Vietnam - Five Rules For Young Motorbikers

by Vaskatabaska on September 30, 2011

So, you are in Vietnam. And you decided to take a motorbike for rent. It’s a great idea! All you need is a small amount of money and passport (yes, they want you to give them the original of your passport). Ok, now you have a transport. What should you do next? Before going out on the big road you have to know a few simple rules.

1. Wear a helmet. Actually, they will not give you a motorbike without a helmet. But if you think that a helmet is something that is stupid and makes you look silly, or will spoil your beautiful haircut, please forget about it. If you want to fell safe on the road, wear a helmet.

2. Be aware of police. No matter whether you follow the road laws or not, police will tend to stop you if they see that you are a foreigner. So, if you see the police, try to choose another road.

3. Forget your English. That's a great rule in case the police stop you. They will ask you for your driving licence or tell you that you’ve broken some rule. Be confident, try not to speak English, and pretend you don’t understand what they are talking about. If they still don’t want to let you go, try to give them money. If they accept 100,000 dong, you are lucky. But at least try not to pay them more.

4. Never give anyone the keys. Especially the policemen. Sometimes when police see that you can’t understand each other and you don’t want to give them money, they ask you to give them the keys to the motorbike. Never do it! And don’t stand up from the motorbike. Talk to police while sitting on the motorbike and holding the keys in your hand. If they give you some papers, never sign them. Sometimes it’s better to pay a big amount of money instead of signing these papers. If you give them the keys or sign what they ask, they will take your bike on their parking. After that, you will see the motorbike only after one month, and also you will have to pay a big fee to the police and a lot of money for the guy who gave you the motorbike to rent (if you want to get your passport as soon as possible, of course). So, please be careful with the police.

5. Be attentive on the road. If you think that the most dangerous traffic is in Saigon, you are wrong. In the small towns or villages, it’s even more dangerous. In my opinion, it’s more safe to drive in Saigon, because everyone is attentive and careful. But in small towns, people feel more relaxed and can forget to show you the sign if they are going to turn or stop. That’s why you should be attentive on the road and never allow yourself to relax.

So, these are the rules. In the next article, I’ll tell you about different kinds of transport that you can meet on the road.