Notes For Self-guided Tour Customers From Off Road Vietnam Tours

NOTES FOR SELF-GUIDED TOUR (JUST BIKE HIRE) 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.

You need to check and adjust chain tension everyday in the morning. Oiling the chain should be done every day. A local mechanic can be useful and the cost is about 20,000 VN Dongs (1$US) per bike to have the chain adjusted and oiled. If you don't oil the chain and sprockets or break them a full charge of a new set (30$US for XL or GL motorbikes or 80$US for XR250 dirt bikes) will be applied.

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 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.

Vietnam is still a developing country (or a third world country) and standards are different (lower) than Western countries. Some people complained about hard mattresses in hotels or small and simple restaurants. Please don't use Western standards for a country like Vietnam. We saw a sign in Thailand and it said "Thailand is still a developing country and you will have a different experience. If you want to feel at home then stay home." Please be aware of this fact, especially if this is your first time to Vietnam.

Restaurants may look small and simple but the food is great. They offer authentic Vietnamese food that is normally not available in bigger restaurants or hotels. On our motorbike tours, we support local businesses and local restaurants offer things of a real Vietnam.

Insurance: We don't require any sort of license to book a trip but it's more about insurance. Most of insurance companies don't provide a policy that covers a motorbike tour accident if you don't have a Vietnamese driving license. Sadly, it's impossible to get a Vietnamese license with a tourist visa. You need a business visa of at least three months, a work permit, a sponsor company and a valid passport. All these documents should be translated into Vietnamese at a notary office and a license will be issued after 7 or 10 days. It's just too complicated and time-consuming. With just a normal personal medical insurance you will still be covered about 19 hours a day when not riding because we only ride about 5 hours a day on average. Some Australian riders suggested CHI Insurance and said this company didn't require a Vietnamese driving license and covered larger displacements.

The informal/practical rules when you are on the roads:

01. Larger vehicles have right of way. Avoid anything bigger than you and slow down.

02. Traffic is like a river, you have to flow in it. Riders will find a way to move forward.

03. Use signal and the most important thing is the horn. People don't care about the noise of horns.

04. Speed limit in Vietnam is very low (25-80km/h). Don't break the speed limit, a speeding ticket is expensive.

05. 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!

06. Space between you and other riders (local people, guide�) should be far enough in order to have no surprise. In cities or crowded roads, the traffic is usually slow. On wide open roads or in the mountains, we suggest 10-20m. Don't ever ride alongside your guide because he has lots of work to do.

07. 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.

08. 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.

09. 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.

10. 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.

11. Do not drink and drive.

12. Last but not least, you can follow this map to get out of Hanoi. The blue line takes you to North-West and South-West and the green to North-East Vietnam. You basically ride along the river to avoid the crazy roads with many traffic lights in the inner city.