Riding a motorbike in Vietnam is the experience that almost hungry backpackers want to try at least once in a lifetime. And if you know nothing about it, no worries, it’s all covered in this travel guide. Scroll down for things that you should know before hitting the road.
Table of Contents
Preparations
For an amazing adventure, you need to arrange your time and tasks in advance. It will take you from 3 to 15 days to join a motorbike tour in Vietnam depending on your itinerary and destinations, not to mention traveling time from your country to Vietnam. Thus, make sure that you finish all your tasks and spare enough time for the trip.
What to bring
Don’t leave home the following items: personal protective equipment, elbow and knee pads, high-quality helmets, clothes, raincoats, waterproof jackets, windbreakers, shoes, glasses, and masks to name a few. However, travel light is still a top priority for every backpacker.
Besides, stay healthy and don’t be subjective about normal diseases. Bring along some medicine and a basic first aid kit.
Make a travel itinerary
Making a travel itinerary is a prerequisite before riding a motorbike in Vietnam. Here are some of the best stops for you to choose from: Sapa, Moc Chau, Son La, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho, Vung Tau, Phu Yen, Phan Thiet, Da Lat, and Nha Trang. Especially, don’t bypass unspoiled destinations in Northwest Vietnam that will never fail to make you wow.
Time planning
Depending on the number of days that you spend on your trip to plan how long you will stay or stop at each destination and spare some time for situations arising. This is to ensure you can go back in time to continue your school or work.
As usual, backpackers often travel through the spots on a motorbike and return on a train, coach, or plane to save time, strength, and expenses. Consider this plan to make the best choice.
Must-know tips for riding a motorbike in Vietnam
Riding a motorbike in Vietnam has both active side and latent dangers. It takes time and may affect your health because you will have to ride a long way. Follow the below tips to keep your journey smooth.
Obey road safety rules
Before starting, you need to learn carefully about the routes, bends, and turns to reduce risks, in case of being lost, facing fog, or getting slippery. Run at the right speed and keep it steady.
Leaving at the crack of dawn
Riding a motorbike in Vietnam in summer, you should get off at around 4 to 5 a.m to avoid severe sunlight. Don’t travel through mountain pass or rivers at night.
Search for the price and information
The expense is what all travelers care about. You need to ask about the cost of eating and accommodation to save as much money as possible. Remember to spend enough money enjoying all the specialties of each region. In addition, you need to seek the local spots of eating and drinking offering reasonable prices if you’re reaching out for Hue Citadel, Sapa, Saigon, and so on.
Where to stay and what to eat
Generally, there are lots of motels, hotels or homestays around the tourist destinations. To save on expenses, stay overnight at a motel or a homestay on the road’s side. If you have any friends or acquaintances in the area, ask them to let you in for a night or help you find a good place on a budget.
As for eating, don’t try strange, raw or medium dish if you have a week stomach. Limit the use of cold water, carbonated drinks, and alcohol, beer. A small tip for you is that if you see an eatery on the side of the road where many trucks or containers stop in the front, that’s exactly a great eating place.
Also, don’t fill your belly too full. Only choose specialties of the area you’re passing through. For instance, Hue’s sweet dessert soups, Nghe An’s eel porridge, Da Nang’s dew-wetted rice paper, and boiled pork, Quang Nam’s chicken rice, etc. Tons of must-eat local foods are shared on the Internet. Or the best way is to take advice from experienced travelers. Gather any mouth-watering that you’re eager to try into your bucket list in order to miss out on nothing.
What if you can’t bring your own motorbike to the country?
Worry not, Vietnam is still a nation of two-wheelers, remember? And of all the providers of dirt bike rental services, BM Travel Adventure is a top choice. The Hanoi-based company is a top-notch supplier of the field that will offer you high-quality off-road motorbikes and even enduro tours. If you book the tours here, it is sure that the staff team keeps your adventure safe and exciting throughout the trip.
The above is the travel guide of riding a motorbike in Vietnam that you should note down. Anyway, don’t forget to track down charming spots along the nation to feed your hunger for adventures. I hope you will have an exciting and unforgettable road trip that you have ever wished for!