Izzy_Cool
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Ok, my turn to weigh in on this.
I have a few cars and feel most comfortable in my Ford Escape. When my 4-year old daughter has to go someplace, its in the car.
I have told my wife in no uncertain terms that if she puts my daughter on a motorbike for any reason we're gonna have a hellava fight.
Granted, most Vietnamese travel by motorbike and they take their kids on there too. The difference is they have little or no choice, whereas I and my family do.
I have been in Vietnam for 17 years and I used to drive a motorbike in the early days as did most of my friends. We are all very good drivers and rode back in the US as well.
Everyone of us has been involved in an accident to some degree or another. Fortunately for me, it was only a bump in the head as my helmet took the impact. One friend has a steel bar in his leg now from his accident.
Every day I witness a minimum of three accidents on the way to / from work.
If you're determined to ride, listen to the advice posted above and get used to the traffic patterns / flow first.
EXPECT STUPIDITY FROM THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU. Imagine the most asinine thing in the world that the guy can do and prepare for it, because odds are he WILL do it.
If you're gonna ride, get a Minsk...they're more fun, impossible to kill and can be repaired anywhere. Join up with the Minsk club as they go on weekend trips. There's safety in numbers.
Other than that, make sure you have accident / health insurance because the International hospitals are as expensive as in the US.
Have fun.
Bottom line is |
barry c
|
I usually avoid dissing my other answerees, but the answer from Pete O. is sheer nonsense.
Viet Nam's population is a little less than a quarter of the United State's. With, on average 42 thousand traffic deaths a year in the U.S., I don't see him advising you never to set foot in a U.S. car, but he's all over the Vietnamese traffic deaths. Does that make sense?
Since December last year, there has been a mandatory helmet law in place for the whole country. The traffic cops (manila colored uniforms) will not only ticket you; they'll impound your bike for not wearing one. Only on country lanes will you find some people riding along helmet-less.
Vietnamese traffic appears, at first, to be wildly chaotic, and in the cities, with the virtual crush of motor-bikes, it is daunting to the uninitiated. But the vast majority of Vietnamese drivers are excersising a degree of awareness of their surroundings, and caution, that beggars what goes for paying attention at the wheel in the U.S., where a shocking number of people are driving their cars, speeding, talking on the phone, bouncing their leg to music and balancing their Starbucks coffee, while getting a feel from their girlfriend, simultaneously. That is much the reason why the rate of traffic deaths in the U.S. is roughly 3 times as high as Vietnam's.
When you get to Vietnam, spend a day paying close attention to the traffic. See how well honed their sense of trajectory is. Next, absolutely contrary to the above advice, DO go on the very safe (statistically: sh*t, of course, can always happen, anywhere. You could also be hit by a meteorite) motorcycle taxi's, again, before you rent; get a better feel. Then rent, and keep your head about you; don't speed, go with the flow and have a great time.
ps: go into a large bookstore in HCM or HaNoi, whereever you're landing, and buy a Vietnamese map book. It will have the larger city maps, rural routes. As far as carrying a hundred pounds, well, most any bike could-just as any bike can carry 2 people-but there are different sized bikes for rent; get a little size, your butt will appreciate it. |
Buon_Giorno_VN
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Barry C what a crock! I'm with you Pete O, 100%. In the 6 years I've been here this time around I've witnessed over 20 fatal accidents involving motorcycles. The majority of helmets you talk about are as thick as an eggshell and wouldn't be legal in most western countries. They are a bandaid solution to a very big problem. What must also be remembered is Vietnam doesn't recognise International driving licences and you cannot get a licence in Vietnam on a tourist Visa. I got my car/motorbike licence 5 years ago and it was a long drawn out process that took 7 months. Things may have improved but if you have an accident without one your insurance company will not accept liability. A friend of mine went straight up the backside of a taxi a few years back that had braked suddenly, as they do, in the middle of the road late at night. He's now a paraplegic. I've seen young backpackers come off motorcycles within 50 metres of the rental point. Spend some time here and you'll see things on the road that will beggar belief. My advice is to hire a vehicle and a driver to do your touring. It will be a lot safer. Never try and navigate traffic anywhere, especially in Vietnam, while looking at a map. A recipe for absolute disaster. Enjoy your holiday. |
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