Travel Tips For Driving In Vietnam

Motorbike trip through Vietnam? Ask me for tips.

[tipsdrivinginvietnam-blog]

Pros and cons for driving in Vietnam.

Pros - Meet some of the friendliest locals in the small villages. 

My Experience: Riding through many small villages through Vietnam gave me a good look how amazing Vietnamese people are. I felt a warm welcome every time i talk to them or just being there with them. People in the small villages are so curious to see a foreigner. When they stare at you it doesn’t mean anything bad or being rude. They are just freak out a bit. Just imagine you seeing an alien for the first time in your life. Some people never saw a foreigner before. What i did was not feel weird about it. I just gave them the biggest smile i could give and then you will see they will open up and embrace you in their arms. Most of them don’t speak much english, but in my experience that wasn’t a problem. I just use anything i could to communicate. Don’t get upset and annoyed. You are in their country and you should try to adapt and speak their country. Every time i met some locals they were just sitting along the roads with some friends drinking some beers and having some food together. I just join them or they invited me to come sit with them. In Vietnam when the locals invite you. It means they want you to come and drink with them without anything in return. They just want to spend time with you and have a laugh. Just go with the flow and you will see how amazing this is.

Pros - See things that you will never see in a train or bus.

my Experience: Driving through Vietnam will give you a much greater view of this amazing country. The scenery is just amazing.  I could stop anywhere i wanted to have a break. Or just to take a picture. The Ho Chi Minh Trail is just a great roads to see many things Vietnam has to offer.

Pros - Just be able to do and go wherever you want. Feel the freedom.

my Experience: The feeling i get from driving here is freedom. I can stop for a drink if i want to. I can stop for a picture if i want to. And there are always some people to talk to along the way. Vietnamese people are very friendly. But it depends of course on you also. If your intentions are to smile and meet local people then it won’t be hard for you. But if you wonder why people are staring at you and why are they so rude. Then you won’t find many local friends here.

Pros - See the not so touristy spots of Vietnam.

my Experience: Going to small town and villages is great. Not that i don’t like big cities. But the small towns and villages don’t have much tourism. In my experience is that the people there are much nicer than in the big cities. They won’t try to rip you off in the small town and villages too. Actually i never got ripped off in those places. I always feel really welcome in small towns.

Pros - If you break down somewhere? Everyone local that pass by will try to help you get your bike fixed.

my Experience: What if your bike breaks down. Of course there is a chance that you won’t find a mechanic. But when i had a problem, there were always locals driving by and stop to help you. every time i got help from someone. There is no company that you can call for emergencies. But there are always some locals nearby that they can call. They will come and fix your bike for you.

Cons

Cons - Crazy driving

My Experience: Driving in Vietnam has opened my eyes a bit. I used to live in The Netherlands. It was more organised on the roads in The Netherlands. When i came here i had to keep myself calm every time i jumped on the bike. The locals are a little reckless drivers. For example if someone is coming out of the corner on the main road. Its goes without looking. They just drive into the main and expects the people on the main road to watch out for him. Or the rear view mirrors. For most locals they don’t exist. I always wonder why they install it on the bikes. Perhaps to do their make up or do their hair with it. But basically the horn is what they use to warn someone that they are coming driving at the back. Advice to everyone. Don’t go crazy on the road. Remember  you are in another country. You know they drive a little bit different than you used to. You have to be careful here. They have been driving like this their whole life. So they won’t change. You  have to change. Not them. Complaining doesn’t help to. Just enjoy the craziness of the roads of Vietnam.

Cons - buying a bike

My Experience: Buying a bike can be difficult here. Or its not difficult. There are bikes everywhere. But getting a good bike for the right price is not easy. Especially when you arrive in the big city and you are  buying one there. Many people i spoke to got ripped off a bit. But i heard also some good stories. Don’t think only the locals will rip you off. Lots of tourist who wants to sell their bikes will rip you off too. Because they need money to travel more. Just do some research back home for how to see when a bike is good. how it sounds. also what helps is to check out some local  expat pages. Facebook has some. For example. Danang hoi an expats or expats in Ho Chi Minh City

Cons - Fuel is quite expensive.

My Experience: Fuel in Vietnam is quite expensive. The fuel prices here are between 20.000 - 25.000 a liter. That is around 1 usd a liter.  But with a full tank of gas (4 litres) in a Honda Wave you can drive  about 200km. So still not too bad.

[tipsdrivinginvietnam-blog]

How is the traffic in Vietnam?

The traffic in Vietnam looks crazy and chaotic at the first sight. Specially for western tourist. When walking in the city it seems every body is trying to kill you.

It is not like that. If you are a pedestrian, you are pretty safe in the city. Crossing the road seems like a impossible task. It is NOT. My advice is just walk slowly and don’t stop.

Because when you stop, the motorbike drivers don’t know what you next move. It’s like when a reindeer stops on the road when they have headlights in their eyes. The drivers will drive around you. as long as you keep walking at the same speed.

Locals in Vietnam are different drivers. I always hear foreigners say that people here are the worst drivers they have ever seen. But i don’t think that. I was raised in The Netherlands, so i know what they are talking about. I also get annoyed when i am on the Vietnamese roads. The things i see on the roads makes me think that some people don’t care about their lives. Or most of all they don’t care about other peoples lives. But you are in Vietnam, so adapt to their traffic rules and be patient on the roads. The speed limit is quite slow. So when you have an accident it won’t be bad. So drive slow! I know that in most western countries the speed limit is a lot higher. When they are driving here they still think they can drive as fast as in their home country. When you have an accident in a western country is most of the time very serious or even deadly. If you drive responsible here. You won’t have any problems. Of course there are bad accidents here. But in the city most of the accidents are very minor. And Here are some things to look out for in Vietnam.

What you have to look out for when you are driving.

1. When you see someone coming out of a corner. Don’t think he will stop or even look at you. It is very normal for people here to just drive out the corner and don’t look.

   You are the one that should watch out. So break and wait till the bike or car is out of the corner before you start accelerate. My advice is to drive a little bit more to the middle of the road. So you will have a small  

   buffer. Just in case someone don’t look and drives out of the corner.

2. Rearview mirrors doesn’t exist here. They are on most of the bikes. But not many people actually knows how to use it or they just don’t want to. So no one will look back. Most of the people are only focus on what    

   happens at the front. My advice is not to drive so fast. If you don’t know what the person will do in front of you. Just wait and pass him slowly. You don’t want to end up in a Vietnamese hospital. Although there are

   many good private hospitals. There is no rush. So just drive slowly.

3. Honking is very normal here in Vietnam. When someone honks at you it means you did something wrong in many western countries. But here in Vietnam is different. Sometimes it means you did something

   wrong. But most of the times they just want to warn you that they are behind you. That is because no one uses the rearview mirrors. Or when someone wants to pass you the honk just to warn you.

   I noticed many times that a lot of people just honk because it became a habit. Even when the road are empty they will still honk when they cross an intersection. Or arriving at a sidereal where people can just

   drive out of the side street. So don’t get annoyed or angry. It is how people drive here. So understand why people honk when they do.

4. A lot of people will drive on the wrong side of the road. So be aware of that. It is not allowed to do this. But it happens. Even when you think you are doing everything right. Keep you eyes open even when you are  

   driving on the right side of the road. That is why i drive more in the middle of the most right lane.

5. Driving at night is a little bit more tricky. you will see that a lot of people don’t have lights or maybe the front or the backlight is working.  They will drive on any sides of the road. Even when its dark they will drive

   as if its was the daytime. Also lots of them will turn on the big headlights. Specially on the highways. Because there is not much street lights there they will turn on their big headlights. So slow down and wait till

   they passed.

6. Driving on the highway is fairly safe. But be aware that most of the cars, trucks and busses will overtake on a small road. They will not care about you. So when you are driving on the highway, be aware of that.

   Just slow down and drive as far right as you can.

7. If you are in Vietnam with a national holiday. Please watch out for drunk drivers. It could be anytime of the day. It is not allowed to drink and drive here. But like any countries it happens. But it happens here a lot

   more. I see more accidents on the streets on special holidays. Or in the weekends. There are many weddings here in Vietnam. Specially in the weekends.

8. Get a proper helmet when you decided to drive in Vietnam. Bring one from home if you don’t trust the helmets here. There are good shops where you can buy a good safe helmet. But a lot of helmets here are not

   safe at all. In the city it is still ok, because the speed limit is quite slow. Because you can drive 120km back home doesn’t mean you can do it here. Don’t do it if you want to be safe and have a fun time. But when    

   you drive on the highways or mountain roads, please buy a proper helmet. Just for your own safety.

These are i think the most important things for a safe driving experience in Vietnam.

[tipsdrivinginvietnam-blog]

Hi guys, 

 Are you considering doing a motorbike trip through Vietnam by yourself or a tour agency? 

 Maybe i can help you. 

 If you are a good driver. You can easily buy a bike in Vietnam and drive by yourself. You are not allowed to drive in vietnam unless you have a vietnamese drivers licence. You won't have much trouble though driving here without. Just be carefull. You are not in your country anymore. So adapt! Vietnam has different rules. Not everyone goes by te rules. But there are also rules on the roads. Will explain later. I see many people complaining how people drives. I catch myself complaining sometimes, but then i think about how stupid i am complaining about this. 

 If you can't drive. You can always have a tourguide driving you. I can recommend some good tour agencies who already has a good reputation. Looking for a good bike is not easy. Because like anywhere else in the world. Tourist will get ripped off. This is how it works. Try to learn the basics of a good bike at home before you come here. Or what you have to watch out for buying a bike. Forums are a good way to find a bike. But even tourist when they sell their bike they will want a lot of money for it. They will rip you off too. 

 Motorbike Tour agencies in Vietnam are good. But there are many of them. So how do you choose one? Tripadvisor is a good way to find what you are looking for. In Vietnam there are many easyriders. Some of them they works for themselfs and are quite good. Everybody just want to earn a honest buck. I noticed some private drivers are giving bad reputation for easydrivers. Because some tend to rip off people. I can recommend some companies that i know will give the service that western people expect. 

Stay tuned for the next post.