Notes For Semi-guided Motorbike Tour OffRoad Vietnam Provides

NOTES FOR SEMI-GUIDED TOURS (BIKES & GUIDE HIRE)

You want to hire our bike(s) and then enjoy the ride without worrying about bike works and repairs or possibly you don't know mechanic basics? You have found a right company. We supply you bike(s) and a professional guide who knows everything about our bikes. In addition, he will lead you where you want to go and helps with finding places to eat and stay. This means you can enjoy the ride, order your own food and choose any hotel you want and leave the rest to us. The final cost might not be cheaper than our guided tours but you have total flexibility and freedom.

Vietnam is a developing country and standards are different (in fact lower) than Western countries. Some people complained about hard mattresses in hotels or small and simple restaurants. Please don't use Western standards when travelling in 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.

Our office is in a small alleyway, not on the main street. Please save or print this page to find us in Hanoi. Navigating Hanoi traffic is not easy but once you get used to it you will love the way it works.

INCLUDING

Motorbike: You hire any type of bike that you handle best. We have cruisers and dirt bikes, all Japanese Honda motorbikes from 150cc to 250cc. Offroad Vietnam doesn't use Chinese copy cats or any other brands, we stick with just Honda (Honda doesn't sponsor our business). Your guide will ride the same type of bike in case you want to swap on the road.

Leader: A professional motorcyclist who is also a tour leader will guide you throughout the trip. The guide speaks English, Vietnamese and some local dialects and is honest in providing information as it is. He takes care everything about the motorcycle(s), finds the roads you want to ride and helps with hotel room reservation and ordering food. The guide carries a tool kit and spare parts.

Riding rhythm: You simply follow the guide. On a quiet road, you may ride in front of him but at a crossing you should stop and wait for him because he knows which direction to take. You can start a day ride at around 9am and end it before dark. Riding in the dark is not advisable because trucks, cars and motorbikes usually use high beam which makes it extremely dangerous since you see nothing. FYI, most of serious accidents happen at night.

Routing

It's your own trip but we assist in designing a frame. Based on this rough itinerary, you can sit down and discuss with your guide exactly what you do for the next day. There is no pressure to push it hard, do it at your tempo.

Support

We are with you from the moment you click the Send button until you return to Hanoi. Our staff will provide information and do the best to get you on the right track or solve any issue occurring during your holiday.

NOT INCLUDING

Fuel: Filling station is easy to find and your guide knows where the best one is located. There are at least two gas stations in every town (every 5 or 10km), the longest distance between gas stations in North Vietnam is about 50km. You pay all fuel for your bike(s) and the leader's bike.

Food: Our guide will help with finding places to eat. You order your own food that you like. The guide's food will be paid by you, we suggest to try well-cooked Vietnamese food and the guide will translate your request to the restaurants if needed. Most restaurants have a menu with prices printed. Restaurants may look small and simple but the food is great. On average between 5-8$US per person you will have a delicious dinner or lunch. Breakfast goes for around 3$US/person.

Accommodation: Our guide will help with finding places to stay overnight. You choose which hotel to stay. The guide's room will be paid by Offroad Vietnam. He may stay in the same hotel or a different hotel. To get a real insight into Vietnam, we recommend local home stays wherever possible. The condition is basic but this is where you experience a real Vietnam, your guide knows many places where the host families welcome foreigners. One thing you may need to know is hotels in Vietnam use hard mattresses because in Vietnam people don't use very soft mattresses.

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.

Tips: Tipping is popular in Vietnam now. There is no percentage or certain amount we suggest. You may not need to tip at restaurants and hotels but at home stays and your guide if you think they are delivering good services.

Tickets and permits: These things are cheap, you pay the admission tickets and permits where requested. The most expensive is a permit to visit border areas in Ha Giang for between 15 to 20$US.

Extra transport: Cost for taking a ferry, boat or train will be paid by you. Your guide will help with the paperwork or buying tickets.

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:

01. The bigger is the winner on the road. Avoid anything bigger than you and slow down.

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

03. Use indicators and THE HORN. People don't care about the noise of horns. Honking the horn means "hello, I am coming".

04. Speed limit in Vietnam is very low (25-80km/h), mostly 60km/h maximum. Don't break the speed limit, otherwise a ticket costs between 25 and 100$US.

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 rule number 01!

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 six small accidents related to this matter.

08. Buy a good road book (Vietnam Atlas) or map and do the timing and routing before you start a ride. We will look at your plan and offer some advice and modification if needed.

09. If the police stop you (this rarely happens), just keep talking in 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 on 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. It's heavy penalty if caught.

12. Last but not least, follow your guide and ride in the same way as he does. He knows how to play it safe.