This video just covers everything! I really appreciate how you discuss different timelines and preferences. You really took everything into account. Super informative. I love your videos!
this video is fantastic! clearly a ton of effort you've put into this and its acknowledged and MUCH appreciated! adding this to my list and can't wait to check it off next year!!!
Thank you! For sharing this video! Yes! Motorcycling in Vietnam is an adventure of a lifetime if your the kind of person who knows how to enjoy scenic cruises and explore endless miles of beautiful sunset landscape.
Thanks! Not the most exciting video unless its something you're interested in doing, but wanted to get the info out there. Tim thought it was literally as simple as 1.) Buy motorbike 2.) Start driving north.
Love that you kept the helmet as a "souvenir" 😊 love those unique ones they you bring home and you walk by them or see them and it brings you back and prompts reminiscing ❤️❤️
Thanks! I love that helmet. I had multiple offers from people trying to buy it before we left too! Worked out that we sent a bag home along with the custom suits/dresses we had made in Hoi An.
Well deserved respect.i mean,that's a lot of riding and so much energy of you guys kept it together.well done guys!Enjoy your travels and be safe guys.Cheers!!
+Geno Allmond yay! That's so great to hear that this was helpful! You can check Agoda for accommodation. In some of those small cities there is only one or two options of hotel!
Geno Allmond This is what you need to plan your route. I'm Vietnamese myself and no one else ( foreigners) knows Vietnam better and in depth than this British guy. vietnamcoracle.com/saigon-to-hanoi-by-motorbike-5-suggested-routes/
Great video! very helpful for planning our trip next year. I have no idea how I ever missed this video from you guys as i've been subscribed to your channel for years!
Great itinerary. But there are some improvements I want to point out. First, you started from HCMC and go to BIen Hoa, and then Vung Tau. But there is a shorter route, also you won't want to be in Bien Hoa, cause there's nothing there to see. Follow the 51 National Road from HCMC to Vung Tau, it will be about 2 hours trip. Then from Vung Tau to Mui Ne (Phan Thiet), follow the 55 National Road. The scenery is just amazing down the 55 road. Also check out La Gi town, beautiful beach. Then it's much easy from Mui Ne to Nha Trung, just follow the 1A road.
+Đức Nguyễn thanks! Awesome info to know. We'll include that in an update for itinerary article we're writing for the site. Also, selfishly, we'll use that info next time we do the trip ourselves....can't wait to get back to Vietnam.
Yes, I'm living in HCMC at the moment, and I'm planning a trip back to my home: Hanoi. The next time you're in Vietnam, make sure to go to Tây Bắc (West of Nothern Vietnam). But the road in Tây Bắc is tough and dangerous, but the scenery is heavenly. There is a lot of offroad, so you may want to prepare yourself mentally and physically. Take a look at this video to see how beautiful Tây Bắc is: ua-cam.com/video/ks0mOYXeMJk/v-deo.html Also, one of my friend owns a homestay in Son La, it'd be great if you could go there and stay a night :)
+Đức Nguyễn tough and dangerous road? You're making it sound better and better! You need to put up a blog about all these route options! It seems like all the information online is from foreigners like us visiting - but we don't know all these details. Finding detailed information on the best routes to take was difficult before our trip. Thank you again for all of your info.
Hi, amazing video, you mentioned there was a place to stay between the Phong Nha caves and Khe Sanh. Do you know what the guy's place is called or have a link to it?? Thank you :))))
Love all your videos guys !! We both fell in love Vietnam on our honeymoon. We're planning another trip as soon as Vietnam is open to foreigners again. Quick question do you remember where you extended your visas??
I’m looking at three weeks of travel flying into Ho Chi Minh City… What would you recommend for that going all the way up to Hanoi? Or just playing around Ho Chi Minh City some loops? Going in February
Best Video out there for Vietnam! So informative and will definitely refer back to this when we plan our trip! Random question, what CC was your bikes? Wonder whether it's worth getting 125cc to save on time...
Rentals are typically 100-110cc automatic, but you could probably find manual 125cc and up for more power but that wouldn't make much of a difference in speed imo due to road condition and speed limit.
Do you guys plan on making a video on how to prepare for an epic trip like this? Forgive me if you have one already, I just came across your channel and find it so inspiring! My fiancé and I decided last month that we want to go around the world for 6 months next year starting in June instead of a wedding and have no idea where to begin! Love you guys!
I think that idea is sick. Here we are months later and still can't stop reflecting on this trip. Taking a lot off time off from work and getting out there was better than we imagined. In regards to prep- Finny did a packing video a little while ago. We have a ton of articles written on the saving as well. We're currently working on pulling together a video on more details around savings, cost per country, how to manage flights and accommodations on the cheap,etc. Thanks for the kind words and it's comments like this that keep us going to put out more videos.
Thank You for your video and especially the details regarding riding North Vietnam. We will be riding through much of the North in November, hoping you can help with some question regarding clothing and footwear. Did you have warm clothes (Sweater, jackets, gloves, etc) that you needed for riding in the north with you for your entire trip from the South to the North? Or did you buy warmer jackets and clothes during your ride through the north? Did you find that you needed warm footwear to ride in the north, or were runners sufficient? Any other packing advice? Thank You and Safe Travels!
Hi Shawn- Thanks for checking out the video. North in November? Yes- bring some warm clothes. It's very likely you'll still get days where you're cruising around a Tshirt, but by the end of our trip (December) Finney was in a puffy coat and I had purchased a leather motorcycle jacket. We both had layers on underneath. It could easily sometimes be wet, cold and miserable. Also, the temp changes drastically with elevation. We'd be sweating at teh begining of a ride only to end up shivering two hours into it. Both of us just wore runners (actually hiking shoes). They weren't anything special and they were plenty warm enough. If anything, I'd bring shoes that were waterproof and could dry quick. If you're putting in 4 hours a day on a bike just from a safety standpoint we felt better in proper shoes over sandals like we saw so often. By the end of the trip we definitely needed them for warmth. Finally, for other packing advice you might want to check out the link below. We go through a couple of stupid cheap items you can buy in country that will make your ride much more comfortable: ua-cam.com/video/p6-DBZqeu_8/v-deo.html
Hi, thank you for the very informative video. I am travelling to Hanoi on 16th for a total of 3 weeks. I have already paid the deposit for a Honda Blade with Tigit. Taking into account flights etc I have about 16 days to travel south from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh? Would you say this is enough time to travel the 2000km (roughly) from Hanoi to Saigon down the Ho Chi Minh trail? Thank you in Advance.
Hey Alex! You're going to have plenty of time to make that trip! When you start riding you'll quickly get an idea of just how much longer it takes to get certain places compared to what google maps says. Since you're going at a quicker pace I'd recommend trying to cram everything you need in one pack. That way you can take it with you when you park in parking lots. A lot of our side trips were only possible because we had our "luggage" at the hotel. Have an absolute blast on your trip and stay safe!
TIM and FIN Hey! Thank you for the advice and for this video! Just so you know I have just completed this trip i'm currently in Ho Chi Minh City writing this. I have just motorbiked the length of the country getting a mix of costal roads and mountians a total of over 2000km/1300 miles. My stops were Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Vinh - Phong Nha - Hue (all via the inland Ho Chi Minh Highway as much as possible) - onwards to Hoi An (via Hai Van Pass) then inland to Kham Duc - Kon Tum - Buon Ma Thuot - Dalat - Ho Chi Minh City. Completed in a total of 14 days but didnt feel rushed at all, I feel I got the most out of the time I had. This has been without doubt the most memorable experience of my life....so far. Hopefully many more trips to come. Thank you for inspiring 🛵🗺🌏😎👌
Loved your Vietnam motorbike trip video and this video is a nice summary of your trip. 1. In Hanoi you were seen wearing an evening gown on New Years and in this video you showed yourself wearing a "down" parka. Was all of this brought with you on the trip from Saigon (it will always be Saigon to me) or did you have clothing shipped ahead? 2. In your trip video I never saw any currency exchanged. What were you using for daily expenditures? Credit cards, US dollars, Vietnam dong?
We had some clothes made in Hoi Ann....thats the thing to do there! That's where Fins gown came from and I had a motorcycle jacket custom made. We weren't expecting it to get so cold so we picked up a parka from a mens clothing store (along with pants) for Finny. As for money, we used a charles schwab debit card to pull out Dong when we needed it. That specific debit card refunds foreign ATM fee's so its essential when you're pulling out a little bit of money every two days. We really only used cards to book hotels-everything else was dong.
Awesome video, thanks for the Tips! we have around 15 full days driving, so will definitely take advantage of some night trains! where are the images of min: 16:04 ??? Looks incredible! definitely want to go there! :-)
If you're an American, I dont think we can officially get a license there. Most rental shops will rent to foreigners that have an international driver's license
in one of your other vid's about this trip there was a clip with a women that was walking you through the day to day of your trip before you headed out. Was that person a tour guide/organizer? If so do you have any contact info? PS love the vid's all very helpful, thank you much.
Thanks for the video! Useful one. Was wondering though, I don't know whether the question has been asked already but what about the driver's license? Since you learned to bike over there, it means you didn't have any license before that.. so, how? I guess you guys didn't do anything illegal! Thanks again!
So here's the deal- I've answered this before but its really a grey area- even on more official Vietnam gov websites. The most up to date info I found is that Vietnam now recognizes international drivers permits. In practicality though, it doesn't matter. If you get pulled over you're likely bribing the police or waiting it out until they leave you alone. Not that it matters, but I had my motorcycle license and international permit. Finny has a normal drivers license and an international permit. Two months on the road and it didnt come up. The rental agency didn't require any documents either. The last thing to consider is that some travel insurance doesn't cover motorbikes- something to keep in mind.
+liesus720 no worries! I went looking for my answer to copy and paste and couldn't find it anyway! Seriously though- if there is one take away- it's don't worry about it. You'll be fine and the majority of foreigners doing the bike trip aren't even giving it any thought at all. If you're going anywhere else get a permit. It's only like 15 at AAA and takes 10 minutes.
Can anyone here tell me if beanie caps ( such as in Sons of Anarchy ) are legal in Vietnam ? AND what does Fin mean by ''they take your bike apart before putting it on the train '' ?
Hi ! What about getting a flat tire during this long trip ? Did you consider it before taking ? It isn't a problem ?! If you get a flat tire anywhere in Vietnam you can get help quickly ? Thank you so much on this info !
We got SO many flats during this trip. It's not a problem at all to get them fixed. In retrospect, we should have brought a patch kit with us but you can stop all over the place and get tires fixed. Most of the time there is just an old tire outside of a auto shop looking building. You can roll up, point to the tire, and someone will take care of it for a few USD worth of Dong. We probably got about 5 flat tires during this ride- none of them were in the middle of nowhere. There must have been enough tire repair places all over too because it never occurred to me to buy a patch kit and I'm a very prepared person.
@@roygertel No worries Roy! Again, you probably will be able to find tire repair ALL over the place. Additionally, most of the tires there have tubes inside of them instead of being tubeless tires, so keep that in mind! Hope you have the best time on your trip- its the freakin coolest place ever.
@@timandfin Hey ! U really inspired me u two. I watched your videos several times. U seems to be the perfect couple. I'm doing this trip by myself. I decided to buy brand new Detech 127cc bcz all the mechanics in it are new so maybe I will have less problems during this trip. Tim - U have a great wife. keep her close ! :)
okay so im doing this trip in november but im going from hanoi to ho chi ming city, are there any signs that tell you which high way is for motorcycles or anything like that? or will my google maps just direct me on the car route instead of the motorcycle route? HELP and thank you
It will be obvious which roads to take. Motorcycles also aren't allowed on many of the highways and there are signs showing you that. Since you're leaving from Hanoi its going to be much less crazy than from Saigon. These guys havea ton of detailed map information: www.tigitmotorbikes.com/vietnam-routes-and-maps/
Thanks so much, really useful! May be a bit of a stupid question but, when in big cities such as Hanoi, HCMC and Hoi An, where do you leave your bikes when exploring the cities? Do you have to pay a local to watch over your bike, or can you just leave it on the side of the road? Thanks again :)
Not a stupid question at all- Definitely something that we were concerned about as well. We stayed exclusively in cheap hotels in Vietnam-hostels weren't necessary. Every place has its own secure parking garage or locked area. Sometimes they'll be valets as well. As for pulling over on the side of the road, there are a lot of places that have someone watching bikes in the parking lots for very cheap. You basically pay a 10 cent fee and get a ticket. We never worried about our bikes the entire time. The only thing you had to watch out for was when someone got a little too crazy and tried to charge us WAY more because we were tourists. It's an easy thing to negotiate though if you stand firm and name your normal going price. They get that it isn't your first day in country.
Thank you for the video! It has some great info but I'm not brave enough to ride in the big cities. When I was in Saigon couple months ago, it took me 2 days to cross the street! Walking on the same side of the street can only take you so far and then you have to take a taxi to your destination or brave the streets. It was actually no big deal after the first time. So I'm planning on going back to Saigon next year for Chinese New Year. After the new year, I'm planning on flying up to Hanoi and then take a bus/boat/bus to Cat Ba island and stay there for 2-3 days. Do you have any recommendations as far as hotels in Cat Ba or which travel service to get to Cat Ba from Hanoi? Thanks again even if you can't help!
Listen- crossing the streets is tougher than the driving part. We usually just tried to follow a local when it was time to cross the road. We have no reco's on where to stay there but there was everything from nice hotels to hostels that we heard about or saw. As for getting out there, there is a ferry from Ha Long for like 90000 dong that includes your motorbike. I think that's less than $5? The ferry ride out there was awesome as well and Cat Ba is a great island to go bum around on and explore.
Anytime! We'll detail out the Cat Ba experience in a few more videos as well. You'll be able to see what that ferry ride looks like and why we thought it was such a deal.
Me and a friend are going in the beginning of October and we’re driving from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh in 1 month. Do we still have time to stop at every stop you had along the way from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi?
I think that's totally doable. We only needed two months because we went north of Hanoi and also spent several days at some of the locations. You'll have plenty of time to spend a day or two at each of the major "stops" we had. I wouldn't worry about reserving accommodations way ahead of time either- we had no problem booking decent hotel rooms the day before.
You actually convinced me to not motorbike but use bus/train to go from top to bottom and rent bikes locally. I'm going in rainy season and it feel so much better to sit in a bus or train than soaking with a sore behind. Can I ask what months you made you trip?
I was thinking doing HCMC to Mui ne but now that you mentioned 7 hours long driving plus busy street and yet i don't even have license to motorbike....but if i can get to Mui ne by train or other transportation, rented a motorbike over there and doing Mui ne up to Da lat is that possible??
You are not Vietnamese so you may not know that Hue is famous for its language accent. Hue accent is just beautiful, and hard to understand even to the ears of Vietnamese people from other regions. Looking forward to seeing your Southwest Vietnam trip (a.k.a Mekong Delta). There are so much fruits and fruit gardens down there.
Do we need a license to hire and ride a bike in Vietnam ??? I am an Indian ....and do i need to obtain an international driving permit for riding a bike in Vietnam ?????
We made in without trouble from the police in Mui Ne. Finney ended up getting pulled over North of Hanoi- but to be fair- she was speeding! The officer ended up letting her go as neither of them understood each other.
There are a lot of mosquitoes in VN at night. Be careful since you don't want to catch malaria or be bitten by these creatures when sleeping outside or by a river.
Can't be a "real" biker chick until you're covered in tattoos. 🤣- Oh, and that was a "moped" and not a real "bike". 😂😂😂. All in all, pretty impressive to travel all that way on supposed "bike"; don't think I can do it on anything less than a 1000cc Harley. J/K of course! Totally enjoyed your vid.
Do we need a license to hire and ride a bike in Vietnam ??? I am an Indian ....and do i need to obtain an international driving permit for riding a bike in Vietnam ?????
This video just covers everything! I really appreciate how you discuss different timelines and preferences. You really took everything into account. Super informative. I love your videos!
this video is fantastic! clearly a ton of effort you've put into this and its acknowledged and MUCH appreciated! adding this to my list and can't wait to check it off next year!!!
Thank you! For sharing this video! Yes! Motorcycling in Vietnam is an adventure of a lifetime if your the kind of person who knows how to enjoy scenic cruises and explore endless miles of beautiful sunset landscape.
Wow! One of the best videos on UA-cam for an itinerary! also i love the visuals on Google maps! Deffo will recommend to people when i see them! 😁👍
Thanks! Not the most exciting video unless its something you're interested in doing, but wanted to get the info out there. Tim thought it was literally as simple as 1.) Buy motorbike 2.) Start driving north.
Love that you kept the helmet as a "souvenir" 😊 love those unique ones they you bring home and you walk by them or see them and it brings you back and prompts reminiscing ❤️❤️
Thanks! I love that helmet. I had multiple offers from people trying to buy it before we left too! Worked out that we sent a bag home along with the custom suits/dresses we had made in Hoi An.
Well deserved respect.i mean,that's a lot of riding and so much energy of you guys kept it together.well done guys!Enjoy your travels and be safe guys.Cheers!!
Thanks! It was one of those things that was better than you could have hoped for. Can't wait to do it again.
I was so lost on an itinerary for Vietnam. This was absolutely perfect. I think I am going to take almost you guys' exact route. Thank you so much!
+Geno Allmond yay! That's so great to hear that this was helpful! You can check Agoda for accommodation. In some of those small cities there is only one or two options of hotel!
Will do! Yeah that is what I am worried about but I will definitely look into it to make sure I have a place to stay!
Geno Allmond This is what you need to plan your route. I'm Vietnamese myself and no one else ( foreigners) knows Vietnam better and in depth than this British guy.
vietnamcoracle.com/saigon-to-hanoi-by-motorbike-5-suggested-routes/
Great video! very helpful for planning our trip next year. I have no idea how I ever missed this video from you guys as i've been subscribed to your channel for years!
That was very informative! Thanks for sharing all the great tips and giving us a glimpse of each place you visited along the way. It's very helpful.
Doing this trip in March, thanks for sharing!
Me too . Need a riding buddy?
@@phillipzamora865 perhaps. You touring through Asia? Heading to Thailand in February.
@@Dexxter_slav No Vietnam
you guys are awesome,,thats one hell of a ride..
This is the best video i have ever seen about motorcycle in Vietnam thank you a lot for the great route
Great info, thanks heaps :)
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for all of the infos!! I'm flying to Vietnam soon!
Thank you so much!! Going to SEA soon. And going to Scooter Vietnam in one month- ish :)
great video. thank you!
Wow. This was impressively useful. Thank you.
Thank for video, I love it.
I just had a greatest tour in vietnam is *north vietnam motorbike tours loop bike tours*
Great instructions. Thank you!
Great itinerary. But there are some improvements I want to point out. First, you started from HCMC and go to BIen Hoa, and then Vung Tau. But there is a shorter route, also you won't want to be in Bien Hoa, cause there's nothing there to see. Follow the 51 National Road from HCMC to Vung Tau, it will be about 2 hours trip. Then from Vung Tau to Mui Ne (Phan Thiet), follow the 55 National Road. The scenery is just amazing down the 55 road. Also check out La Gi town, beautiful beach. Then it's much easy from Mui Ne to Nha Trung, just follow the 1A road.
This is my trip just last year from HCMC to Vung Tau: goo.gl/maps/EkngD7wMhSB2
The scenery from La Gi to Phan Rang - Thap Cham is just breath taking.
+Đức Nguyễn thanks! Awesome info to know. We'll include that in an update for itinerary article we're writing for the site. Also, selfishly, we'll use that info next time we do the trip ourselves....can't wait to get back to Vietnam.
+Đức Nguyễn thanks for sharing that map We'll be sure to throw credit your way. Do you live in HCMC?
Yes, I'm living in HCMC at the moment, and I'm planning a trip back to my home: Hanoi. The next time you're in Vietnam, make sure to go to Tây Bắc (West of Nothern Vietnam). But the road in Tây Bắc is tough and dangerous, but the scenery is heavenly. There is a lot of offroad, so you may want to prepare yourself mentally and physically. Take a look at this video to see how beautiful Tây Bắc is: ua-cam.com/video/ks0mOYXeMJk/v-deo.html
Also, one of my friend owns a homestay in Son La, it'd be great if you could go there and stay a night :)
+Đức Nguyễn tough and dangerous road? You're making it sound better and better! You need to put up a blog about all these route options! It seems like all the information online is from foreigners like us visiting - but we don't know all these details. Finding detailed information on the best routes to take was difficult before our trip. Thank you again for all of your info.
This is really good!
It's great to know, thank you. 😀👍
The destination is the journey! LOL.
But the point is well taken, enjoy the travel and take advantage of things along the way.
Hi, amazing video, you mentioned there was a place to stay between the Phong Nha caves and Khe Sanh. Do you know what the guy's place is called or have a link to it?? Thank you :))))
Love all your videos guys !! We both fell in love Vietnam on our honeymoon. We're planning another trip as soon as Vietnam is open to foreigners again. Quick question do you remember where you extended your visas??
Wow this looks like so much fun :)
I’m looking at three weeks of travel flying into Ho Chi Minh City… What would you recommend for that going all the way up to Hanoi? Or just playing around Ho Chi Minh City some loops? Going in February
Best Video out there for Vietnam! So informative and will definitely refer back to this when we plan our trip! Random question, what CC was your bikes? Wonder whether it's worth getting 125cc to save on time...
Rentals are typically 100-110cc automatic, but you could probably find manual 125cc and up for more power but that wouldn't make much of a difference in speed imo due to road condition and speed limit.
Do you guys plan on making a video on how to prepare for an epic trip like this? Forgive me if you have one already, I just came across your channel and find it so inspiring! My fiancé and I decided last month that we want to go around the world for 6 months next year starting in June instead of a wedding and have no idea where to begin! Love you guys!
I think that idea is sick. Here we are months later and still can't stop reflecting on this trip. Taking a lot off time off from work and getting out there was better than we imagined. In regards to prep- Finny did a packing video a little while ago. We have a ton of articles written on the saving as well. We're currently working on pulling together a video on more details around savings, cost per country, how to manage flights and accommodations on the cheap,etc. Thanks for the kind words and it's comments like this that keep us going to put out more videos.
Thank You for your video and especially the details regarding riding North Vietnam. We will be riding through much of the North in November, hoping you can help with some question regarding clothing and footwear. Did you have warm clothes (Sweater, jackets, gloves, etc) that you needed for riding in the north with you for your entire trip from the South to the North? Or did you buy warmer jackets and clothes during your ride through the north? Did you find that you needed warm footwear to ride in the north, or were runners sufficient? Any other packing advice? Thank You and Safe Travels!
Hi Shawn- Thanks for checking out the video. North in November? Yes- bring some warm clothes. It's very likely you'll still get days where you're cruising around a Tshirt, but by the end of our trip (December) Finney was in a puffy coat and I had purchased a leather motorcycle jacket. We both had layers on underneath. It could easily sometimes be wet, cold and miserable. Also, the temp changes drastically with elevation. We'd be sweating at teh begining of a ride only to end up shivering two hours into it.
Both of us just wore runners (actually hiking shoes). They weren't anything special and they were plenty warm enough. If anything, I'd bring shoes that were waterproof and could dry quick. If you're putting in 4 hours a day on a bike just from a safety standpoint we felt better in proper shoes over sandals like we saw so often. By the end of the trip we definitely needed them for warmth.
Finally, for other packing advice you might want to check out the link below. We go through a couple of stupid cheap items you can buy in country that will make your ride much more comfortable: ua-cam.com/video/p6-DBZqeu_8/v-deo.html
Hi, thank you for the very informative video. I am travelling to Hanoi on 16th for a total of 3 weeks. I have already paid the deposit for a Honda Blade with Tigit. Taking into account flights etc I have about 16 days to travel south from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh? Would you say this is enough time to travel the 2000km (roughly) from Hanoi to Saigon down the Ho Chi Minh trail? Thank you in Advance.
Hey Alex! You're going to have plenty of time to make that trip! When you start riding you'll quickly get an idea of just how much longer it takes to get certain places compared to what google maps says. Since you're going at a quicker pace I'd recommend trying to cram everything you need in one pack. That way you can take it with you when you park in parking lots. A lot of our side trips were only possible because we had our "luggage" at the hotel. Have an absolute blast on your trip and stay safe!
TIM and FIN Hey! Thank you for the advice and for this video! Just so you know I have just completed this trip i'm currently in Ho Chi Minh City writing this.
I have just motorbiked the length of the country getting a mix of costal roads and mountians a total of over 2000km/1300 miles. My stops were Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Vinh - Phong Nha - Hue (all via the inland Ho Chi Minh Highway as much as possible) - onwards to Hoi An (via Hai Van Pass) then inland to Kham Duc - Kon Tum - Buon Ma Thuot - Dalat - Ho Chi Minh City. Completed in a total of 14 days but didnt feel rushed at all, I feel I got the most out of the time I had. This has been without doubt the most memorable experience of my life....so far. Hopefully many more trips to come. Thank you for inspiring 🛵🗺🌏😎👌
Loved your Vietnam motorbike trip video and this video is a nice summary of your trip. 1. In Hanoi you were seen wearing an evening gown on New Years and in this video you showed yourself wearing a "down" parka. Was all of this brought with you on the trip from Saigon (it will always be Saigon to me) or did you have clothing shipped ahead? 2. In your trip video I never saw any currency exchanged. What were you using for daily expenditures? Credit cards, US dollars, Vietnam dong?
We had some clothes made in Hoi Ann....thats the thing to do there! That's where Fins gown came from and I had a motorcycle jacket custom made. We weren't expecting it to get so cold so we picked up a parka from a mens clothing store (along with pants) for Finny. As for money, we used a charles schwab debit card to pull out Dong when we needed it. That specific debit card refunds foreign ATM fee's so its essential when you're pulling out a little bit of money every two days. We really only used cards to book hotels-everything else was dong.
Thank you for the reply.
Awesome video, thanks for the Tips! we have around 15 full days driving, so will definitely take advantage of some night trains! where are the images of min: 16:04 ??? Looks incredible! definitely want to go there! :-)
hi..pretty detailed information. one question do i need to obtain driving licence in vietnam for driving/road trip via 2 wheeler. thanks
If you're an American, I dont think we can officially get a license there. Most rental shops will rent to foreigners that have an international driver's license
in one of your other vid's about this trip there was a clip with a women that was walking you through the day to day of your trip before you headed out. Was that person a tour guide/organizer? If so do you have any contact info? PS love the vid's all very helpful, thank you much.
Thanks for the video! Useful one.
Was wondering though, I don't know whether the question has been asked already but what about the driver's license? Since you learned to bike over there, it means you didn't have any license before that.. so, how? I guess you guys didn't do anything illegal!
Thanks again!
So here's the deal- I've answered this before but its really a grey
area- even on more official Vietnam gov websites. The most up to date
info I found is that Vietnam now recognizes international drivers
permits. In practicality though, it doesn't matter. If you get pulled
over you're likely bribing the police or waiting it out until they leave
you alone. Not that it matters, but I had my motorcycle license and
international permit. Finny has a normal drivers license and an
international permit. Two months on the road and it didnt come up. The
rental agency didn't require any documents either. The last thing to
consider is that some travel insurance doesn't cover motorbikes-
something to keep in mind.
Pretty complete answer, thank you very much!
And sorry for asking again about something that has been asked before.
+liesus720 no worries! I went looking for my answer to copy and paste and couldn't find it anyway! Seriously though- if there is one take away- it's don't worry about it. You'll be fine and the majority of foreigners doing the bike trip aren't even giving it any thought at all. If you're going anywhere else get a permit. It's only like 15 at AAA and takes 10 minutes.
Thanks for the tip but not sure there's AAA in Switzerland.. I'll probably just stop worrying about it. ;)
Greetings from Geneva!
Houng an is just south of Hoi An. Going to Dai Loc also. Thank you for your help. Da Nang? Stay in Dog Patch! LOL
Can anyone here tell me if beanie caps ( such as in Sons of Anarchy ) are legal in Vietnam ? AND what does Fin mean by ''they take your bike apart before putting it on the train '' ?
Love u tim and fin
Hi ! What about getting a flat tire during this long trip ?
Did you consider it before taking ?
It isn't a problem ?! If you get a flat tire anywhere in Vietnam you can get help quickly ?
Thank you so much on this info !
We got SO many flats during this trip. It's not a problem at all to get them fixed. In retrospect, we should have brought a patch kit with us but you can stop all over the place and get tires fixed. Most of the time there is just an old tire outside of a auto shop looking building. You can roll up, point to the tire, and someone will take care of it for a few USD worth of Dong. We probably got about 5 flat tires during this ride- none of them were in the middle of nowhere. There must have been enough tire repair places all over too because it never occurred to me to buy a patch kit and I'm a very prepared person.
@@timandfin OK, thank u very much. Just in case, I will buy a patch kit & learn how to repair by myself :)
Thanks again !
@@roygertel No worries Roy! Again, you probably will be able to find tire repair ALL over the place. Additionally, most of the tires there have tubes inside of them instead of being tubeless tires, so keep that in mind! Hope you have the best time on your trip- its the freakin coolest place ever.
@@timandfin Hey ! U really inspired me u two. I watched your videos several times. U seems to be the perfect couple.
I'm doing this trip by myself. I decided to buy brand new Detech 127cc bcz all the mechanics in it are new so maybe I will have less problems during this trip.
Tim - U have a great wife. keep her close ! :)
okay so im doing this trip in november but im going from hanoi to ho chi ming city, are there any signs that tell you which high way is for motorcycles or anything like that? or will my google maps just direct me on the car route instead of the motorcycle route? HELP and thank you
It will be obvious which roads to take. Motorcycles also aren't allowed on many of the highways and there are signs showing you that. Since you're leaving from Hanoi its going to be much less crazy than from Saigon.
These guys havea ton of detailed map information:
www.tigitmotorbikes.com/vietnam-routes-and-maps/
Hello what are you doing for the living?
Hi, is september a good time to visit vietnam.. i am planning to have a total of 10 days in vietnam. Can u suggest me the best bike trip plan for this
Thanks so much, really useful! May be a bit of a stupid question but, when in big cities such as Hanoi, HCMC and Hoi An, where do you leave your bikes when exploring the cities? Do you have to pay a local to watch over your bike, or can you just leave it on the side of the road? Thanks again :)
Not a stupid question at all- Definitely something that we were concerned about as well. We stayed exclusively in cheap hotels in Vietnam-hostels weren't necessary. Every place has its own secure parking garage or locked area. Sometimes they'll be valets as well. As for pulling over on the side of the road, there are a lot of places that have someone watching bikes in the parking lots for very cheap. You basically pay a 10 cent fee and get a ticket. We never worried about our bikes the entire time. The only thing you had to watch out for was when someone got a little too crazy and tried to charge us WAY more because we were tourists. It's an easy thing to negotiate though if you stand firm and name your normal going price. They get that it isn't your first day in country.
Hey guys! Just wondering if you could point me in the direction of the "guy with some rooms" (heehee) between Khe Sanh and Phong Nha.
Thank you!
Hmm I think someone in the comments had mentioned something? Check on Agoda. Ow, a few years later there might be something on a booking site!
@@timandfin no luck on agoda I'm afraid. I'll keep looking.
5:49 is that a road from Ninh Hoa ( Highway 1A) via highway 26 to Buon Ma Thuot City ?
Thank you for the video! It has some great info but I'm not brave enough to ride in the big cities. When I was in Saigon couple months ago, it took me 2 days to cross the street! Walking on the same side of the street can only take you so far and then you have to take a taxi to your destination or brave the streets. It was actually no big deal after the first time.
So I'm planning on going back to Saigon next year for Chinese New Year. After the new year, I'm planning on flying up to Hanoi and then take a bus/boat/bus to Cat Ba island and stay there for 2-3 days. Do you have any recommendations as far as hotels in Cat Ba or which travel service to get to Cat Ba from Hanoi? Thanks again even if you can't help!
Listen- crossing the streets is tougher than the driving part. We usually just tried to follow a local when it was time to cross the road. We have no reco's on where to stay there but there was everything from nice hotels to hostels that we heard about or saw. As for getting out there, there is a ferry from Ha Long for like 90000 dong that includes your motorbike. I think that's less than $5? The ferry ride out there was awesome as well and Cat Ba is a great island to go bum around on and explore.
Thank you for your reply!
Anytime! We'll detail out the Cat Ba experience in a few more videos as well. You'll be able to see what that ferry ride looks like and why we thought it was such a deal.
Me and a friend are going in the beginning of October and we’re driving from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh in 1 month. Do we still have time to stop at every stop you had along the way from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi?
I think that's totally doable. We only needed two months because we went north of Hanoi and also spent several days at some of the locations. You'll have plenty of time to spend a day or two at each of the major "stops" we had. I wouldn't worry about reserving accommodations way ahead of time either- we had no problem booking decent hotel rooms the day before.
You actually convinced me to not motorbike but use bus/train to go from top to bottom and rent bikes locally. I'm going in rainy season and it feel so much better to sit in a bus or train than soaking with a sore behind. Can I ask what months you made you trip?
This was Nov-Dec
How do you rent a motorcycle from Hanoi and return it in Saigon?? Or do I need to buy one?
Check out "Tigit" They are awesome!
I was thinking doing HCMC to Mui ne but now that you mentioned 7 hours long driving plus busy street and yet i don't even have license to motorbike....but if i can get to Mui ne by train or other transportation, rented a motorbike over there and doing Mui ne up to Da lat is that possible??
+sergio s yes. And that is a much more beautiful drive. Don't worry about the license either. The drive to dalat was very beautiful.
You are not Vietnamese so you may not know that Hue is famous for its language accent. Hue accent is just beautiful, and hard to understand even to the ears of Vietnamese people from other regions.
Looking forward to seeing your Southwest Vietnam trip (a.k.a Mekong Delta). There are so much fruits and fruit gardens down there.
Part 3 as soon as the world opens up again!
Do we need a license to hire and ride a bike in Vietnam ??? I am an Indian ....and do i need to obtain an international driving permit for riding a bike in Vietnam ?????
thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Did you rent or buy that bike?
Rented it from tigit. Google them. They’re awesome.
Police will stop foreigners in Mui Me, avoid that police road.
Where's your next drive?
North in Ha Giang, that video is live! Search “Tim and fin northern Vietnam”
Did you have any trouble with the police?
We made in without trouble from the police in Mui Ne. Finney ended up getting pulled over North of Hanoi- but to be fair- she was speeding! The officer ended up letting her go as neither of them understood each other.
Too bad you didn’t do Mekong
Your eyes is so beautiful
Did y'all get a license, or did y'all just roll the dice?
😃😃💖💖🇲🇦🇲🇦🏍🏍📽📽👍👍🇹🇼
anh
ANH O DAU ??
U don't drive a scoot or motorcycle u ride it ... sorry I just hate ppl say I drove a motorcycle. U ride one ... ( I drove a horse? )
Yeah hue is overrated,hai van too
LOL. Why you a need hotel. Make a friend and stay with them. I won't be staying in Hotels. Sleep on the river!
There are a lot of mosquitoes in VN at night. Be careful since you don't want to catch malaria or be bitten by these creatures when sleeping outside or by a river.
Can't be a "real" biker chick until you're covered in tattoos. 🤣- Oh, and that was a "moped" and not a real "bike". 😂😂😂. All in all, pretty impressive to travel all that way on supposed "bike"; don't think I can do it on anything less than a 1000cc Harley. J/K of course! Totally enjoyed your vid.
This is the best video i have ever seen about motorcycle in Vietnam thank you a lot for the great route
Do we need a license to hire and ride a bike in Vietnam ??? I am an Indian ....and do i need to obtain an international driving permit for riding a bike in Vietnam ?????