Share cost of entry permit to ride into Vietnam: Who wants in ?

[ORen]

Hi,

 

I'm planning on entering Vietnam sometime end of June (or in July) with my Singapore registered bike.

The paperwork costs USD $600 plus possibly some allowance for the guide who's mandatory to have at the crossing.

This cost can be shared by up to 3 maybe 5 bikes, so if you are interested in riding into Vietnam, let me know !

 

I am not looking for riders to tour in Vietnam, although I'd be happy to welcome some company if our routes match

 

So if you're looking to ride in Vietnam or know someone who wants to go, please have them contact me: swamp dot lion at gmail dot com - or reply to this thread.

 

It doesn't matter where your bike is from, the paperwork is the same for all foreign bikes to cross into Vietnam.

However, if your bike is not registered in ASEAN, I'll have to investigate a bit more on whats needed.

 

If your bike is from ASEAN, then you'll need to provide all the bike papers on top of yours and your pillion's if there's one. You know, proof of ownership, driving license, passport, registration papers etc. If you need a visa to get into Vietnam, that can also be taken care of.

 

I plan to cross at Moc Bai (Cambodia) because it seems to be the preferred border for guides. I don't have a set date yet, so we can discuss it and hopefully find a date that matches all schedules. I can do mid July or end of July if it suits the rest of the bikers better, let me know, we can always talk about it and find something that works out

Edited May 28, 2011 by O'Ren

[yem_paul]

This cost sharing is economical for any riders to tour Vietnam. I think it's still cheaper than China but i have a hunch it's going to keep increasing soon. It was much cheaper two years and god knows what the figures will be in two years time. So before it hits high, this is a good option.

 

Good luck my friend. Ride on

[ORen]

Thanks @yem_paul, for your continuous support on all fronts

 

I agree with you, this cost will keep increasing until Vietnam open its border to foreign vehicles which they don't seem to be willing to do anytime soon (although Ha Tien might be a ray of hope..)

 

For everyone's information, in case you didn't know (but I suspect if you are dreaming of riding in Vietnam you do know the situation), Vietnam is the only country of close proximity where you can't get your bike in by land just by showing up at the border with a big smile.

I was quoted prices for the paperwork going up to USD $1500 so yeah, this is a great opportunity if you want to check out Vietnam this summer

 

Some might ask why not fly to Hanoi or Ho Chi Min City and rent a bike there to tour the country : you can do that and it's what riders of the region have been doing. But if you look at the cost of the rental per day ($25-30 USD min) it's not cheap neither..

 

If anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to ask !

Edited May 27, 2011 by O'Ren

[Angler70]

Hi O'ren,

 

I actually have the same intention about riding into Vietnam....albeit knowing full well about the bureaucracy and restrictions on motorcycling there. It adds to the excitement of venturing into the less traveled routes I suppose. Being the usual solo rider crisscrossing the Land of Smile on many occasions I find it unfeasible to go through it alone bearing in mind the costs to be incurred, plus the awkwardness of being a solo rider being guided by a solo guide..haha.

It would be nice to know what you have in mind as far as the routes are concerned..and how many days are you throwing in for this ride.

Indeed, 600 USD is a steal, more so if shared by 5 riders....

 

If I were to plan my ride, it would look something like this :

 

Singapore - Hatyai - Hua Hin - Trat - Khlong Yai - Phnom Penh - Saigon - Na Thrang - Danang - Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu - Tay Trang - Luang Phrabang - Vang Vien - Vientiene - Kanchanaburi - Hatyai - Singapore.

 

16 - 18 days roughly. Let me know of the specifics of what you have in mind

 

Anyway, I am a Malaysian rider ( Johorean ) who happens to work in far flung east coast of MAL.

 

to yem_paul : I have been quietly admiring your Vietnam trip report...that was awesome man...good job done.

[ORen]

Hi Angler, nice to meet you !

I get the whole "solo rider" thing, no worries, I am myself really getting to enjoy riding just my bike as much as I enjoy riding in groups so I get what you mean.

 

The purpose of this thread is to find riders to cross the border. That's it really. I am hoping I can come to an agreement with the guide on the itinerary inside Vietnam that will allow as much freedom as possible : what i mean is basically, not have a guide 100% of the the stay there, and meet back with him when crossing back out of Vietnam.

Not a sure thing yet, but God willing.. maybe..

 

I am not looking for riders to ride with - as selfish this may sound or anti-social Part of the excitement around this adventure for me is the fact that I'll be going with one bike, and another girl But like I said, I'm sure I'll enjoy having some company for part of it, so we can discuss it.

 

As for my itinerary and timeline, I have the luxury of time for this, as I plan on riding around S.E.A and take the time I might feel like taking, depending on the places we find along the way and our wish to stay longer here or there.

That's why I said in my first post that I can work around pretty much any dates my co-riders would want, because I can change my itinerary to fit the agreed schedule.

For example, I can take off from Singapore mid June, and get to Moc Bai 8-10 days later. I would then do Vietnam as the first country of S.E.A that I tour, and only after that will I do Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

 

Or if everybody else wants to cross into Vietnam mid July or late July, then I'd do Thailand first and/or Cambodia and then meet everyone at the agreed date in Vietnam.

 

My goal is to ride around Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as much as I can ! Time wont be a limiting factor, but I bet after a month or two, maybe money will

Now for the itinerary inside Vietnam, I suspect all riders crossing into Vietnam together will kinda have to have the same itinerary, if only for the official paperwork purposes. I'm open at this point for suggestions since I think I'll be staying in Vietnam the longest.

 

From what you're saying, you would like to do a loop from Moc Bai to Hanoi in the north, riding the coastal road, is that correct ?

I am hoping to ride the coastal road pretty much from north to south (or the other way), and I really want to spend some time in Northen Vietnam where i've seen beautiful ride reports that made my scrambler-hater self starting to have dreams about riding a scrambler on Vietnamese trails

 

There is another rider who expressed his interest in sharing the entry permit cost as well and he might loop in another couple of friends as well. So we might get to 5 bikes pretty fast !

 

We can then all get together to discuss the itinerary inside Vietnam, how we want to do it, and also, get more details from the guide regarding his presence with us along the way - how does that sound to you ?

Maybe we can even meet up in MY all together to meet and talk about all this ..

 

Can you PM or email me (see first post) your contact info please (tel and or email), so we can keep in touch and communicate by other means

 

Thanks for replying, this really looks like it's gonna happen and I'm thrilled about it !

Edited May 30, 2011 by O'Ren

[Angler70]

Nice knowing you too O'ren...and thanks for your lengthy overview of this much anticipated ride into Vietnam. At least now the details are coming out much clearer...

 

Despite the thrill and excitement, I believe there may be some fundamental issues on the trip planning to ponder about...but nevertheless I reckon things which could be discussed for solutions.

 

Several points to consider especially on the entry permit requirements :

 

1. Must the riding group that arrived in Vietnam together...leave also in a group and on the same date ? This is essential as you plan on spending longer time in North Vietnam right ?? Other riders in the group may not have the luxury of time and may have to leave earlier. Personally for me, I could only spare 8-10 days in Vietnam.

2. Must the riders stick together in a group throughout the travel itinerary ?

3. Any chance of some riders exiting Vietnam through a different border post ?

4. Mind you...June and July are scorching hot months....:P

5. Exploring more of the north is a good idea...I concur. Therefore, if time happens to be a limiting factor for the majority of riders, maybe an option is to possibly enter Vietnam through Cau Treo...as an example....then head north to Hanoi.

 

Despite all the above, I keep an open mind....with me anything goes except the luxury of time. This is the one point where I become outrageously envious of you..:lol:

 

Lots of queries to be forwarded to the Viet agent I would foresee...

 

 

Anyhow, I hv PMed you my contact details..where we can comm. further.....see ya.

[ORen]

Hiya,

I have the exact same concerns as you do, and all the other riders will too I'm sure.

For 1,2 and 3, my plan was to call our guide to get the info from him directly.

I preferred to first find other riders willing to share the cost with me, before starting shooting questions at him, mostly because I need some sort of date/duration of trip idea and I need your inputs for that.

4: I made my peace with riding ATGATT under Singapore weather, I am not going to start doubting my resistance to hot weather now haha.. but yeah, might be hot, might also be very rainy, who knows around here !

5. Moc Bai was the most convenient crossing point for the guide, he mentioned to me that for any other border post, the price would double , I wanted originally to cross mid-Laos, but the price is a bit steep.. I'll ask again

 

If we HAVE TO stick together and can't exit from another border post or at different times, then, well, we'll see if all of us can agree on an itinerary and make the best of this trip

Got your PM thanks, will get it touch soon, now waiting confirmation from riders 4 & 5 and I can start gathering answers and contacting each of you individually before we all meet.

 

I know this is missing lots of accurate details and information, but hopefully it will get much clearer as we discuss it and communicate with our future guide, so bear with me please

[Angler70]

You have a PM O'Ren....

[ORen]

Little bump for those who missed this thread. If you have any questions, please feel free to post !

[andylau777]

Hi O'Ren,

I have similar plan to ride in those countries you mention, I have included China and Tibet, since i so near them why not go further.

I am interested to join you, subjected to schedule.

BTW I kana traffic accident at Vietnam, HCM 2 years ago on their local bike - A broken left clavicle. Riding in HCM have to be very careful.

[ORen]

Hi Andy, thanks for the reply

I don't think you can ride into China with your SG bike - I haven;t looked it up thoroughly because I don't plan to this time, but I understand that if we try to get to China, we'll have to leave the bikes behind at the border.

 

When you say you're interested to join, you mean to cross into Vietnam right ?

Subjected to schedule means that you need to decide when you'll be available or you mean it depends what the agreed schedule will be for the group that's crossing ?

 

I'm probably taking off for my tour next week so I will have to pick a date very soon for the Moc Bai crossing. So far only Angler has informed me of his dates, the other 2 riders interested are not sure yet whether they will be able to join.

Likely the crossing will happen in July, probably end of it to give everyone time to apply for leave and plan their route.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident in HCMC, and yes, this, Hanoi as well as Bangkok are on my black list traffic wise.. I don't plan on riding extensively in those cities, or in staying too long - I prefer to use the time given to explore other places since these cities I can reach easily by plane. But we'll see, I'll certainly keep in mind your advice and be extra careful.

 

Could you send me a PM with your email address and HP please ? I'll email you as well as the rest of the riders who showed interest in this.

 

Before I do that, I have to wait for my contact in Vietnam to get back to me on the specifics of the exit process, as we might not all have the same time to spend inside Vietnam, so I want to be sure we can exit at different times, even if it means adding a little bonus for the guide when he meets us on the way out.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to msg me or post here

[aprilia msia]

hi OÅ•en

Bug from d email previously

just like to add to the weather comments

I was in Hanoi some years back in June, believe me it was seriously hot with fantastically high humidity, we were sweating buckets and soaking our clothes even cotton T n shorts, our shoes were wet with sweat

hv gotten used 2 full mesh ATGATT here but the heat there is much more than here in summer

btw, dats a cool avatar u got there, is it available in Spore?

[aprilia msia]

hi OÅ•en

Bug from d email previously

just like to add to the weather comments

I was in Hanoi some years back in June, believe me it was seriously hot with fantastically high humidity, we were sweating buckets and soaking our clothes even cotton T n shorts, our shoes were wet with sweat

hv gotten used 2 full mesh ATGATT here but the heat there is much more than here in summer

btw, dats a cool avatar u got there, is it available in Spore?

[aprilia msia]

sorry abt double post, only hit Enter once, swear

[ORen]

Hey Bug,

The avatar is just an image I took from the web

ATGATT in this part of the world will always make a rider eel cooked and hot - but it's worth it ! I don't expect the weather to be in our favor, it's gonna be either POURING like mad, or very hot, but either way, I'm sure we'll be happy to be on the road.

[dragon_knight]

about paper work, why it seems only Vietnam requires this, no one mention about entering Thailand and Cambodia?

[andylau777]

All communist countries required paper work, e.g China even more tough , need to issue local license plate and must pay and accompanied by local guide.

[ORen]

about paper work, why it seems only Vietnam requires this, no one mention about entering Thailand and Cambodia?

 

To my knowledge, all other S.E.A countries don't require anything if you're from an ASEAN country (I mean your bike is. your citizenship if Singaporean allows you as well to cross certain countries without Visa)

Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos allow you to enter with your Singapore bike. Vietnam is the only country that refuses any kind of bike, any kind of cc or registration country, unless you have a guide with you from Vietnam to cross over, and paperwork he did for you and the bike.

 

I'm not sure this has to do with communism, Egypt is not an ex communist country and requires you to go through just as much headaches to get your bike in.

My guess is this is because of a mix of lack of a solid administration system to track vehicles, fear of not being able to prevent illegal "traffic" of motorcycles, as well as an import tax system that's making entering with a foreign bike a much better option than buying one in the country itself.

 

The need for an entry permit to Vietnam goes for cars as well.

 

That's why I posted to look for fellow riders who might be interested in taking the opportunity of my crossing over, to join and avoid all the hassle

[ORen]

An update on this front:

 

- All riders who join in will have to cross as a group the same day, same time

- Exiting the country can be done at each rider's convenience: once in, you'll have your own custom clearance papers that allow you to leave when and WHERE you want (you don;t have to leave by Moc Bai's border crossing)

[dragon_knight]

Thx, guys!

I'm actually a Vietnamese, Singapore PR. I plan to go from Singapore to Sai Gon or HN in Oct but surprised about that kind of entry.

For my case, do you know if I need an entry permit for myself and a friend of mine (from Ho Chi Minh city) to enter Thailand, Cambodia? For entering VN, I will try to get some info and share with you guys.

 

CHeers,

[ORen]

Where is the bike you plan to ride registered? If Singapore, then the above apply. If you have Vietnamese citizenship, you obviously won't need a visa for yourself. But the bike still needs proper clearance.

 

That's for VN.

For Cambodia and Thailand, I don't know if VN citizens need a visa, should be easy to google. The bike won't be a problem, as log as you have it's ownership papers.

[dragon_knight]

Ok. My Bike is registered in Singapore. I don't need Visa for Thailand & Cambodia but as you said, I also think that a clearance is a must, however not sure for a Vnese will it be easier. Damn it, why need so much for clearance :">

[kingfisher]

Hi may I know if you guys have already left for Vietnam? I should be in Laos around end sept this year. May I know what are the documents required for the birder crossing to vietnam thanks

[pipipapipu]

hi, may I check if you have completed the ride? got something to ask you..