Kabamm

I was interesting on doing vietnam on a motorbike in the June of 2001 with a few friends, we were planing to go from Saigon to Hanoi and Back, i was hoping to get some insight into the feasiblility of this plan. Has anyone done this type of trip before? If so how did you get a hold of your bikes and how long did the trip take? Any problems with the road conditions or theft? We really dont want to backtrack on our bikes but i dont see anyway out of this if we rent them, unless any of you have any suggestions. <BR> <BR>Please post answers on this board but fell free to email me too.

Andrea

I'm afraid I can't help with the details, but since no one else has posted yet, I thought I'd let you know tht I have a group of friends that took a 3-4 day motorbike trip through Vietnam and absolutely loved it. They rented the bikes, and said it was the BEST way to see the country and to get to some of the great remote beaches. Good luck!

Tri

There is no way you can do a trip through VN in 3-4 days. VN is roughly the size of California, with a little bit of Oregon thrown in. Now imagine try to do that on a 50 cc scooter in 4 days. No way. <BR> <BR>I would recommend setting aside 3 to 4 weeks to do it. Beware the scooter may not last the duration. Theft is not an issue if you are westerners and travel in a crowd. Rent the bikes in Saigon, ask at the concierge desk of the elite hotels. <BR> <BR>I like it that you said Saigon. <BR> <BR>:-0 <BR> <BR>Tri

Van

Hi, <BR> <BR>I don't know anything about motorbikes but I was in VN in July '00 and it seems to me that it would be one of the best ways to see VN b/c pretty much all the roads in the whole country are made for things on two wheels. Actually, I WISH I knew how to ride so I could go anywhere and ride in the traffic and be more a part of the life there. <BR>The main highway going north-south I think has been fixed b/c we went by van and it was fine. Only the roads in small towns and villages are bumpy with holes. The traffic is something you should be aware of b/c they don't really stop at intersections and there are no lanes and there is A LOT of crazy traffic in the cities. <BR>I also agree that you can't really see much of Viet Nam on a motor bike in 3-4 days b/c it took us most of the day to get from Saigon to the southern part of Central Vietnam in a minivan with air-conditioning. It should take another 6-8 hrs to get through all of Central Vietnam.

Brad

Well I agree it would be great to travel Vietnam on motorbike and would do it except for the very dangerous traffic. I have been to Vietnam about 15 times in the last three years and regularly work all over the country and I NEVER drive in the country let along get on a motorbike. In the county side the motorbike would be a great easy way to get around but in the cities it is a death sentence if you are not a local. The statistics I have received from the embassy and NGOs state that about 40 traffic fatalities occur a day in the country. And that does not include injuries just deaths. Now the figure may be lower since a recent law now requires helmets on major highways. One of my favorite past times is to sit at a sidewalk bar near an intersection and wait for a spectacular traffic accident, it doesn’t take long. The only worse drivers I have seen are in Saudi Arabia. If you do decide to do it I would suggest that you get some great medical insurance and make arrangements for an air ambulance from either Thailand or Singapore (this is what my outfit has done). <BR> <BR>Drop me a line if you have any other questions. <BR> <BR>BRAD

Harriet

You might take a look at a little book put out by Fielding Guides called "Southern Vietnam on 2 Wheels: the ups & downs of mortocycling through Southern Vietnam" by Wink Dulles. <BR> <BR>Good luck. Have a great time!