Disclosure: Stingy Nomads take part in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and several other affiliate programs. Good visibility, hard corals, nudibranches, variety of tropical reef fish. Get a taste of what the locals eat from Madam Phuong bread, Banh Beo/Water Fern Cake, Cao Lau Noodles, Banh It La Gai cake, and more! Buying a bike is the cheapest option since you can sell your bike again after your trip, but is more risky since you can buy a lot of problems. For those reasons, the best time to visit the Central Vietnam is between February and August. Easy Rider Motorbike tour, waterfalls, coffee plantations and amazing scenery, cricket tasting, coffee tasting, Kopi Luwak/Caphe Don (shit coffee) farm. Hoi An is a beautiful riverside town, we stayed here for a couple of days. Each and every province in Vietnam offers something special. It is important to note that insurance wont cover you and you might be held responsible for the accident if you drive without a licence, spending time in a Vietnamese prison is not a cool way to end your trip. Some of my friends got pulled over, they did not have a licence and paid a bribe to get out of it. What to expect:Pleasant weather with less crowded tourist attractions. Some days we drove on Highway one, many trucks and thousands of motorbikes everywhere. - thanks for the info. safe travels! Explore the centuries-old streets by bike, through ancient alleyways, and secret sidestreets to discover the best street food in the city. April to June is an unpredictable time when witnessing a transition from spring to summer. Some luxury hotels and high-end shops in District 1 may pay attention to this details for their guests. Explored DMZ zone and Vin Moc tunnels for 2 days Unreal, the tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing by the Americans. Hello! Real hot! depends on how much time you have, you will get a better price selling it yourself. The main problem will be if you are involved in an accident driving illegally and someone gets hurt. Just a show for tourists, I would not recommend it. The most popular bikes for this journey are the Honda Win 100cc manual shift bike, the Honda Wave 110cc scooter or the Yamaha Nouvo 125cc scooter. Is it safe to ride a motorbike through Vietnam? Hi Brad, thanks for words. See the best of Saigons markets in the morning, interesting fresh produce, flowers & animals market experience the most wonderful and weird sides of Saigon. I will strongly advise you to invest in insuranceWorld NomadsVietnam insurance is an excellent option and you can get insured with them even if you are already on route. Our trip started in Hanoi riding south, many do it in reverse. From my experience, the good and stable weather in Ho Chi Minh and Mekong delta mostly support your trips. Your email address will not be published. Summer in the North Vietnam between May and August is a pretty harssh with the average temperatures 30 degrees (86 Fahrenheit)and the maximum temperature of 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit). To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Hey guys! Trekking in the Sapa Valley and meeting some of the locals staying in a homestay was one of the highlights traveling through Vietnam. Amazing article. A year of massive changes for us. Cool party city, drinking beer and talking nonsense on little chairs on the sidewalks. I have read through most of the comments, but please forgive me if this is a repeat question. To find this, youll want to explore the north. Whether exploring the whole country by bike or just doing a motorbike day tour, a motorbike adventure is something you have to experience when traveling in Vietnam. I dont work for World Nomads, so go and check it out and read the fine print. If you visit Vietnam during Tet, you will notice that the big cities will be less noisy and people come back to their hometown for the family reunion for around a week. The rainfall is short enough to clean the air putting the hustle and bustle of the city at ease. I only had two close calls having to swerve and brake for crazy drivers. Real vs Fake Bikes The real Honda Win 100cc motorbike is made in Japan and costs about $2000 new, most of the bikes driven by tourists are fake Honda Win copies made in China, they are a lot cheaper, I heard they cost about 25% of a real bike. In backpackers areas there are usually many bikes for sale standing around with for sale signs. One day boat trip on classic boat including snorkeling around island, glass bottom kayaking. But When is the best time to visit Vietnam and you start doing some search. Private motorbike explore the Ho Chi Min food scene, Ha Long Bay, 2 night boat and island trip, Luxtude 13400mAh Waterproof Portable Charger, our 2 week itinerary driving across Vietnam, our route itinerary and plenty of other useful tips. What to Expect: April to June in Vietnam comes with fine weather and fewer tourists. Only 12 driving days, driving between 2 and 8 hours a day. Hello Billy, thanks for reading. I have been exploring the world for about 8 years and traveling Vietnam by motorbike is still one of my all time favorite adventures. I checked with Tigit and the bike I wanted was like $400. In recent times a Ho Chi Minh Highway was constructed by paving over old sections of the trail, creating a 1,000-mile paved road from Hanoi to Saigon only running through Vietnam. If you are a flower lover or chase for the photography moments in those rich cultured and romantic mountainous regions of Vietnam. Dalat Full day Easy rider motorbike tour I did this one day tour in Dalat and it was fantastic! I'm here to share what I know about Vietnam for travelers. 100% Vietnamese, my passion is traveling and running projects related to tourism. After years of permanent travel we found a new home in the Algarve, Lagos, Portugal. Renting is more hassles with insurance and returning the bike. Regarding the roads that motorcycles are not permitted to drive on , is this the case with highway one ? Theres nothing wrong with either option, just be prepared to stop more often for repairs if you purchase second-hand. In central Vietnam, the rainy season runs from October through January and the rest of the year is mostly consistently dry. Those mountainous areas of Vietnam are well-known for its charm with the ethnic minority communities and its seasonal flowers. Coming into Ho Chi Minisinsane, crazy traffic turned into super crazy traffic. Can't recommend them enough. It might however take a week to sell your bike. Christmas is surely not a national holiday of Vietnam but it seems that the locals love it. Perhaps its the allure of saying: I rode from Hanoi to Saigon on a motorbike, that has made this so popular, perhaps its the Top Gear special, either way this route does not give a glimpse into the countrys most beautiful scenery. The rest of the year is usually dry, with December through March being chillier and often gray. I suggest that you imagine the country as three different areas from the North, the Central and the South. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Driving on the highway was easier than expected, traffic doesnt move very fast and consists mainly of thousands of scooters and a couple of trucks. Dormitory is a good idea at the start of your trip to make some friends! Singing born to be wild on my little motorbike and almost getting run over by huge buses made some memories I will always cherish. HI Where did you go diving and was it good? He loves traveling, braai (BBQ in South Africa), red wine and spending the day in a wetsuit. The overwhelming majority of travelers riding in Vietnam begin in either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and these are the best two places to find a bike. Expect for the best trekking adventure in the far North. Interesting city, war and military museums, nice palaces. Exploring cities, towns and villages will give you a basic understanding of the culture, but riding between them will make you feel part of it all. Perfect to visit the tourist spots and museums this time. The summer comes from May to October with hot temperature, high humidity and rain. While Hanoi and Halong temperatures ranges 15-22 degrees (59-72 Fahrenheit), Hue and Hoian ranges 22-32 degrees (72-89 Fahrenheit), the beaches are enjoying hot weather with the clear skies and sunshine. The cheapest way to buy would be from another traveler in a hurry to sell his prized/despised moto. Huge intersections without traffic lights. General condition, is it clean, all rubber OK, paint job still good, no loose tape and wires. Since everybody owns a motorbike there are many very cheap bikes on the second hand market. You could get an international license, but the truth is, it probably wont help. - did you go into Laos or Cambodia on moto? June is still a good month to visit Vietnam despite it being a pretty mixed bag in terms of weather. Since there are fewer travelers, those months is still among the best months to visit. Welcome to the country which has more than 200 miles of coastline and three different weather patterns! In general, the winter lasts from November to April with the average temperatures from 17-23 degrees (62-73 Fahrenheit) and the coldest months fall in January, February and March where it freezes with the overnight temperatures is down to 4 degrees (39 Fahrenheit). That being said, I definitely like the idea of buying a bike in HCM. How much of a problem would this be with Vietnamese law enforcement? Get advice from a source you can trust. We experienced everything on this blog and wrote every word. Check out Facebook there are several Vietnam Motorbike groups on Facebook where travelers sell their bikes. Overall, the NorthVietnam has four seasons with a cold winter and a hot summer. Hey Stingy Nomads , great post in helping me plan my journey . A towel is an essential thing to have for an adventure or budget traveler. You can easily pick up a bike for under $200 from another backpacker in hurry to sell. At the same time, the climate in Sapa and the mountainous regions in the North is good with 10-15 degrees (50-59 Fahrenheit). If something is wrong discuss with the owner, might not be serious and easy to fix. We did breakdown a couple of times, but that was amazing in Vietnam, we always got help relatively quickly and fixing our bikes was always cheap. Even those whove moved to Vietnam and acquired Vietnamese drivers licenses have to deal with scams from police officers. Check out the Vietnam Back Roads Facebook group, great to help with planning routes. Stories of their trip sounded unreal and when I realized how cheap buying a motorbike is I started planning my trip! You think it is possible to do so bearing in mind my short itinerary and having not much time to do research for buying bikes? A poncho, or better yet, rain pants and a good jacket, is a necessity as heavy rains pop up sporadically across the country. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Colder winter months can be mysterious and empty, yet chilly to ride. Was it easy to do so in Hanoi? July to September comes with harsh weather in the North Vietnam and crowded beaches. We recommend you pack the. With an insight in Vietnam traveling & knowledge about the local culture, we provide some tips & information to help you know the ins and outs of travel in Vietnam, especially in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).
best time of year to motorbike vietnam