Comments on: Sapa (Northwest Vietnam Loop) – 3. Motorcycle

By: Atticus

Atticus — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:14:10 +0000

Yep, do share with us the logistics of buying a bike.

If I have a chance, I would also like to do a ride from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh.

By: Tuan

Tuan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:56:11 +0000

Thanks Atticus, looks like my group is pretty set on buying if we can, I have emailed Cuong and he has been really helpful, hopefully we can do some business through him….keep you posted.

By: atticus

atticus — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:16:29 +0000

Hi Tuan,

I have seen foreigners buying bikes and selling them at the end of their trips. Not too sure if it’s legal but it’s being done. Hiring a guide for your purpose is definitely possible with a suitable amount of incentives.

An alternative you can consider is renting a bike from Cuong at Hanoi and dropping them off at Ho Chi Minh. Give him a call or email to confirm if they still provide such an arrangement.

You should able to get better advices over at GT-rider or Horizon Unlimited forums.

Cheers!

By: Tuan (Australia)

Tuan (Australia) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:26:31 +0000

I forgot to add, plane tickets already booked, arrive in VN HCMC on 9/01/2010, will be in Hanoi on 10/01/2010, accommodation sorted, only thing missing are the motorcycles\scooters

By: Tuan (Australia)

Tuan (Australia) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:25:16 +0000

Hi Atticus,

There are three of us (me included) keen on biking it from Hanoi >> Halong >> HCMC >> Rach Gia. Need some advice on if we can buy a motorcycle\scooter in Hanoi and hire a guide for the first leg to Halong then self-guided from there onwards. Want to buy as not sure if we want to leave our passports in Hanoi since we won’t be returning there, we could always sell in HCMC, I have relatives who I can leave the motorcycles with to sell. I got Coung’s and Voyage Vietname as 2 possibilites for renting, do they also sell? Can you recommend any other reputable outfits in Hanoi?

Thanks for the info posted already, hope you can help

Thx
Tuan

By: Atticus

Atticus — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:06:12 +0000

Since you usually have to leave your passport to the rental shop, you would definitely have a problem at the borders.

By: Dorus (Holland)

Dorus (Holland) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:14:22 +0000

Hi, is it possible to take a rented Minsk from Vietnam for a week to Laos (and maybe Cambodia) and than back to Vietnam? Guess there will be problems at the border?

By: Atticus

Atticus — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:02:37 +0000

I think your options are:
1) Rent bikes in Saigon and hire a guide who would take care of the bikes when you reach Hoi An
2) Buy bikes in Saigon and sell in Hoi An

Not sure of the sizes of your backpacks, but if they are not too big, you can strap them to the back of the motorcycle.

I would estimate 10 for your journey. But that depends on the duration of your stops at Dalat and Nha Trang and other possible stops you might be making.

Try out gt-rider forums, you would probably get better advises.

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:21:20 +0000

Hi,
There are 4 of us looking to rent/buy bikes to ride from Saigon to Hoi An via Dalat and Nha Trang. Any ideas on how we should go about doing this? One concern we have is carrying our backpacks. What is the possibility of strapping them to our bikes, or getting a guide to ride in a car with us. Additionally what time frame should we be looking at to complete this journey?

Clearly we’re new to Vietnam and have only introduced to the concept of biking a couple days ago. Sounds amazing.

Cheers.

By: Atticus

Atticus — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:18:18 +0000

Yes, it is possible but I am assuming that you know that it’s harder to balance a bike with a pillion. If you are bringing big backpacks along with the ride, it would be a tight squeeze.

By: fik

fik — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:12:01 +0000

is it possible for 2 people to ride on one bike? my gf doesn’t ride. what bike options do i have, if any, for this situation. pls advice. cheers!

By: atticus

atticus — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:32:43 +0000

Looks like it’s time to plan for a trip

By: Lunt

Lunt — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Honestly I can’t remember the name, I just know it was a 125cc scooter-like bike, but it was beefier than your typical scooter. Yes, Cuong still does the deal where you rent a bike in Hanoi and drop it off with his brother in Saigon. I got a taste of central Vietnam when I flew into Hoi An and then took the bus up to Hue. The scenery is nice but it doesn’t compare w/the Northwest loop. You can rent scooters in Hoi An for $3/day (which I did) and it was a blast. There are lots of beaches and side trips you can make out of Hoi An, not to mention some of the best food I had the whole trip.

By: atticus

atticus — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:13:41 +0000

Was it a scrambler? I wonder if they still allow us to rent the bike from Hanoi and return it at Saigon. I still haven’t visited central Vietnam.

By: Lunt

Lunt — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:10:47 +0000

I forgot to mention that I also used Cuong’s shop. He gave me a Honda for $10/day which i think is the way to go unless you’re a really good handyman (you’ll probably need to be one for the Minsk).