Successful Entry into Vietnam!!!

Oct 15, 2009
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We have made it into VIETNAM!!!
Many said it could not be done on a Harley (being technically illegal in Vietnam)....
We came in from Na Meo border crossing and spent the 1st night in Mai Chau.
Tonight, we are in Hanoi. :D

I would add in some photos, but I do not know how to upload them to the forum. David??????

Nikki and I stayed the night in Xam Neua (Laos) as the accommodation in Viang Xay (30Kms closer to the border) was a true dump. There is no "accommodation" in Nam Soi (Laos side of the border). The one guesthouse in Viang Xai was not at all attractive, but nice if you like cockroaches. So the trip to the Nam Soi / Na Meo border from Xam Neua (Samnuea) was about 85 Kms, done early in the morning. The road is fairly uneven and passes through a lot of villages, so an average of 45Kms/hr only possible. There is a LOT of livestock on the road, which makes the going very slow. It took 2 hours to do the 85 Kms, with a pee stop along the way. Oh, by the way, village toilets suck!

About 30 minutes to check out of Laos, with the Carnet stamped and ready to go. No trouble at all!! The immigration official said that if we had any trouble, that we could come back and un-cancel our cancelled visas. With this get-out-of-jail-card, we headed across the concrete bridge to the Vietnam checkpoint about 200 metres away.

Our official tour guide from Voyage Vietnam was there waiting for us, having arrived in Na Meo the day before. He had already spent 2 hours at the border the day before, showing paperwork and letters of authority from the Vietnamese Prime Minister's office in preparation for our arrival the next morning. He had clued up the customs guys as to what to do, and what to look for, showing copies of our carnet, and instructions from "head office".

When we arrived, the border staff were ready and waiting for us. Smiles all around!!! We first met our guide, Tuyen, a lovely chap who speaks excellent English. Tuyen took our Carnet for processing with customs, leaving us to do other formalities. Tuyen, our guide, was carrying a stack of documentation relating to our bike, and a copy of the letters from the Prime Minister's office allowing to conduct a tour and to allow entry for our bike.

In the meantime, Nikki and I went to Immigration to have our Visas validated and stamped for entry into Vietnam. Next, we had a "health check", which merely involved taking our temperature and getting us to fill in a declaration form. After a "welcome to Vietnam" from immigration staff, we joined our "guide / fixer" in customs. The customs officers were taking there time, reading the "special documentation" as to what to do with the Carnet, being very careful not to make a mistake. They were relying upon our "man in charge" as to translation of the Carnet itself. They were also taking a lot of care to fill in an official blue-coloured "Entry Permit" for the bike, which also validated my International Driving Licence, naming the bike, the VIN, Registration, my passport number and name in detail. The document is in English and Vietnamese, carbon copied in duplicate. The Carnet was stamped, signed, then the blue document was stamped, signed and attached to the Carnet. Of course, they also attached an official receipt for 10,000 Dong, which I had to pay (about US$0.55 - yes, 55 cents) .

With documents in hand, we were permitted to take a few photos of the border crossing, including the customs and immigration area/officials, and went to the bike. Final thing was to inspect our luggage using an X-Ray. Our "fixer" indicated to take the bag off the top of the Top-Box/Tour pack and leave the others in the bike. A scan by the X-Ray and a quick look inside, the officers smiled and said we were OK to go. Seemingly, a formality, at least in our case. Next we went back to the bike, loaded up the inspected bag, started our Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic, and roared up to the front gate. The immigration officials all smiled and cheered as the engine bust into life. We joined by our Guide (riding a Honda Dream 100), who told us to stop before the gates and follow his lead. Out of "respect / courtesy", we had to push the bike past the gate, about 7 feet. Why? I do not know, but if we did not, it would involve a fine. After the gate, we got back on and rode into Na Meo town for a cool drink and some fuel.

Voila!!! We are in Vietnam!!!

The drive to Mai Chau from the border was fraught with a few mud piles and some rough patches. It took another 4.5 hours to travel the 170 Kms. We arrived at our "hotel" at about 4pm, and was truly tired, having left at 6;30am from Xam Nuea (Laos).

Today, we rode down a better highway to Hanoi via some stunning scenery. The drive into Hanoi was a terrifying experience. This place makes Jakarta look like a walk in the park! Oh the traffic and chaos!!! Boy, am I glad we got our horn fixed in Chiang Mai!! We NEEDED IT. In any case, when they ignore the horn, I just pull in the clutch and rev the motor a bit. The roaring sound that our bike makes certainly gets their attention and they keenly move aside, expecting a truck. The look on their faces in the rear-view mirror, when they realise it is a motorbike is fantastic.

One of the funniest thing happened when we passed Hoa Binh. We drove close to a Vietnamese lady-midget, who was walking near the edge of the road. As we approached, she pointed at us, jumped up and down yelling "Harley! Harley! Harley". Obviously a motorbike fan. It looked just like a scene out of fantasy Island - "Boss, The Plane! The Plane!" Nikki and I roared with laughter as we drove slowly past, each making the silly TV association in our minds without having to say much at all.

Nikki took video of us riding into Hanoi, trying to capture the chaos and constant litany of near misses.Seeing the whites-of-their-eyes in on-coming traffic is not my idea of something to do too often. Of course, it was raining, albeit gently. Still, we made it and have learned some pretty neat local traffic-dodging techniques in the meantime. Hino is not a word you want to see coming at you in the opposite direction, too often. We are only in Hanoi for another day, so once we ride out of town, the risk reduces significantly. Our scooter-guide (Tuyen) rides ahead and shows us the way with quite a good degree of skill, honking his horn almost constantly to warn local villagers of the monster following behind. The looks, screams and waves we get from the locals is truly breathtaking. If we stop anywhere, we instantly gather a crowd of on-lookers that stand around, point and prod at our "humungous machine". The biggest street-legal motorcycle in Vietnam is 175cc, most being 100cc or 125cc. Our 1,520cc monster is quite a sight for them!

Tonight we had a great dinner at a local French-Vietnamese restaurant. ne of Nikki's former colleagues from school, Di Fisk, walked into the same restaurant, taking a holiday here. It is such a small world!

What tomorrow will bring, we can only guess. One thing will be for certain, it shall not be dull.
:D
 
Dec 27, 2007
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Awesome! Great trip report! Where did you get the carnet for your bike? Ride On! Tony
 

daewoo

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Dec 6, 2005
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Also keen to know the cost of your guide, if he will stay with you the whole trip, and if your 'letter from the prime ministers office' is something special because your guide pulled some strings, or if it is more of a generic letter...

Nice work tho... I am sure our resident Vietnam Permission Tester, Hiko, is very jealous...

Cheers,
Daewoo
 

Auke

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Nov 10, 2003
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Mark-Nikki wrote: We joined by our Guide (riding a Honda Dream 100), who told us to stop before the gates and follow his lead. Out of "respect / courtesy", we had to push the bike past the gate, about 7 feet. Why? I do not know, but if we did not, it would involve a fine. After the gate, we got back on and rode into Na Meo town for a cool drink and some fuel.
:D
Wow - great. I am sure that, considering the number of posts on wanting to ride into Vietnam lots of people will want to try to get to Vietnam once you spill the beans on the "How to do it".

With regard to having to push the bike through the gate this seems to be something quite common in some countries. In Laos at most of the Government Offices people on motorbike need to push the bike for a meter or two while entering/leaving the premises and can then drive further. Have asked many people why this is but have never gotten a real explanation other than "this is the rule".

Similar, when I worked at a Government office in Vientiane and was using my car with Thai number plates I was sometimes not allowed to park inside the office compound and had to leave it outside on the road.
 

bard

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Oct 2, 2008
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Fantastic, finally...

WOW this is promising, we can break the frontier.

Great encouraging report, well done.

Cheers Bard
 
Oct 2, 2007
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Hey mark & Nicky it was great running into you in Laos and those riding tips you gave me helped a ton and I can't thank you enough for the gloves they have been just what I needed. I am a day away from crossing into Cambodia the trip down south has been great, bike running fantastic and I have enjoyed the view.
I am so glad you got into Nam, have a fantastic trip and maybe one day we will meet in Sydney. Ed
 

burnjr

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Dec 28, 2005
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nice story bro..
yes we need to have a guide when riding in vietnam with our own bike,
same like China we also need the guide and pass the test in Mangla,for plate licence before
can proceed to Yunan provience :D :D :D
prepare the money..enough if u need to ride in this country.. :arrow:
 
Oct 16, 2009
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Mark and Nikki....It was a pleasure meeting you in Hanoi and I so very much enjoyed your company and stories. I want to thank you for your knowlegable advice for planning my trip to Thailand. Thanks for leading the way and hope to meet you at the Thailand border upon your return. Ride hard and safe my friends, Carl Aldous
 

DavidFL

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Photos from Mark & Nikki

687190480_PQiYy-M.jpg


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Voila!!! We are in Vietnam!!!

Regards,
Mark & Nikki Remenyi
Happily lost somewhere in the middle of VIETNAM!
 

DavidFL

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UPDATE 20 OCTOBER 2009 from Mark & Nikki


Monday, 19th October 2009

Today was a day that we will definitely not ever easily forget.

The day started in Ha Giang (far north Vietnam) by waking up, packing our things and having a simple breakfast in our equally rated hotel; in other words, the best that there was in town. Nikki and I both slept well enough and ready for an exciting trip to the Chinese near-border town of Meo Vac, home to a selection of Vietnamese minority groups. Not having seen another foreigner for quite some time, we sat at breakfast next to two tables, one with French tourists (assuming they were tourists) and a table of representatives from various embassies. After breakfast, we chatted with Alistair, a representative from the New Zealand embassy in Hanoi, on a fact finding mission for the minority groups in the area. He had returned to Ha Giang the day prior having come from Meo Vac, taking the same route in the opposite direction. He assured us we will see some spectacular scenery, villages and cultures along the way.
Tuyen had already had breakfast at a non-western eatery on the street. After doing the bike-packing ritual, we headed-off, the embassy staff looking at us start the bike and leave the hotel.

The ride out of Ha Giang is quite beautiful; rolling hills of rice, corn and sago with the local villagers herding cattle along the side of the road. The amount of traffic and cow dung on the road up the steep, windy mountain was surprising, many of the trucks making a run for the Meo Vac border crossing. The road was bumpy and barely wide enough for a car, let alone two trucks trying to overtake each other around a blind corner. Somehow, we all managed, until we came to the top of the mountain plateau.

The road ahead, about 40 Kms out of Ha Giang, was “under constructionâ€
 
Dec 27, 2007
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Wow! :shock:
Thanks for passing that along David.
Have to admire his positive can-do attitude in the face of such challenges!
Look forward to hearing more!
 

DavidFL

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Next update.....

TUESDAY, 20TH OCTOBER 2009

Thankfully, the next day was reasonably uneventful for all three of us, but shocking in quite a few respects.
Nikki woke up as planned at around 8:30am and met Tuyen for breakfast. The excitement and Red Bull kept me up until quite late, so I slept in. Waking up was a little painful, and the bruises from the day before had emerged and made themselves felt. Finally, I got up at around 10:00am and we left Tuyen Quang for Ha Long Bay. Tuyen initially informed us that the ride would be around 160 to 180 Kilometres. Looking at the map, it seemed that his distance calculation was a bit off, and I inquired again. Tuyen updated his numbers and suggested around 180 to 200 kms. Nikki and I remained sceptical.

The ride to Ha Long has to be done almost via Hanoi. Riding South-East along highway 2, the road proved to be quite good, in fact excellent closer to Hanoi, but the going was still relatively slow. The road is lined on both sides by a constant litany of shops, houses, shop-houses and people. Oh yes, there are also cows, buffalo, chickens, ducks, goats and dogs. I am not so worried about the animal traffic, as they don’t command a metal machine coming at you with speed, hell-bent on pushing you off the road.

One technique I have near-perfected for making the passage easier is not to use the horn alone, but also to occasionally give lots of throttle to the engine whilst in a slightly higher gear than needed. This makes the exhaust “barkâ€
 
Oct 15, 2009
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Dear All,

Quite a few people have asked what was the process in order to enter Vietnam. Here is our explanation.

Initially, I tried by contacting various people inside Vietnam related to the police department and the Prime Minister's office. The answer was that it was possible, but would need authorisation from the Prime Minister himself, and we would also require a local guide (not optional). I asked as to how to get a guide that the office would recognise, and they suggested a LICENSED travel company could provide this, and I should ask about them helping with the application process. Only a LICENSED travel company can get the correct paperwork to bring in a foreign bike. It all seemed quite difficult.

At this point, I thought it better to contact the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and ask their opinion about a number of travel companies based in Hanoi, close to the prime minister's office. The only positive response I got, was a licensed tour operator by the name of VOYAGE VIETNAM.

I contacted Voyage Vietnam (Anh Tuan Nguyen) and enquired if he could conduct a tour where we enter fron Laos on our own Harley. He said that he had not done this before, it should be possible and he would like to TRY. I thought this this an honest enough answer and gave it a go.

What I had to be organised was:

1. Carnet for the bike (CPD) from Auto Club in bike's registered country.
2. Copy of original & international drivers' permits.
3. Proof of currency of motorcycle licence for over 5 years.
4. Copy of Passport fron pages for driver & pillion.
5. Visa for Vietnam for driver & pillion that matches the start of the tour date exactly.
6. Copy of original bike registration/ownership papers.
7. Copy of the bike's standard specifications.
8. Copy of personal travel insurance.
9. Copy of current bike insurance (for overseas travel).
10. Deposit of tour (in my case US$1,000).
11. Detail of emmissions controls certificate for bike or explanation why it should comply to Vietnam standards.
12. Proof of ownership of the bike.

What Voyage Vientam organised was:

1. The tour itinerary.
2. Application letter to Prime Minister's office to conduct a tour.
3. Application to Prime Minister's office for entry permit for the bike.
4. application to the Transportation Minister for entry permit.
5. Letter from the company andorsing the guide as an official representative.
6. The english-speaking guide himself.
7. Organising accommodation and tour bookings (optional).

The initial application process took about four months, but now that they have done it, it should be shorter, about 2 months.
First, decide the itinerary and decide the start date.
When applying for the Visa, make sure that you attach a copy of the tour contract with the itinerary to the application. The prime minister's office checked for the Visa application from Vietnam when we applied in Australia (big brother is watching).
Wait...

Once the permission and permits are grated, Voyage Vietnam let me know and all was for go! They provided me with much of the documentation directly, but not the Prime Minister's official letter, until we arrived and paid the balance in full.

The cost for 21 days was US4,500, including the guide and all application fees. The deposit covered most of the application fees, from what I understand. Although Voyage Vietnam was a little out of pocket at the application stage, they did not seem to mind in our case. I paid the balance to them directly when arriving in Hanoi.

I must say, that despite some "mutterings" around the traps, that I cannot fault their dilligence and service. We have had a few mechanical and terrain issues, but they have been able to change the itinerary internally, once it started. We have even extended our original itinerary by 5 days, which required an OK from the Prime minister's office. I sincerely cannot complain!!!

I will let you know more about the exit process after we have left Vietnam.

http://www.voyagevietnam.net

Regards,
Mark & Nikki
 
Dec 30, 2003
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This is great news, especially for overlanders.

Congrats on paving the way.

Thanks for taking the time to do the reports.

Enjoy your journey.

cheers

LaudJohn
 

DavidFL

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UPDATE 25 OCTOBER 2009

Dear All,

Just a quick note to let you know that we are in Hue in central Vietnam.
The traffic is better down here, and we are much more "in control".

Our spirits are up and we are pushing on according to schedule.
Much safer down here in the south.... seemingly.
But we are not letting up our guard.

Regards,
Mark & Nikki Remenyi
Happily lost somewhere in the middle of VIETNAM!
 

DavidFL

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UPDATE MONDAY, 26TH OCTOBER 2009

We awoke, had breakfast and took a tour of the Forbidden City in Hue.
Similar in layout, but much smaller than the original Forbidden City in Beijing, it was the home and place of residence of the King of the Viet land in the 18th and 19th centuries. The structures are under restoration having
suffered significant damage after the French and Indochina war. Tuyen was a great guide, quite knowledgeable about his heritage.

Enjoying a simple lunch back at the hotel and got on Razoo to follow him to the Tomb of the last emperor of the Viet Kingdom.

We went back to the hotel for a rest by the pool and a few drinks to talk about the day. Tuyen left the poolside to go and get new copies of documentation from the prime minister's office, that were sent ahead to us un Hue, reflecting the updated itinerary. Travelling with out of date documentation may prove time consuming if we are significantly questioned by authorities.

In the evening, we went for a walk to get some snapshots and video of Hue by night. It is a very pretty place and has a magnificent riverside lit by restaurants and lights on the old suspension bridge.

Back to the hotel we went to witness a Vietnamese orchestra play and to watch traditional dancing. It was wonderful. The dinner menu in the hotel restaurant did not enthuse us at all, so we merely had drinks and witnessed the cultural delights of the evening.

Asking Tuyen to guide us to a very good restaurant, we went in a taxi to enjoy the evening at a local eatery. We were the only customers; a slow evening. The food was fantastic; chicken, grilled tuna fish, fried rice beef skewers and some vegetables. Nikki was having a great time enjoying the best food we had eaten in days, until she suddenly stopped eating.

Nikki held her hand up towards her throat and looked very serious. Her face was turning a little red. She drank some water.

"I have a fish bone caught in my throat". She said.

Tuyen suggested eating rice with water. That did not help. I suggested some rice with some of the mushroom sauce. That did not help either. Nikki tried her best to wash it down with copious quantities of water, but nothing
worked. Finally, Nikki rose from the table, retching uncontrollably and proceeded to vomit her entire dinner into the garden bed. The staff at the restaurant became very concerned. Tuyen was also wondering what he could do.

After some more barfing into the garden, I escorted Nikki to the bathroom, where she continued to empty herself. I was hoping this would dislodge the bone, but it didn't. Nikki was looking bad, and was having real problems. I
asked Tuyen to get a taxi ready and to take us to the best clinic or hospital in town. N the meantime, Nikki was trying to wash and get ready for the trip to the doctor, whilst I paid the bill for the meal. Nikki composed herself well, but we had to wait for ages at the front of the restaurant for the taxi.

Whilst waiting, the waitress came out with a second bill; apologizing for an error in their accounting. They forgot to charge us for the fish! Flinging 70,000 Dong at the waitress, the taxi arrived and we got in. An short ride and we got into the side entrance of the hospital. Nikki was looking worse for wear, retching uncontrollably with an empty stomach. Horrible.

Entering emergency, Tuyen explained her condition, and I tried to tell the staff about her condition with gagging very easily. I could not tell if theunderstood or not, but they showed her to a bed and gave her a vomit-bag to hold, just in case. Shortly thereafter, they brought over a wheelchair and guided us to a section far away that specializes in fish-bone accidents.

In the fish-bone room was a surly doctor, with a patient already waiting. He took a look at Nikki, who gagged each time he tried to place a tongue depressor into her mouth. After a while he gave up, asking her to wait for someone else. Tuyen explained a better doctor was coming, and Dr. Surly started to treat thee guy already waiting. With this patient he was also failing, unable to find the bone in his throat.

Finally a younger, kinder looking doctor arrived. He took over to treat the guy ahead of us. It took ages for him to finish, and Nikki went outside to wait so she did not have to hear the other guy retch continuously with the instruments inserted. The doctor finally gave up on this patient, suggesting an X-ray and surgery the next day. Things were not looking good.

After about twenty minutes, it was Nikki's turn. Sheepishly, she returned to the room and took the chair opposite the new doctor. Hooray! He spoke good English! He asked Nikki to "try" to help him help her. Saying this did not help Nikki, as she was unable to control the gag reflex at all. The doctor wore a searchlight on his head, beaming white light straight into her face.
He got a piece of gauze, wrapped it around her tongue-tip and asked Nikki to pull out her tongue as he went in deep with a small dentists mirror.

"I can see it. It is deep." Said the doctor, somewhat relieved, but concerned.

The doctor then got Nikki to pull out her tongue again, and gagging continuously, went in to spray her throat with Lignocaine to deaden the area. Then, after a few minutes and some spitting, he was ready to go in for the extraction. With a very long and curved set of surgical tweezers he went in, a good 8 inches. Nikki retched and lunged forward in reflex pain, but persisted bravely. After about 10 seconds of lunging down Nikki's throat, he pulled out the instrument holding a fish bone almost 2cm long and very thick. He got it!

Poor Nikki's eyes were watering. She was upset and had a terrible experience. It had been more than an hour since the bone was lodged, but I sure it felt much longer to her. Offering to pay the doctor, he asked for no payment and we were free to go.

Nikki needed something to settle her now missing dinner; something sweet.
Another quick taxi ride back to the DMZ Bar we sat, drank and recapped on what turned out to be quite an eventful evening.
 
Jul 18, 2009
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Wow, definately an experience of a lifetime. Your a brave man to do it on one bike only. I salute you.We did it with 10+ bikes a few years back. Similar entry process except our guide arranged absolutely everything for us. Entered from Cambodia and exited into Laos. Many parts of highway joining Nth to Sth are nothing more than single lane with houses and people and livestock absolutely everywhere. Not for the faint hearted.The worst part I found where the big buses and lorries that overtake wherever and when ever they feel like it and they dont stop for anything. Bad luck for you if your in the way. Its really quite scary because there are many situations where there is just nowhere to pull over to give way. Its really lousy that nobody offered you any assistance. Rest assured if the situation allowed,plenty of people would stop if there was any chance that they could get some money from you from an accident. In Vietnam,its normally the police who decide whos in the wrong and how much the settlment will be. Regardless of who is to blame the person who he beleives has more money pays. Ive seen before where they intentionally cause an accident,especially with a foreigner and then lay on the ground moaning and groaning .The more noise they make ,the more $$ they can get. Often,you'll find the policeman is their brother or uncle.
I hope the worst is over for you now and the rest of the trip is smooth sailing all the way.

Guys, anyone up for planning a similar trip ? If so, i'll be standing at the front of the line ..
 

burnjr

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Dec 28, 2005
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u are lucky bro..the fish bone stuck....eat slowling bro..
nice report..if u attached a picture
 
Dec 27, 2007
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burnjr wrote: u are lucky bro..the fish bone stuck....eat slowling bro..
nice report..if u attached a picture
Hey Bro, you say bro a lot. Have a good one Bro! :mrgreen:
 
Nov 3, 2009
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Excellent! They let big bikes in now? And it's good to see a Glide enter Vietnam Mike and Nikki.

Care to share your guide's contact for future enter-ers?
 

Auke

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Nov 10, 2003
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plasticblackspecs wrote: Care to share your guide's contact for future enter-ers?
See the post a bit above yours (dated 24 October) for all the details.
 

DavidFL

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UPDATE: MONDAY, 2ND NOVEMBER 2009

After a slow awakening, and a bad breakfast, we left Mui Ne at about 9:30am.
Stopping in the Binh Thuan province for a coffee and a break, we enjoyed a surprisingly good toilet. On the road again, the kilometres were passing away well, and we had lunch in Dong Nai province on Highway 1 at a Pho restaurant, typical for the area.

The ride down Highway 1 into Saigon (called strangely the Hanoi Ward) proved interesting as the traffic started to build up. About 40 Kms out of Saigon, two idiots on a scooter sped past us on the right, revving their engine and
cutting us off, breaking violently. Avoiding the idiots as politely as possible, they persisted, coming up on the left and jabbed me on the arm, provoking attention. I pushed the driver’s arm gently away. They then approached again, and pushed Nikki’s arm firmly, making our bike sway to the left, dangerously close to a bike next to us on our right. Nikki responded by pushing away on the driver, and I sped ahead to avoid them. They then approached us on the left, making swerving movements towards us threateningly. We tried to ignore this, but his exhaust pipe hit my left
foot plate twice, so I followed Tuyen to go around a truck on the right so as to block them off. This seemed to work, for a while.

The idiots on the scooter followed closely, and then came to our left, and went right up the arse of a truck in front of us so as to try and block us off again; swaying left and right. The driver and passenger looked at us over their right shoulder as the passenger pointed at our front wheel; the driver nodding to his unintelligible verbal suggestions. Suddenly, the driver skidded his rear tyre and swerved to “kickâ€
 
Nov 15, 2007
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burnjr wrote: nice story bro..
yes we need to have a guide when riding in vietnam with our own bike,
same like China we also need the guide and pass the test in Mangla,for plate licence before
can proceed to Yunan provience :D :D :D
prepare the money..enough if u need to ride in this country.. :arrow:
Hi

I got into Vietnam myself through Bavet(Cambodia)-Moc Bai(Vietnam) border during my last 6 South East Asian Nation ride in December 2009.
I was using a Singapore registered bike. I engaged the services of a Vietnamese tour operator who did our paperworks prior to entry.

As I recalled, the tour operator needs to be present upon our entry at the border but he did mentioned that it's not mandatory to have a guided tour throughout the journey in Vietnam. A group of riders from Singapore did this arrangement before.

Our bikes were issued with temporary license plate and were required to put on display at all times. The officers also checked our chasis and engine number.

As my destination was Saigon, I engaged the escort services as well as riding in Saigon can be chaotic.

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Moc Bai immigration house.

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Our Vietnamese license plate

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Entering Saigon

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Our tour oprator with the escorts from ACE MotoSaigon