Vietnam, leaving country on motorbike

[jackdd]

As most people probably know, in Thailand the green book of a motorbike should be in your name to take a motorbike out of the country.

How is this handled in Vietnam with a vietnamese motorbike? Should the motorbike be registered on my name or is it possible to take the motorbike to for example Laos if it's registered on another person?

I read that it's a lot of trouble to register a motorbike on a foreigners name and i know people in Vietnam who i trust, so it would be ok for me to put it in their name, but i would like to be able to leave the country with the motorbike.

[jimster]

From the information I've been able to gather it seems to work as follows: many Vietnamese border posts with Cambodia and Laos turn a blind eye to locally registered motorcycles being driven across the border, particularly if it's a small bike like most locals ride. Vietnamese officials at some border posts might make a stink if they see a foreigner riding a bike, though from personal experience they mostly do so when they see a foreigner driving a car.

 

If you're coming on a bike, choose a "friendly" border crossing (check out motorcycle forums such as www.rideasia.net or gt-rider.com; the former being better) and don't declare you have a bike. Just ride to the immigration area, get stamped out, pick up your bike and ride it across to the other side and repeat. Cambodian customs probably won't even notice you have a bike and won't issue any paperwork anyway. Another possibility is to pay a local to ride your bike across the border for you. Turn up at the border area just before customs and explain what you want them to do. Expect to pay 100,000-200,000 Dong for this service, maybe more.

 

Laos is a bit different. All vehicles, including motorcycles will undergo customs procedures and temporary import docs are provided (this will be a green form in Lao). There are some reports coming out that various crossings won't allow motorcycles to cross the border, particularly if a foreigner is the rider. The central crossings such as Cau Treo are said to be easiest.

 

Not having a motorcycle registration in your name doesn't seem to be a problem with Vietnamese customs. However, having a signed letter of attorney from the owner, authorizing you to take their bike out of the country with a copy of their passport or ID card might be a good idea, even if it's not asked for at the border.

 

You might also need to get a so-called "caravan paper" from the land transport department or whatever it's called in Vietnam where they issue vehicle registrations in case this is asked for at the border, but from my understanding this mainly applies to larger bikes. How big is your bike?

 

One sees lots of foreigners riding Vietnamese plated bikes in both Cambodia and Laos. Recently I saw a group of more than 10 westerners riding Vietnamese plated bikes up to Bokor mountain near Kampot in southern Cambodia (other foreigners were riding locally plated bikes rented in Sihanoukville or Kampot). Do note that if riding a Vietnamese bike on Ekareach street in Sihanoukville or Monivong/Norodom boulevards in Phnom Penh that you may be stopped and fined. A friend and his group from Vietnam found themselves stopped twice in Sihanoukville - they were 6 people on 3 bikes.

 

Finally, only the shared borders with Laos and Cambodia will allow your bike through. There's very little information about whether you can cross between Laos and Cambodia directly, most reports are that you will be refused, particularly if going from Laos into Cambodia. You can always try but be prepared to be refused even if you offer customs some money. Entering China and Thailand is impossible except with pre-approval through a travel agency well in advance, insurance, a recognized rider's licence or temporary licence obtained in the first town near the border (required for China where international driver's permits are not recognized), an itinerary, a guide and lead vehicle (in the case of Thailand).

 

[jackdd]

Thanks for your insights, really helpful. So it seems most people use an inofficial way to cross the border. Actually i would prefer to use the official way, because in the end it means less troubles and i can't be a target of extortion. So probably to cross the border using the official way the motorbike would need to be on my name?

I'm not sure yet which motorbike i will buy then, maybe a Honda XR 150 or another one with 150cc, so not a big bike, but bigger than the average 110cc Honda Wave.

I will have a look what people on the websites that you linked to say, and also try to get more details on how to get a motorbike on my name in vietnam.

[Sapporillo]

On 9/24/2017 at 1:27 PM, jackdd said:

Thanks for your insights, really helpful. So it seems most people use an inofficial way to cross the border. Actually i would prefer to use the official way, because in the end it means less troubles and i can't be a target of extortion. So probably to cross the border using the official way the motorbike would need to be on my name?

I'm not sure yet which motorbike i will buy then, maybe a Honda XR 150 or another one with 150cc, so not a big bike, but bigger than the average 110cc Honda Wave.

I will have a look what people on the websites that you linked to say, and also try to get more details on how to get a motorbike on my name in vietnam.

Hello,

I don't really know about about the official rules, but I have crossed borders from VN to Cambodia a number of times, and they didn't show ANY interest in the bike (with VN registration) at all (it was a little 100cc). It's not like they didn't see it, they just didn't care. We got stopped once in Cambodia (in Phnom Penh), but the cop just tried to extort some money telling us we were not allowed to drive because of our driver's licences, I refused to pay and politely asked him to take us to the police station because "I am very poor", and that was it. On the other hand, out in the countryside, there were numerous police checkpoints, and I was never stopped at these, so no trouble at all there.

 

If you still want to register it (and there's a chance nobody will ever ask to see the registration papers), I'm not sure if it's possible to do in Vietnam as a tourist, but I do know that it can only be done in the province where the bike is registered when you purchase it. So you will have to go there at least once (if everything works out the first time).

 

Unfortunately I haven't been to Laos, but I hear that a lot people cross over to Laos with their VN registered bikes, and from experience I can tell you that it is very unlikely that these tourists bothered to register their bike in their own name..

 

[jimster]

Good insights Sapporillo. Jackdd, if you want to be "official", I'd recommend entering Vietnam on a 1-year business visa (this can be obtained using an agent as your sponsor) for around US$250 + the stamping fee - you can enter via air, land or use the agent's code to apply for a visa at a designated Vietnamese embassy or consulate, then enter the country by whatever means you wish. This should be enough proof that you are residing in Vietnam, I can't imagine you'd need a work permit too, that isn't needed even in Thailand to register a car or motorcycle in your name.

 

Other than that, both Sapporillo and myself have covered the basics, check out those websites and perhaps some Vietnamese expat forums (the local equivalent of this one) for more details.