riding lessons are not available to self-guided tour clients but guided tour customers only. In addition, we are based in Hanoi and provide nothing in/from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city). One-way rental requests may not be responded because we are not providing it.

Since we have been very busy, we are unable to assist in timing and routing of unguided trips. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Riding in Vietnam is very dangerous, just after India. It's not only crazy traffic but tricks some dishonest locals can play. These tips are provided from our clients who had the real experiences to tell. Please save this page for your reference.

Last, you need to send full rental fee deposit before collecting the motorcycle(s)/motorbike(s)/scooter(s). No deposit refund if you cancel the booking or after you pick up the rented vehicle(s).

FUEL & LOCAL REPAIR SHOPS

"Only use safe hotel parking. Fill up from petrol stations where the gas is less likely to have been watered down." According to Iain Stewart, 2009 Lonely Planet co-author who had the gas tank emptied overnight and they even put water in. Our advice is never fill up your bike(s) when you end the day, only fill up in the morning when you start the ride.

If your rented bike(s) has/have problem(s) on the road, first check the ignition & fuel. If you can't fix the bike(s), bring the bike(s) to a local mechanic shop and call us so we can give the instructions. If the bike(s) is/are not ridable or the problem is not possible to fix then we will find a way to replace the bike(s). Popular places we can send replaced bike(s) are usually anywhere 200km from Hanoi and even in Sapa, but we do have problem in remote areas like Muong Lay, Lai Chau, Dien Bien Phu, Ha Giang... We will try our best to find a solution for you.

Most of the mechanics on the roads are honest but some are very dishonest. Keep an eye on what they are doing. Poor quality or generic Chinese parts are plentiful and they can change parts anytime. One of our clients had the original CDI unit changed, then the replaced CDI but exploded as it's not the right type and finally they painted the original one to make it look "new" and installed back on the bike. Other Chinese parts they can change are usually the wheels, shocks, plastic parts, seat, carburettor, brakes... and if time allows even the inside of the engine!

PAPERWORK & TIPS

We try to be clear and time saving. You can download and fill in the rental contract before you come to our office. You can also download pdf version if fonts display correctly.

Useful words, phrases and terminology are recommended to print because they help communicate with local people or mechanics. They are extremely useful as no mechanic speaks good English and it's sometimes hard to explain the problem(s). If fonts display correctly, you can download a pdf file here.
Basic words and phrases
Offroad Vietnam's simple troubleshoot
Terminology page 1
Terminology page 2
Terminology page 3
Terminology page 4

IMPORTANT!

GPS works in Vietnam, please check with your dealer about necessary software and/or updates. Broadband Internet connection is available almost everywhere and you can find a public Internet cafe easily. The cost for using broadband Internet is quite cheap (1$US = 4-5 hours). Many hotels offer free Wifi. Electricity is also available nationwide but there can be a shortage in summer and power-cut is common between May and August (luckily, not normally at night!).

Officially, you can't own or buy a bike or ride it with a tourist visa and most of international driving licenses are not recognised in Vietnam. However, traffic police tends to ignore foreigners as very few of them speak English. If they stop you, they will let you go in a few minutes but if you violate the traffic regulations, a small tip of 100,000 VND is recommended.

The traffic looks very crazy at first, but it's not that bad. It's like a river and when you are in it you have to flow. First rule is no rules.

The informal/practical rules when you are on the roads:
1. Larger vehicles have right of way. Avoid anything bigger than you and slow down.
2. Traffic is like a river, you have to flow in it. Riders will find a way to move forward.
3. Use signal and the most important thing is the horn. People don't care about the noise of horns.
4. Speed limit in Vietnam is very low (25-80km/h). Don't break the speed limit.
5. Animals are everywhere in the country or mountain roads. Dogs and chickens are the most then come water buffaloes, cows, pigs and horses...If you kill a dog or a chicken don't stop, cry and feel sorry, it's not your fault. Slow down when you spot these animals and don't hit water buffaloes, cows, pigs and horses, simply they are too big!
6. Be careful with spilt oil from trucks and buses at curves on the mountain roads, extremely slippery and we have had at least four small accidents related to this matter.
7. Buy a good road book (Vietnam Atlas) and do the timing and routing before you start a ride. If you get lost, ask more than two people as they may use different mileage unit or even direction. Call us if you can't find a solution.
8. If the police stop you (this rarely happens), just keep talking English or whatever you want and they'll soon give up and let you go in less than five minutes.
9. If the road is wet, use both brakes at the same time with more back brake as if you apply more front brake it slips. Most of our bikes have front disc brakes and on 250cc dirt bikes you have front and back disc brakes.
10. Do not drink and drive.