A Detailed Guide on How to Rent a Motorbike in Saigon (Vietnam)

If you come to Vietnam and ask someone about the most popular means of transport, you will surely get the answer “Motorbike.”

Renting motorbikes is popular among foreign tourists in their travel and exploration journeys. It allows you to easily reach places other vehicles, such as taxis and buses, cannot. You also don’t need to expend as much energy on your journey as you do with a bicycle.

If you are new to this country for the first time, it is easy to rent a poor-quality motorbike, which can ruin your experience.

Via a guide on how to rent a motorbike in Vietnam, Dung motorbikes will provide you with all the necessary information, from Vietnamese traffic laws to motorbike rental tips. Let’s check it out!

Rules to Drive Bike Legally in Vietnam

Riding a motorbike in Vietnam, like anywhere in the world, has its dangers. So it is essential to be careful riding and obey road rules. That way, you can ensure your safety and avoid traffic fines.

Basics of Vietnam Traffic Laws and Rules

• Owning a driver’s license is not necessary if you drive motorbikes under 50 cc.
• If you are after a motorbike with 50 to 174 cc, a Vietnamese driving license A1 is required.
• Vietnamese A2 driving license is required to drive a motorbike above 174 cc.

If you have all your documents in order and obey the traffic rules, you do not have to worry about being harassed or arrested.

Unlike some other Asian countries, the truth is that Vietnam’s traffic police are generally lenient and do not target motorcycling tourists.

The reason may be that they speak poor or no English. However, it is essential to obey traffic laws for your safety and those around you.

About Vietnamese Driver’s Licenses

To legally drive in this country, it is necessary to hold either a Vietnamese driver’s license or an IDP (stand for international driver’s permit).

• Vietnamese driver’s license:To apply for a Vietnamese driver’s license, you must have a work permit or/and a residence card and a Vietnamese business visa. Applying for a driver’s license with your normal tourist visa is not feasible.

If you are a foreigner who is living in this country, it is okay to translate your national driver’s license into Vietnamese and gain a Vietnamese driver’s license without taking an exam. Passing a simple test is required if your driver’s license is invalid.

• IDP: an agreement between nations to identify each other’s driver’s licenses.

The IDP will be valid for three years at most and it is recognized in 84 other countries (including Vietnam) that signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in 1968. Therefore only the countries participating in this Convention is allowed to drive a motorbike in Vietnam.

You can only obtain IDP from within your home country, and the process is typically straightforward and cheap.

Notice: Don’t be confused between the 1968 convention and 1949 convention. They are different. IDP from countries such as Australia and America that belong to the 1949 version is not valid to drive in Vietnam unless they have vietnamese’s driver license.

Pros and Cons of Driving a Motorbike in Vietnam

Why Rental Instead of Buying a bike?

Buy or rent a motorbike: What is Better? Source
Once you have made sure you can legally drive in Vietnam, it is time to decide, “Buy or rent a motorbike?”

Many believe buying and selling again a motorbike in Vietnam will be more cost-efficient than renting one. It may be true if you have flexible travel dates (long stay over 2 months in Vietnam) and you fortunately have got a decent bike with no major problems on roads to spread your money at local mechanic stores and may sell it to other travelers with a good price.

Here are some main reasons you should rent a motorbike instead of buying the bike:

• Rental companies always keep their all motorbikes are well-maintained and in good condition in order to use these motorbikes again and again. Therefore, renting a motorbike means that you will be sure to get a decent bike in good condition.
• Price: Certainly you get to rent a motorbike in better condition than anything you could buy for the same price, and you won’t have to worry about selling it at the end of your trip.
• Get promptly support from rental bike shops and they cover the costs of repairs on the way when the bike gets technical problems and provide some accessories such as good helmets, luggage racks, locks, phone holders.
• Unlike Rental companies, who are always concerned about the condition of motorbikes, the sole goal of motorbike sellers is to sell as soon as possible. Once you have bought a motorbike from someone, you will never get any further support, even if your motorbike breaks down soon after.
• If you’re planning a one-way trip, some motorbike rental shops allow you to drop your bike off in a different city.

Some Checklist before renting a bike

Check the rental contract and read carefully about policy and term conditions. (If return bike early, refund a part? or cover breakdown warranty..)

Check the blue card to see if the bike is legal or not? and also know about year models.

What Bike to Rent?

What are most motorbikes available to rent in Vietnam now? They come from some famous and reliable brands such as: Honda, Yamaha, or Detech for Honda Win market. So choose what bike to rent depend your plan, your experience.

Honda: No Doubt, Honda still remains the most popular motorbike brand in Vietnam. As a result, finding spare parts to replace when broken is a breeze. Any motorbike repair shop will support models from this brand.

If you are a truly driver, and want to conquere any terrain just pick up a dirt bike like Honda Xr, Honda CRF, Yamaha XTZ..

Yamaha: This brand is just behind Honda about popularity. In general, costs of Yamaha bikes are cheaper than Honda. But spare parts to replace are more expensive and harder to find than Honda

Most popular yamaha bikes in Vietnam are Nouvo.

Detech Win (copy of Honda WIn)

Most Popular Types of Bikes

Automatic

An automatic scooter is ideal for beginners who want to learn how to ride for the first time because of easy usage.

No clutch, no gear, just twist the throttle and use a break. Great choice for those who prefer a relatively easy ride in cites where lots of traffic and red lights make you often must stop for.

Almost automatic scooters have a storage underneath the seat that is big enough to put stuff inside.

Semi-Automatic

It is lightweight, flexible and suitable to drive in cities or long trips to mountainous terrain when this type of bike has engine breaks that is safer than automatic bikes.

Also Ideal for beginners learning to drive.

If the bike get problems, it is easy to get repairs on roads with popular spare parts to replace at local mechanic stores. And the cost is pretty cheap.

Manual

This type of bike is most powerful among 3 these types. This is favourite for riders. Perfect to drive long trips to difficult terrain.

Where To Rent a Motorbike in Saigon

If you are looking for a reputable and reliable place to rent a motorbike for your exploration of Vietnam, you can’t go wrong with Dung motorbikes rental Saigon

Here we offer motorbikes for rent in good condition at affordable prices. Our shop is located at the central Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) where you can easily walk by from District 1 to have a look and test riding.

We have our connection throughout Vietnam, so you can rent motorbike  one way from Saigon and easily drop bike off at different cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue and Ha Noi. We accept Paypal deposit so can return money deposit quickly at the end of your trip.

Upgraded motorbikes: We offer full types of bikes including Automatic, Manual, and Semi-Automatic from genuine, famous brands (Honda, Yamaha and Detech).

Return Policy: If you decide to shorten or cancel your trip, you will benefit from our return policy.

We cover breakdown warranty.

How to Maintain a Motorbike During a Trip?

About motorbikes for rent, you just do basic maintenance during your journey, just remember some information below

Tire Air

A lot of people skip checking tire pressure. If you drive the bike with flat tires or tires lack of air, that easily cause broken rims and damage tires, even dangerous due to lost balance. Sometimes a few days look at and check the tire.

You should know that over-inflated tires can be dangerous. You should invest in quality pressure gauges, which are easy to buy online.
You should ensure your tires are inflated to the PSI recommended on your motorbike’s sidewall.

Chain Tension

We recommend checking chain tension every 800 kilometers. Tightening costs typically range from 20,000 to 25,000 VND (approximately $1). And when the chain is dry, just grease on chain.

Engine Oil

Normally every 800-1000km you change engine oil one time. Just come by any local mechanic shops on roads to get them change. Engine oil is very popular and diverse brands.  Recommend Castrol oil that is popular and good quality. It costs about 100.000 vnd.

Conclusion

You have reached the bottom of this guide on “How to rent a motorbike in Vietnam.”
An independent motorbike trip in Vietnam will surely be one of the unforgettable travel experiences you have in your life. Dung motorbikes hope the tips above will make your time in this charming country more wonderful.
At the end of the day, please share your experience through the comments section. We’d love to hear stories from our readers!