How To Buy A Motorbike In Vietnam

In 2008, Top Gear dropped the Vietnam special. Three guys on three bikes making their way across one fascinating country.  I was awestruck, and I vowed that I would some day make the journey myself. When I finally got the chance, it was nothing like I’d expected.

I’ll tell that story in due time. For now, I’m here to teach you a thing or two you need to know if you’re going to make the trip yourself. You’re going to try and ride your way across the country from the bottom to the top, or maybe you’ll oddball it and go from top to the bottom. You’re going to try and stay out of trouble, while having plenty of fun along the way.

As they used to say on Top Gear: How hard could it be? Without the backing of a multimillion-dollar TV production and a full support crew, can the average Joe waltz into Vietnam, buy a bike, and have a real adventure? The answer is complicated—but the first step is clear. Sorta.

Step 1: Choose Your Fighter

The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of bike you want to take on your adventure. A wide variety of bikes are available in Vietnam, though the fleet is very different to what you’d find in the United States or Europe. There’s a much greater focus on motor scooters and low-displacement bikes.

Due to the vagaries of Vietnam’s road network, there is not much call for big power. You’ll get up the country just fine with a 115 cc engine under you. If you’re feeling flush, you could go for a 125 cc or even a 150 cc, but they’re less common at the cheap end of the spectrum. As a foreigner, it can get legally complicated if you’re riding anything bigger than 150 cc, due to licensing rules we’ll get into later. Consider that the top end of your range. Anything bigger than 250cc is exceedingly rare on Vietnamese roads anyway—so don’t feel like you’re missing out.

If you do choose to go for something powerful and fancy, just remember this: you’re broadcasting to the world that you’re a juicy target to be robbed or extorted. Vietnam is a safe country, and far from a den of inequity and peril. Regardless, when you’re a tourist, you stick out like a sore thumb. You’re at a disadvantage to experienced scam artists and criminals, and some of the police too—a few of them really love a good bribe. Don’t make their job easier by putting a giant sign on your forehead that says “I’m a wealthy rube with lots of money.”

Generally, the first choice you’ll make is transmission. Bikes are available with auto, semi-auto, and manual transmissions. Auto bikes are the easiest to ride. You start them up, and you don’t have to worry about changing gear. They’re the best if you’re new to riding, as they give you one less thing to worry about. However, they can be heavier and slower for a given engine size.  These are built as scooter body styles, by and large . You might mock the form factor, but they’re great around town, particularly if you need to stash some bags between your legs. 

The Yamaha Nuovo and Suzuki Hayate are popular cheap auto bikes, though they’re known for reliability issues and can be thirsty, too. Years of poor post-sales support have left them running poorly, and their price reflects that. The Honda Airblade is a better-regarded auto by comparison, and you’ll see many gleaming examples in the cities of Vietnam. However, you’ll pay a premium for its good name. The Honda Vision is a solid performer, too, in a smaller size. Expect to stump up at least $500 USD for a good example, either way.

The Honda Wave and Honda Blade are perhaps the most common semi-autos in the country. You can pick up a well-used example for $350-400 USD without too much trouble. They’re the motorized pack mules of Vietnam. They never give up and will carry you endless miles without complaint. Get yourself a genuine one and get it serviced by real Honda dealers if something’s amiss, and you won’t have much trouble. Plus, every back-alley mechanic has parts (albeit, often Chinese-made) for these bikes, too. The Yamaha Jupiter is a slightly cheaper alternative. It doesn’t quite have the same good name as the Honda bikes, nor the quality service network, but they do alright.

Finally, there are manual bikes with a traditional clutch lever on the left-side handlebar. These are basically regular motorbikes in most cases. If you’re wanting a dirt bike for proper off-road escapades, or just desire a full-fat motorcycling experience, go with the manual. Just make sure you’ve got clutch control and shifting well-sorted in your muscle memory. You don’t want to be stalling or bunnyhopping in traffic, else you’ll risk drowning in the middle of Hanoi’s peak-hour maelstrom.

For these, the Honda XR 150 is hard to beat at this level. You will look a little strange piloting your dirt bike in city traffic, but pay that no mind. If you want something more for the street, the Honda Winner, Yamaha Exciter, and Suzuki Raider are all great options. These bikes are all a bit more grown up and serious than the scooters used for day-to-day commuting in Vietnam. However, you’ll generally pay a lot more compared to the workaday bikes that you can get for peanuts by comparison. You’ll be well into the $1,500-2,000 range for a pretty, cared-for example.

Obviously, there are loads of other options in a place like Vietnam. There are plenty of “Honda Wins” floating around backpacker haunts that have that romantic old-school look, but they’re all dodgy Chinese clones that will give you no end of trouble. There are also cheap automatics from SYM and a bevy of other models seemingly built by Japanese manufacturers that may inspire your confidence. Many of these bikes are cheaply made or have very poor parts support. Sticking to the big-name popular models that everyone is riding may not be as exciting, but it’s the closest thing to a guarantee that when something goes wrong, you’ll be able to get it fixed.

Step 2: Rent or Buy?

Your second consideration is whether you want to buy a bike or simply rent one. There are a variety of companies that rent bikes to tourists for what is now a very popular journey. Most outlets will allow you to pick your start and finish cities in a flexible fashion to suit your chosen itinerary. Of course, the tradeoff is being liable for someone else’s property the whole time, even with the shield of insurance. If that suits you, great! If not, read on.

While it adds to the challenge, buying a bike gives you the flexibility to do whatever you want with it, wherever you want, whenever you feel like doing it. If you want to extend your stay, or customize your bike, you’re free to do as you please. To stick with the Top Gear script, and for vague philosophical reasons like “freedom” and “independence”, I chose this path.

Step 3: Purchase Time

These days, the easiest way to purchase a motorcycle in Vietnam is to jump on Facebook and look through groups serving this exact purpose, with names like Vietnam Motorbike Market and Hanoi Motorbike Sales. Picking one based around your given start location is the easiest way to go.

Generally, these groups have at least a few people who regularly do business with tourists and will be the easiest to work with. They’ll generally speak some English, and will often have bikes already kitted out for traveling. Typical equipment includes a phone holder and a simple metal luggage rack on the back. Having these ready to go can save you a day of running around getting racks and a phone holder fitted to your ride.

It really is ideal to ride a few different bikes before you buy. If you’re meeting up with individual travelers or locals offloading their single bike, this can be time-consuming and impractical. It’s another reason to head to someone regularly selling bikes to tourists, as they’ll often have a few models to try out. Doing an A/B test between a few bikes will instantly let you discover which one feels good and which one feels worn out. 

During my trip, I met one guy who had three bikes on the go. I tried the first, and it felt fine to my inexperienced hands. I’m no motorcyclist, after all. But as soon as I jumped on the second, the problems were obvious. This second bike was much smoother to ride, and it felt far less loose through the handlebars. I had an inkling he was saving the best for last, though, and he was. I suspect he was trying to get rid of the more average bikes which were harder to sell.  Overal, he was good to deal with and I didn’t have any major complaints about the transaction.

Just be wary, though — while some of these sellers do good business, others will be out looking for their next mark to sell a dodgy bike. Use your people skills and any local knowledge you can get to avoid this. If you’re staying at a backpacker or a hotel, they might be able to hook you up with somebody they know in the area. Vietnam has an excellent hospitality culture, and most places you stay will have someone willing to point you in the right direction. 

When you test ride the bike, it’s worth making yourself a checklist of things to go over. You’ll want to feel if the engine runs well, and that it idles without stalling out. It should pull away strongly, particularly in the case of a semi-auto or manual. Otherwise, it’s indicative of a worn clutch or transmission problems. Beyond that, test all the lights and indicators, make sure the bike shifts well, and keep an eye out for loose body panels that may be vibrating or falling off. 

My cheap bike had a problem: the brakes would stay locked on after you let go over the lever.

Took about 15 minutes to fix. Total cost: around $10. pic.twitter.com/AZAssx98rd

— Lewin S. Day (@rainbowdefault) April 29, 2024

You’ll probably find that most bikes you see don’t have a working speedometer. This is very common, but if it bothers you, make sure to check. A lot of people don’t care, as speed limits in Vietnam are rather like the Pope: you know he exists, but he has very little impact on your day-to-day life (more on this in a future piece). A working fuel gauge is useful, but keep in mind that a lot of the time, these gauges are woefully inaccurate and non-linear. Popping your fuel cap is a more reliable way to check most of the time.

Once you’ve decided on a bike, it’s time to do a deal. You’ll be paying cash, so stuff your wallet full of Dong for the transaction (that’s the local currency, you perve). In addition to the keys, it’s also absolutely key that you get something called a “Blue Card” with the bike. This is an official government document that’s usually laminated, and sized slightly larger than a playing card. It basically states the registered owner of the bike. You don’t generally need to transfer it into your name, but it’s important to have. If the police find out you don’t have the Blue Card for your bike, they’ll confiscate it without any hesitation. Don’t lose the Blue Card, either. Your bike will be virtually worthless on the resale market without it. 

Step 4: Now What?

Once you’ve got the Blue Card and the keys, and handed over the cash, you’re golden. The bike is yours! But it’s worth having a think about what to do next before you head out.

Consider kitting your bike out with racks for your backpack, and any other luggage you may want to take with you. Often, bikes can be fitted with a front rack that’s a great spot for a water bottle to keep you hydrated, as well as plastic carrybags with daily groceries. Your back rack is best suited for your larger bags and luggage. Ideally, you’ll want racks that let you carry stuff without making it too hard to get to your fuel tank. It’s a huge pain having to unrack all your luggage every time you need to fill up. These bikes don’t have long legs, so it’s a regular occurrence.

Before you complete the transaction, consider what you’ll do with the bike as soon as it’s yours. Do you have parking where you’re staying, or will that be a problem? You’ll also want a helmet. Vietnamese sellers often sell “fake” helmets, which are just a thin layer of plastic and offer no protection. You’ll want something with some proper foam padding inside.

Even still, the nicest helmets in Vietnam are pretty garbage compared to international standards. Consider bringing your own from home if you can afford it. This is especially important if you have a large head. The average Vietnamese person is smaller than typical denizens of most Western countries, and so most shops don’t stock helmets large enough for larger domes. At all. If you’ve got a bigger bonce, do not underestimate what a problem this can be for you. 99% of stores will not have anything that fits you at all.

I faced this very problem on my own journey. Every store we went to handed us an XL, which didn’t even come close to slotting over my massive cranium. Every helmet shop in town was pointing us to the same store, which proved to be our saving grace. In Saigon, there’s one guy who sells “HELMETS FOR THE BIG HEAD.” He’s famous all over the city. Outside of the Southern capital, you may be out of luck. If you’ve got a properly big head, sort your helmet out before you rock up.

There was literally one shop in Vietnam with a helmet big enough for my fat head. pic.twitter.com/MB43bQuAc0

— Lewin S. Day (@rainbowdefault) April 29, 2024

Also factor in your confidence level for riding in traffic—or riding the bike at all! Some sellers will be glad to give you a basic lesson on the bike, which can be very helpful for beginners. I went in with minimal experience, barring the few times I scooted around on a friend’s farm bike as a teenager. I did okay with a semi-auto and picked it in a couple of days, but the more experience you have, the better. Riding in Vietnam is mentally exhausting as I’ll explain in future pieces.

As for traffic, plan to leave your starting city when traffic is lowest. Peak times vary, so you’ll have to get the low-down on the ground. Whatever you do though, don’t start your journey at night. Visibility is at its worst, and more trucks are out after dark. They pose the greatest risk to riders of anything on Vietnam’s streets. Oh, and get yourself some good rain gear, too. You’re gonna need it.

This guide should serve to get you through the first hour of bike ownership. Tune in for my next installment—your cheat sheet for surviving and thriving on the roads of Vietnam.

Image credits: Lewin Day